The Transport Department of Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, an autonomous region of Italy, has initiated the SEC (Safe and Efficient Cargo) project to supervise the flow of goods around the port city of Trieste. The project, administrated by Italian systems integrator Insiel, uses RFID technology to coordinate the flow of cargo-related traffic around the harbor area.

RFID-tagged cargo trucks are tracked by readers placed at three key locations in the port infrastructure, enabling system operators to synchronize transporters, harbor and maritime terminals activities. The information is used to cut down on unnecessary truck movement, reducing pollution. In addition, boarding waiting times are reduced, safety levels are increased by tracing each vehicle and calculating stopping and moving time, and paperwork is reduced thanks to automation in shared document management.

SEC is the first step of a wider implementation of the regional integrated logistical automated system. In the future, the traceability platform used by SEC will be applied to the whole region to improve the efficiency of the logistical system, increase safety, and collect data for regional transport planning.