A system, method and assembly for detecting the operational status of one or more discharge gates on one or more railcars. The system and method monitor parameters that include whether the discharge gate is open or closed, whether the railcar is in motion or not, and whether the railcar is in a location where it is acceptable for the discharge gate to be open. Sensors carry out the monitoring, and the information obtained by monitoring the parameters are used to determine if a notification event has taken place and if so, a notification of such event can be transmitted to a remote receiver. A change in the status of any one of the monitored parameters can trigger the determination of whether a notification event has occurred.