The more batteries you add the more the cost you add. You also need a bigger enclosure. Someone to put it together, etc. Low power mode for the devices works

The more batteries you add the more the cost you add. You also need a bigger enclosure. Someone to put it together, etc. Low power mode for the devices works to a point. But eventually the battery just gives out (age or usage). Which means you have to have someone go out and touch the thing. You need more power to go further with the radio so more batteries. The dudes working the docks probably are not allowed to do it. So you have to send a team out there to fix them up. Oh and that device is 'dead' so good luck finding it in the 20k+ containers in the current yard. You can prevent that to a point with scheduled maintenance. But again you are now pull containers out of service waiting for 'the guy' and your guy waiting for him to show up too, and that is costing money and time. Malicious abuse is usually found fairly quickly in that industry and usually obvious it is happening. It is accidental and environmental that are the bigger problems. The more you harden for the environment the higher the cost on build, install, and replacement. There are several key factors that go into making 10,000 of something. I can make 1-2 wickedly hardened items as prototypes. But make 10k of them takes a different set of skills and cost factors. Then you have to pay guys decent rates to go out and install/maintain them. Remember the guys running these companies are very cost sensitive. You can literally wipe out their whole margin on one container if you cost too much. Endpoint tracking/scanning which they use the majority of the time is shockingly effective. Not perfect but very effective. Tracking the vehicle the item is on is usually more cost effective. For some loads it makes sense to track it that sensitively but most of the time it does not matter. Our cost budget for just materials (no manufacture) was 20-50 dollars a unit. We could not get anywhere near that. Just the radio was most of the budget let alone the cables, board, ics and case and battery. So the project was shelved. There are companies out there that make these sorts of things. But their costs are usually 500-3000 per unit plus install/ongoing costs.