ISO/TS 18625 is intended to be applicable to freight containers as defined in ISO 668 as well as to other freight containers not defined in ISO 668 and to container ancillary equipment such as road and terminal chassis, generator sets and power packs.

ISO/TS 18625 provides guidance for the requirements (operational and otherwise) for a system, and its enabling devices, used to track, monitor and/or report the status of the container, hereinafter referred to as the Container Tracking and Monitoring System (CTMS). The use of a CTMS is optional. The party opting to use a CTMS is hereafter referred to as the "user of the system" or just the "user". The user, which can be, e.g. a shipper, a consolidator, a logistics service provider or a container owner or operator, will identify and specify its specific requirements and usages of the CTMS pursuant to specific use cases defined by that party (see Clause 6). ISO/TS 18625 establishes a tiered approach to the CTMS. The tiered approach is described in 5.2 and 5.3.

A CTMS in conformance with ISO/TS 18625, provides for interoperability in regard to both data transfer and data interpretation neither of which may be hindered by systems claiming such conformance.

The CTMS elements addressed in ISO/TS 18625 include the following:

a) a set of requirements for transferring information to and from a container tracking device to/from an automatic data processing systems by, e.g. air interface through RF or optical means;

b) data for transmission to/from automatic data processing systems;

c) functional requirements necessary to ensure consistent and reliable operation of the CTMS;

d) features to inhibit malicious or unintentional alteration and/or deletion of the information content of the CTMS.

Specifically excluded from the scope of ISO/TS 18625 is the processing and display of data by the users' information system hereinafter referred to as the Operator Information Management system (OIMS). Also specifically excluded is the specific identification, tracking and monitoring of cargo packed or filled in the container.