GLOVIS America

Introduction:

When GLOVIS America needed greater visibility into trailer deliveries across the United States, the challenge went well beyond simply locating an asset on a map.

From its Otay Mesa, California operation, GLOVIS coordinates the delivery of brand-new trailers to customers across the country using contracted carriers. Once a trailer leaves the yard, the team needs visibility throughout the journey—from deployment through final delivery.

The operation presented a unique challenge. GLOVIS needed to know not only where a trailer was, but whether the carrier was following the expected trip, making unauthorized stops, deviating from the route, or potentially using the trailer for another load along the way.

GLOVIS partnered with Hapn to build a tracking operation around that workflow, combining portable GPS technology, real-time alerts, historical trip data, operational processes, and API connectivity.

Just as importantly, the two teams worked together to continually improve the solution as GLOVIS learned more from operating it in the field.

Challenge:

GLOVIS needed to maintain visibility and control after a trailer left its yard with a contracted driver.

The company had experienced carriers making unauthorized stops and, in some cases, using brand-new trailers for other loads before completing the intended delivery. These incidents created operational risk and threatened important customer relationships.

GLOVIS needed a solution that could help its team:

• Track trailers throughout long-distance deliveries across the United States.
• Identify unexpected stops and potential route deviations.
• Recognize high-risk carriers and shipments requiring additional monitoring.
• Access historical trip data when investigating delivery activity.
• Receive alerts and notifications when activity required attention.
• Verify GPS devices were connected and sufficiently charged before deployment.
• Establish consistent processes for device placement and deployment across different trailer types.
• Track devices that had been deployed but not returned.
• Integrate tracking information into GLOVIS's existing technology environment.
• Maintain reliable visibility without adding unnecessary manual work to an already complex logistics operation.

The challenge required more than supplying GPS devices. It required understanding how trailers actually moved through GLOVIS's operation and designing the technology and workflow around it.

Solution:

Hapn worked directly with GLOVIS stakeholders to develop a tracking program around the company's trailer-delivery workflow.

The Hapn team went onsite at GLOVIS's Otay Mesa operation to observe the process firsthand—from device charging and preparation to the guard shack where trackers are activated, verified, assigned, and sent out with trailers.

That hands-on collaboration helped the teams evaluate device placement across different trailer configurations, improve deployment procedures, test connectivity, and establish best practices designed to produce consistent tracking throughout each trip.

Before a tracker leaves the yard, the team can verify device connectivity and battery status using Hapn's mobile tools. Once deployed, GLOVIS can use Hapn to monitor trailer location, review trip history, and identify activity that may require attention.

Alerts and monitoring workflows provide another layer of oversight. Unexpected stops, prolonged stationary activity, and other trip behavior can help the operations team identify shipments that warrant investigation rather than relying solely on manual review.

GLOVIS can also categorize devices and shipments to help its team more closely monitor higher-risk carriers or deliveries.

Hapn's API extends that visibility beyond the Hapn platform. GLOVIS has been able to connect Hapn tracking data with its own systems, allowing GPS information to become part of the company's broader operational workflow rather than remaining in a standalone tracking application.

Throughout the partnership, Hapn's product, engineering, customer success, and account teams have worked directly with GLOVIS to evaluate new requirements, troubleshoot operational challenges, and explore ways the solution could continue evolving alongside the operation.

Measuring Success

For GLOVIS, the value of Hapn extends beyond seeing a trailer's location on a map.

The company has built a more connected process around the entire tracking lifecycle—from preparing and deploying a device at the yard to monitoring the trailer in transit, reviewing historical activity, and incorporating tracking information into its own systems.

Real-time visibility and alerts give the operations team greater ability to identify unusual activity during a trip and investigate when a carrier's behavior does not align with expectations.

Standardizing deployment procedures has also helped address the practical challenges that come with managing portable GPS devices at scale, including device readiness, battery life, connectivity, placement, and return.

Through Hapn's API, tracking data can become part of GLOVIS's existing technology ecosystem, helping reduce the separation between GPS tracking and the systems employees already use to manage operations.

Most importantly, the partnership has continued to evolve based on real operational needs. Rather than treating GLOVIS's requirements as a fixed set of GPS features, the teams have worked collaboratively to understand problems in the field and identify ways technology, workflows, and data can help solve them.

For GLOVIS, Hapn has become more than a GPS provider. It has become a technology partner willing to understand the operation, listen to new ideas, and work alongside the team as its logistics needs evolve.