# Tracking cross-border shipments in real time

> Deloitte and a corporate client developed a working prototype for tracking cross-border consignments. The solution combined Hyperledger Fabric, Thingstream and pallet sensors to capture location data automatically via mobile networks. The published results demonstrate the technical feasibility of tamper-resistant data recording, but provide no evidence of production-scale deployment or quantified savings.

**Sector:** Tertiary sector · **Industry:** Freight forwarding and transport · **Organisation:** Deloitte · **Maturity level:** Pilot

Canonical URL: https://www.sapientblock.com/en/use-cases/deloitte-sendungen-grenzueberschreitend-echtzeit-verfolgen

## Documentation status

- **Project status:** Pilot
- **Evidence:** Evidence medium
- **Editorial review:** pending

## Description

Deloitte designed a networked track-and-trace system based on modern distributed ledger technology for an industrial client. The trial aimed to eliminate patchy transparency and media discontinuities during the cross-border transport of freight goods. Using robust sensors and a shared data platform, all participating parties were able to trace consignment movements without manual data entry.

As part of the project, Deloitte combined the enterprise blockchain Hyperledger Fabric with AWS cloud resources, the Thingstream connectivity service, and self-sufficient pallet sensors. The hardware transmitted location data autonomously via global GSM networks to the backend infrastructure, creating an end-to-end flow of information. Each incoming data record was immutably committed to the blockchain to rule out subsequent manipulation or billing disputes. The initiative primarily served as a technical feasibility study in multinational freight transport under real-world conditions. Quantitative metrics regarding cost reductions or throughput times were not publicly published after completion of the pilot phase.

## Benefits

- Faster resolution of liability issues between freight stakeholders
- Reduced administrative burden for clarification at border crossings
- Gapless documentation of consignment locations without manual scanning processes
- Tamper-proof record-keeping in cases of damage or loss
- Direct integration of telemetry data into cross-company processes
- Relief from routine manual tracking queries
- Increased reliability of operational documentation in dispatching

## Challenges

- Requirement for standardised interfaces between divergent freight forwarding systems
- Dependence on stable mobile connectivity in border regions
- Limited battery life and costs for IoT sensors at pallet level
- Training required for handling IoT hardware and ledger status messages

## Technology foundation

The architecture is based on Hyperledger Fabric as a permissioned distributed ledger for confidential supply chain data. Via IoT sensors on pallets and the Thingstream network, geodata is transmitted via GSM to AWS services and immutably committed to the ledger.

## Sources

- [Using Blockchain to Drive Supply Chain Transparency and Innovation](https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/services/consulting/articles/blockchain-supply-chain-innovation.html)