TRANSCOM is the Department of Energy (DOE) unclassified Tracking and Communications System used to monitor the progress of various "high visibility" shipments, such as spent nuclear fuel, high-level and Transuranic radioactive waste.  With a demonstrated 99.8% reliability this nationwide 24-hour per day tracking system combines satellite and ground-based communications to monitor the progress of DOE truck, rail, barge, and ocean vessel shipments in near real time.  TRANSCOM has been used to monitor over 12,000 DOE high visibility shipments since it’s deployment in September 2001.

How TRANSCOM Works

TRANSCOM utilizes onboard satellite Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to track truck and rail shipments as they make their way from origin to destination.  Authorized users access the TRANSCOM system from their organization’s personal computers, and connect to the TRANSCOM Website through the Internet.

Satellites poll the shipments at near-real time frequency and relay positional and message information to the TRANSCOM Communication Center database.  Shipment position and messaging data is made available over the Web at 4-7 minute intervals and can be viewed by authorized Federal, State and Tribal customers across the United States.

TRANSCOM can provide position accuracy within 500 feet of a stopped vehicle. 

TRANSCOM incorporates multiple layers of security including unique usernames and passwords, a public facing firewall, network and application authentication, and data encryption.

Available Shipping Information

Specific shipment information available to authorized users includes bill of lading, shipment notes, routes, messages, positional information, and mapping functions that displays shipment position information.

TRANSCOM Customers

TRANSCOM is available to more than 600 authorized DOE Shipping and Transportation clients across the DOE community, and represents shippers and carriers, as well as state, local and tribal governments.  All TRANSCOM customers that have a “need to know” can access information which is available on the system. 

Other Federal customers include the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Department of Transportation.