Abstract: Bulk goods are transported on a rail network to a terminal which includes a loading with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a control hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the railcars. An input to the hub is provided by a plurality of self-powered scanning stations each including an RFID reader having an antenna for reading the RFID tag of an adjacent rail car where each scanning station has two radar proximity transducers responsive to presence of a rail car where the RFID reader has a quiescent mode and the radar proximity detectors activate the reader from the quiescent mode on detection of a railcar.

Abstract: Bulk goods are transported on a rail network to a terminal which includes a loading with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a control hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the railcars. An input to the hub is provided by a plurality of self-powered scanning stations each including an RFID reader having an antenna for reading the RFID tag of an adjacent rail car where each scanning station has two radar proximity transducers responsive to presence of a rail car where the RFID reader has a quiescent mode and the radar proximity detectors activate the reader from the quiescent mode on detection of a railcar.

Abstract: In a method or apparatus for transporting bulk goods by rail cars on a rail network to a rail car handling terminal where the handling terminal includes a loading and/or unloading system with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a center control data hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the rail cars. The center control hub generates data indicating a current stage of each of the railcars and a signal indicative that a rail car can be transferred from one stage to another stage to the portable computers to control transfer of the rail car from one stage to the next stage.

Abstract: Bulk goods are transported on a rail network to a terminal which includes a loading with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a control hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the railcars. An input to the hub is provided by a plurality of self-powered scanning stations each including an RFID reader having an antenna for reading the RFID tag of an adjacent rail car where each scanning station has two radar proximity transducers responsive to presence of a rail car where the RFID reader has a quiescent mode and the radar proximity detectors activate the reader from the quiescent mode on detection of a railcar.

Abstract: Apparatus for managing transportation vehicles includes a plurality of containers each attached to a respective one of the vehicles and containing a memory, a wireless transmitter, a receiver and a writer for storing data in the memory, where data includes a secure section of data defining for the vehicle cargo packing slip information and a non-secure section of data defining for the vehicle safety information relating to the current vehicle contents. The apparatus further includes a first reader for receiving the data in the secure section and second portable reader for receiving the data in the non-secure section where the second reader is arranged to provide to a person in possession of the second reader only data from the non-secure section defining for the vehicle said safety information relating to the current vehicle contents and not the data from the secure section.

Abstract: In a method or apparatus for transporting bulk goods by rail cars on a rail network to a rail car handling terminal where the handling terminal includes a loading and/or unloading system with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a center control data hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the rail cars. The center control hub generates data indicating a current stage of each of the railcars and a signal indicative that a rail car can be transferred from one stage to another stage to the portable computers to control transfer of the rail car from one stage to the next stage.

Abstract: Bulk goods are transported on a rail network to a terminal which includes a loading with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a control hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the railcars. An input to the hub is provided by a plurality of self-powered scanning stations each including an RFID reader having an antenna for reading the RFID tag of an adjacent rail car where each scanning station has two radar proximity transducers responsive to presence of a rail car where the RFID reader has a quiescent mode and the radar proximity detectors activate the reader from the quiescent mode on detection of a railcar.

Abstract: Apparatus for managing transportation vehicles includes a plurality of containers each attached to a respective one of the vehicles and containing a memory, a wireless transmitter, a receiver and a writer for storing data in the memory, where data includes a secure section of data defining for the vehicle cargo packing slip information and a non-secure section of data defining for the vehicle safety information relating to the current vehicle contents. The apparatus further includes a first reader for receiving the data in the secure section and second portable reader for receiving the data in the non-secure section where the second reader is arranged to provide to a person in possession of the second reader only data from the non-secure section defining for the vehicle said safety information relating to the current vehicle contents and not the data from the secure section.