Watch: What makes smart trailers so smart?

Watch: What makes smart trailers so smart?

A smart trailer is a system of sensors that communicate information about that trailer back to the fleet, and they’re becoming increasingly useful every day.

Click here to watch more of FE’s On the Road video series.

Here is a transcript of the video:

Smart trailers are making fleets, well, smarter. But the term is relatively new.

It’s safe to say that most fleet managers are used to the capabilities of truck telematics, but they may not be as familiar with trailer telematics, which are newer, but are starting to catch up to the capabilities of their tractor telematics brethren.

At the end of the day, it’s about cost. In the past, OEMs weren’t looking to integrate the sensors from the components of the trailer until there was a clear ROI that is present for the fleets.

While it may seem simple to connect sensors to any number of functional items, conditioning those signals into something meaningful takes cost and effort. And if these signals don’t predict failures, the ROI just isn’t going to be there for some time.

But, the times they are-a changin’, and today’s smart trailers not only demonstrate far greater ROI than even just a few years ago, they’re more capable than ever.

To tell us more about this smart trailer revolution we’ve found ourselves in, I’ve invited Matthew Leffler, vice president of trailer solutions for the smart trailer sharing platform vHub, onto the show.

You May Also Like

Diesel powertrain technology that makes a decarbonization difference

Saving diesel can reduce CO2 emissions, but is it enough to make a difference? Volvo thinks so, and made these changes to boost efficiency.

Trucking-Sustainably-mar24.-truckengine

For every gallon of diesel saved, there's a reduction of 22.4 lbs. of CO2 emissions. Putting more fuel efficient diesel trucks on the road can make a big decarbonization impact.

Consider, for example, the up-to-10% fuel efficiency gain of the all-new Volvo VNL. Volvo's turbo compounding technology is a big example of the advanced engineering behind diesel engine advancements.

The power of truck data visibility

For fleet managers, data is power, and there have never been as many tools for them to take advantage of as there are now. Related Articles – Noregon and Phillips Connect on their partnership, trailer health and data – Truck maintenance recommendations for the spring season – Everyone’s talking about AI, but will it make

datavisability-1400
Noregon and Phillips Connect on their partnership, trailer health and data

Sandeep Kar of Noregon and Mark Wallin of Phillips Connect join On the Road to answer questions about the new partnership.

phillipsNoregon-1400
Truck maintenance recommendations for the spring season

Brian Screeton of Bendix talks about what maintenance practices fleets should put into place for their trucks, trailers and components during the spring.

OTR-Spring-Maintenance-1400
Everyone’s talking about AI, but will it make an impact in trucking?

How much of the AI craze will result in real help for fleets?

Other Posts

Why fuel filtration science matters

Fleetguard shares the story of filtration science leading to a biodiesel solution with a seven-time increase in performance.

The trucking life of the internal combustion engine going forward

A glimpse into the fossil-free future of truck engines that run on everything from biodiesel to natural gas to hydrogen.

volvo-fuel-cell-1400
East introduces new flatbed floor, tie down system

East says the new design results in a 10% increase in strength under a distributed load and 30% increase under a concentrated load.

East-Manufacturing-tie-down-system-new-flatbed-floor
Fleet Profile: PepsiCo drives toward net-zero emissions by 2040

Here are the variety of approaches and successfully reducing the carbon footprint of its fleet and distribution operations

Frito-Lay-PepsiCo-Tesla-and-CNG-Tractors