According to Gayatri Abbott, director of smart products and telematics for Thermo King, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, “Integrated wireless capabilities are changing the way that operators manage and control their refrigerated fleets. Advancements in transport refrigeration units (TRU), automated control, sensor, Internet and communications technologies have converged to put unprecedented levels of data at fleet operators’ fingertips. These advancements are enabling step-change improvements in asset tracking, temperature control, alarm management, equipment uptime and fuel efficiency.”
Many operators are discovering the cost, efficiency, cargo safety and quality advantages of adopting web-enabled solutions such as TracKing by Thermo King, Abbott said. Advanced capabilities provide refrigerated fleet operators with end-to-end asset monitoring, and control and visibility on the road, on railcars and in the yard.
These advanced, user-friendly solutions use global positioning system (GPS) data and advanced wireless communications technologies to provide operators with real-time and historical information about load temperature and asset location—for a single trailer or an entire fleet. Using intuitive dashboards, operators can monitor temperatures and other variables, change setpoints and other control parameters, download reports, change operating modes and respond to alarms using any computer, tablet or smart phone that is connected to their secure network.
The system also tracks the location of rolling stock in the yard and on the road, providing operators with accurate data they can use to improve operating efficiency, enhance scheduling accuracy and reduce loss. With these capabilities, operators have the tools they need to protect assets and cargo, improve response time, manage fuel and other operating costs, and protect the quality and safety of their temperature-sensitive loads.
Advanced fleet management solutions historically have relied on cellular or satellite communications networks to connect refrigerated trailers to the web platform, even when trailers are parked in the yard.
“Thermo King will introduce a new capability this year that will enable operators to communicate with trailers in the yard via a Wi-Fi network,” Abbott said. “Wi-Fi is almost always less costly and more reliable than cellular or satellite-based communications technologies. In addition, many larger operators already have Wi-Fi capabilities in place to support their back-office operations, making implementation easier and inexpensive.”
The same radio expansion board that enables communications over a cellular or satellite communications network when trailers are on the road can connect trailers in the yard via Wi-Fi technology. Operators can choose to equip their trailers with cellular capabilities, Wi-Fi capabilities or both.
The TracKing platform can be configured to connect simultaneously to assets on the road via a cellular network and with trailers in the yard via a Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi connections also enable the transfer of larger files between the operator’s network and the trailer, which makes it faster and more convenient to download software updates, upload large diagnostic reports and change TRU operating parameters remotely.
Many routine service tasks that have traditionally been performed manually by a technician—such as checking fuel levels, changing setpoint and other operating parameters, pre-cooling the trailer or checking battery voltage levels—can now be done remotely, saving time and labor costs.
The advent of Wi-Fi capabilities is just the latest advancement in the continued evolution of computer-based and wireless tools that will help refrigerated transport operators improve efficiency, reduce operating costs and meet the ever-increasing demands of their customers and consumers.