Trailer talk

By Colin Windell

The ‘connected’ generation in trucking is turning its attention to trailers and developing a host of applications to turn them into ‘smart’ units able to provide a wealth of information.

Although GPS has been around for many years, new technology is stepping up what can be fitted and new devices can track location and mileage, when doors open, plus the temperature, humidity and load capacity inside trailers. This means big changes for fleets that have never had this level of visibility into their trailers.

In the South African scenario, sadly, this also becomes vital to combat the every-growing incidence of hijack and theft.

Serco’s Clinton Holcroft’s says: “Smart trailers are a fairly new concept and the value is derived from receiving information proactively.

“We see growing interest in the market for smart trailers and Serco’s introduction into the market created an awareness of the advancement in technology available for trailers.

“Serco has built a smart trailer and continuous research is been done on what is available locally in comparison to internationally. We have seen how telematics has advanced and how trailers have been left behind.”

When asked what are the main hurdles / problems to introducing smart trailers, he replied: “Lack of awareness about smart  trailers and the cost factor linked to it.”

Although more telematics options for trailers and trailing equipment are available than ever before, giving fleets unprecedented tools to capture untapped value, many are developed independently of each other and provide different service sets.

One US company, for example, is building telematics sensors into its trailers that can send information directly to maintenance departments, while another is focussing on helping drivers find trailers in a large yard more quickly.

Previously, connectivity was added to trailers as an aftermarket product. Now it is becoming more and more integrated into the trailer itself.

With the aftermarket fitment it was easy to see where specific sensors were located and possible to tamper with them. With the built-in scenario this will make it much harder for the unscrupulous to fiddle with the data.

New developments are a fully integrated telematics system with more capability than just tracking location and door opening events. These systems will define and identify problems ahead of out-of-service events, even before the driver hits the road.