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What is a pallet tracking system?
A pallet tracking system tells you where each pallet is and when it got there. Your warehouse system knows what left on which pallet. Tracking adds what happens next: where the pallet went, how long it sat there, and whether it came back.
The pallet tracker is a small tag with no wiring and no data plan. It broadcasts a Bluetooth signal, and any phone that passes reports where it heard it. The crowdsourced network is large (Apple counts over a billion iPhone, iPad and Mac devices, and Google over a billion Android devices).
A tag's battery lasts up to six years, depending on its size, so a pallet with no power supply can still carry one. Each report carries a place and a time. A pallet's history then shows when it reached a customer and when it left.
Which pallets are worth a tracker?
Tag the pallets that come back to you. A plastic pallet in a closed loop is the clearest case. Plastic pallets are rarely broken and can travel more than 200 round trips before they are retired, according to Penn State researchers. One tag rides along for many of those trips.
Pallet boxes, bulk bins and steel stillages come back too, and so do racks built for one part. Each trip adds to the unit's history, so a unit that stops coming back stands out.
A one-way wooden pallet is different. It leaves with the goods and does not come back to you, so tag the load instead. A pooled rental pallet belongs to the pooling company, so it is theirs to track.
Do you need a pallet tracker on every pallet?
No. A share of tagged pallets shows where a pool leaks, because tagged and untagged pallets travel the same routes. A 2016 study of returnable transport items in the International Journal of Production Research examined partial tagging. It found that estimates of how long units take to return, and how many return, were satisfactory when not all were tagged.
Brambles owns hundreds of millions of pallets through its CHEP business. The National Association of Manufacturers reported in 2024, citing The Wall Street Journal, that several million go unaccounted for each month. Pallets are also a target for thieves, who resell them.
Brambles has fitted around 450,000 trackers to its blue pallets, a small share of the pool. Its pallet detectives hunt down strays so they can be returned.
Start with a share of your own pool. Tag some of the pallets going to each customer, and let them run. The sites where tagged pallets stop moving are the first places to look for the rest. The returnable asset tracking guide covers sizing the pool and measuring days held with only part of it tagged.
Pallet tracking at customer sites: arrivals, departures and days held
At a customer site, pallet tracking logs the day each tagged pallet arrives and the day it leaves. A geofence around the site records both crossings with a time. After a round trip, you know how many days each site holds your pallets.
Sort the sites by days held. The slowest sites are the first customers to call, and the arrival date gives that call a clear starting point.
- Start with the customers that take the most pallets, plus any site you already suspect.
- Draw a geofence around your yard and each of those sites before the pallets leave. The geofence guide shows how.
- Tag a share of the pallets headed to them.
Can you track a pallet shipment yourself?
Yes. A carrier's tracking number shows the scans at its own depots. A tag in the load reports between those scans, wherever a phone passes it, on your own map. You see where the load is without waiting for the next scan.
When the load arrives, the receiver can pull the tag and send it back for the next shipment.
Theft is one reason to do it. CargoNet counted 2,646 confirmed cargo thefts in the US and Canada in 2025, up 18 percent on 2024. Food and beverage saw the largest rise.
Where to put a pallet tracker so it survives the forklift
Fix the tag to a face the fork tines cannot reach and the load does not cover. A lid can end up on another box, so on a pallet box the tag goes on the box itself. On a steel stillage, use an outside face of the frame, since steel blocks the signal.
On pallets that stand in a wet yard, use a Standard or Extended Tag with the screw mount. Both are sealed to IP68. The Compact Tag suits units that stay indoors and dry.
Comes back to you
Plastic pallet
Tag the pallet, on the outer face of a corner block.
Comes back to you
Pallet box
Tag the box, high on an outer wall, off the lid.
Comes back to you
Steel stillage
Tag the frame, on an outside face, off the stacking feet.
Leaves with the goods
One-way wooden pallet
Tag the load, in a case at the edge of the stack or under the wrap.
White disc: the tag. Shaded: where the forks go. Dashed: the load, a loose lid or the wrap.
The asset tracking tags guide covers tape, screws and ties on wood, plastic and steel.
What to expect from tags on pallets
With tags, you get a dated record of where each tagged pallet has been and how long it stayed.
- Updates come from passing phones. Any phone that passes reports the tag. Docks, yards and busy customer sites update through the working day. A pallet in long storage updates when someone passes it again.
- Building-level position. Expect the right yard or distribution center, not the right rack.
- Where and when, not what. A tag reports where a pallet is and when it came and went. Your delivery note keeps what was on it and who signed for it.
Once hundreds of pallets carry tags, managing multiple tags as a fleet keeps the map readable.
Frequently asked questions
How does a pallet tracker work?
A pallet tracker is a small tag fixed to the pallet. It broadcasts a Bluetooth signal, and any phone that passes reports where it heard it, with the time. The software keeps each report, so you see where the pallet has been and how long it stayed.
Can you put a tracker on a pallet?
Yes. Fix a small tag to the outer face of a corner block, clear of the forks and the load. Any phone that passes reports where it heard it, which covers docks, yards and customer sites. On pallets that stand outside, a tag sealed to IP68 with a screw mount holds up better.
Do pallets have trackers in them?
Some do. Brambles has fitted around 450,000 trackers to its blue CHEP pallets, out of a pool of hundreds of millions. Only a small share of that pool carries one.
Which pallets should you track?
The ones that come back to you, such as plastic pallets in a closed loop, pallet boxes and stillages. One-way wooden pallets leave with the goods, so tag the load instead. Pooled rental pallets belong to the pooling company.
How do you track pallets at customer sites?
Tag a share of the pallets, and draw a geofence around each customer site and your own yard. Each arrival and departure is then logged with a time. The history shows how many days each site holds your pallets.
Does pallet tracking work inside a warehouse?
Yes, at building level. Warehouses and distribution centers are busy through each shift, and any phone that passes reports the tags it hears. The position gets you to the right building, not the right rack.
How long does a pallet tracker battery last?
Up to six years, depending on its size. The Standard Tag runs up to three years and the Extended Tag up to six. One tag can stay on a pallet for many round trips.
Next step
Tag the pallets you want back
Put tags on the pallets, boxes and stillages you own and expect back. Draw a geofence around your yard and each site you ship to. Tell us about your pool and routes, and we will suggest a tag size for each unit.