Advanced trailer tracking is much more than just a dot on a map

 

There are millions of registered trailers in fleets across North America. And, by some accounts, up to 20 percent of them are sitting idle at any given time – clearly an inefficient use of assets that should be generating revenue.

Moreover, motor carriers are often in the dark about the exact location, health and readiness of their trailers. It can all add up to lost revenue, lost opportunities and frustrated drivers who may opt to look for work elsewhere.

The solution is advanced trailer tracking.

Advanced trailer technology uses GPS and sensors to provide real-time trailer tracking along with accurate, reliable data that can help carriers monitor fleet safety and utilization and make smart decisions to increase profitability and improve driver satisfaction.

 

1. Maximize Revenue

When it comes to ROI for any new fleet technology, revenue generation is key. Here are ways that smart trailer technology can help you boost revenue.

Trailer Utilization

Before a trailer can generate revenue, you need to answer the questions: Where is it? Is it safe? Is it ready? Smart trailer technology puts that crucial information at your fingertips, helping to ensure that your trailer assets are making money for your business, rather than sitting unused.

Fleet Size and Allocation

Improved trailer utilization may reveal that you’re able to do more with fewer trailers, providing the opportunity to streamline your fleet. Likewise, advanced trailer technology can provide insights on how to best allocate your trailer fleet to meet business demands and extend the life of your trailers.

Detention Management

Time lost to detention costs the trucking industry in the U.S. more than $3 billion a year, according to a Federal Motor Carrier Association study. Advanced trailer technology enables carriers to more accurately track and bill for detention time.

Theft and Cargo Loss

Cargo theft amounts to up to $35 billion in losses each year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Trailer tracking and geofencing coupled with door and cargo sensors can alert fleet managers to a trailer door being opened when it shouldn’t be. GPS tracking also can aid in the recovery of lost or stolen trailers.

 

2. Improve Safety and Compliance

 

Fleet safety and regulatory compliance are critical to protecting your drivers and the public, maintaining good CSA scores and ensuring that your business can keep making money. Advanced trailer tracking supports those goals with an array of sensors that can alert you to when there is a critical issue with a trailer.

  • Brakes: Monitor the health of your brakes and ABS lamp function and identify potential problems before they happen.
  • Tires: Get real time insights into tire pressure and temperature, and the operation of automatic inflation systems.
  • Lights: Know if you have a light out before your driver gets on the road.
  • Temperature: Monitor the temperature of refrigerated trailers to ensure you’re meeting FSMA guidelines.

 

3. Improve Driver Satisfaction

Driver retention was among the American Transportation Research Institute’s Top 10 Trucking Industry Issues for 2023. And a survey by Professional Driver Agency found that equipment quality is among the top three factors that make a carrier attractive to drivers. Smart trailer solutions can help do away with many of the day-to-day headaches that could prompt drivers to seek work elsewhere.

Trailer Location

Too often, drivers are dispatched to a trailer that isn’t where it’s supposed to be. The result for the driver: wasted on-duty time, lost income and a lot of frustration. Advanced trailer tracking eliminates this problem, giving you the exact location of all your equipped trailers.

Trailer Health

Even if you know where your trailer is, if it’s not roadworthy your driver isn’t going to be happy. Smart trailer sensors communicate information about tires, brakes and lights – even when the trailer isn’t connected to a tractor – so you’ll never send a driver to a broken trailer.

Trailer Readiness

A cargo sensor can help you ensure that a trailer is ready to roll. As Jim Epler of EROAD partner Phillips Connect explains: “You can’t imagine how many times drivers go to pick up a trailer and it’s got dunnage in it, or it’s loaded and it’s supposed to be empty.”

 

EROAD Asset Tracker Powered by Phillips Connect

EROAD has partnered with industry leader Phillips Connect to offer a full range of advanced trailer and asset tracker devices that provide motor carriers with powerful insights into the location and health of their trailers and other assets.

  • EROAD Asset Tracker powered by Philips Connect allows you to check lights, brakes and tire pressure remotely, making sure your driver, trailer and loads are safe before they hit the road.
  • EROAD Asset Tracker devices install in minutes, easily connecting into your trailer’s data network and providing critical safety and status information, along with reliable reporting across your entire fleet.
  • EROAD Asset Tracker devices are designed to withstand the harsh conditions that commercial trucks operate in. Built to last, these devices are upgradable with add-on sensors that expand the data you monitor.

 

Contact us today to learn more about EROAD Asset Tracker Powered by Phillips Connect

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Advanced Trailer Tracking Can Help You Transform Your Operations

by | Oct 17, 2023 | ,

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