This document is intended to be applicable to freight containers as defined in ISO 668 as well as to other freight containers not defined in ISO 668 and to container ancillary equipment such as road and terminal chassis, generator sets and power packs.

This document provides guidance for the requirements (operational and otherwise) for a system, and its enabling devices, used to track, monitor and/or report the status of the container, hereinafter referred to as the Container Tracking and Monitoring System (CTMS). The use of a CTMS is optional. The party opting to use a CTMS is hereafter referred to as the “user of the system” or just the “user”. The user, which can be, e.g. a shipper, a consolidator, a logistics service provider or a container owner or operator, will identify and specify its specific requirements and usages of the CTMS pursuant to specific use cases defined by that party (see Clause 6). This document establishes a tiered approach to the CTMS. The tiered approach is described in 5.2 and 5.3.

A CTMS in conformance with this document, provides for interoperability in regard to both data transfer and data interpretation neither of which may be hindered by systems claiming such conformance.

The CTMS elements addressed in this document include the following:

Specifically excluded from the scope of this document is the processing and display of data by the users’ information system hereinafter referred to as the Operator Information Management system (OIMS). Also specifically excluded is the specific identification, tracking and monitoring of cargo packed or filled in the container.