Action Intel launches Tow Tracker, delivering barge supply chain stakeholders what they’ve always needed

Until now, operations teams have informed million-dollar commodity trading decisions using often-outdated, incomplete information about towboat positions. Tow Tracker solves this high-stakes problem by delivering accurate, real-time positions with a streamlined interface and API capabilities.

Tow Tracker delivers full visibility into river barge transportation, from current conditions to predictive ETAs. Clients have already used Tow Tracker to mitigate supply chain risks, informing trade decisions when barges weren’t arriving in time.

“Tow Tracker represents a step change for managing barge supply chains,” said Susan Olson, Founder of Action Intel. “For too long, stakeholders in grain, energies, fertilizer, and other commodities relied on fragmented and delayed updates to make big trade decisions. We listened to the pain points and delivered a unified, real-time solution to manage these critical supply chains.”

Prior to Tow Tracker, even the most sophisticated supply chain managers relied on once-daily reports of towboat positions. The updates often come in the form of PDFs, which then had to be manually processed.

“Teams had to manually gather and aggregate vessel positions from multiple sources — a process that costs hours,” said Creed Gann, Head of Operations at Action Intel. “Now, they can access real-time positions across all barge lines on-demand. Our clients download that data digitally and immediately see the updates across their workflows.”

Tow Tracker not only saves dispatchers hours per day — it brings clients and service providers into a single workflow. “Using the same real-time insights helps both barge lines and their commercial partners communicate faster and with less friction,” said Olson.

Like other Action Intel products, Tow Tracker expands visibility beyond internal ops — giving users a broader, real-time view of the entire supply chain. The product offers the data for operational benchmarking, like miles made per day, with data downloads and API service.

In Q2 2025, Action Intel installed its first live camera below the I-10 bridge — a step toward bringing visual verification directly into Tow Tracker. “Users will now see tow compositions and arrival events in real time, straight from the river,” said Gann.