Hirschbach announced that it will add Phillips Connect and ConMet smart trailer technologies to 1,200 new refrigerator trailers the fleet plans to purchase in 2021.

The company says the sensor technologies chosen by Hirschbach will give them increased visibility to the health of their refrigerated trailers resulting in an increase to uptime and driver satisfaction to support their customer service initiatives. Included on the new trailers will be the Phillips Connect Smart7 integrated telematics hub with ABS Fault Check, Light Out Check, Remote Pre-Check, ATIS Monitoring Check, and Door Check.

For the Hirschbach trailers, ConMet will be the connected wheel end of choice with their PreSet Plus SmartHub, an integrated health monitoring system that will generate actionable data on hubs, tires and brakes through the Phillips Connect gateway.

Since 2017, Hirschbach has doubled the size of its fleet. It currently operates 1,800 Class 8 trucks and 3,400 trailers, and expect to purchase 500 power units in 2021 in addition to the 1,200 trailers.

“Hirschbach is committed to increasing uptime for the benefit of both our customers and our drivers,” commented Nick Forte, vice president of maintenance. “Having visibility to the health of our trailer assets while in service and even before they are dispatched is extremely important. It’s a waste of valuable driver time to dispatch them to get a trailer with a problem, not to mention the negative effect it can have on shipping commitments.”

“This is a big win for us at Phillips Connect because we know Hirschbach is a leader in adopting new technologies that improve fleet operations,” said Rob Phillips, president and CEO. “The fact that they chose our product, along with ConMet, for their latest upgrade confirms our product development strategy is on the right path.”