Connectivity and sensor technology have taken centre stage at the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) Technology & Maintenance Council's (TMC) 2017 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee.
US company Truck-Lite – which appointed a new Vice President of Sales last week – used the event to announce a foray into the telematics market with a new trailer monitoring and communication system.
Meant to enable the creation of ‘smart’ trailers, the so-called Road Ready system is based on a solar-powered Master Control Unit (MCU) that continually monitors and transmits data from a range of sensors to an intuitive user interface.
According to Roger Elmer, Director of Research and Technology Development at Truck-Lite, the new technology will be especially useful to ensure compliance with food security standards, but also help transport businesses improve their overall Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) score, a measure used in the US to audit fleet performance.
“From operational improvements to reduced CSA scores, Road Ready can boost a fleet's financial performance,” Elmer said. “The system helps fleets get their trailers in true road-ready condition and maintain sustainability.”
Phillips Industries, meanwhile, used the event to launch a whole new ‘Connect Technologies’ business division that is likely to focus on the same market segment.
Much in line with Truck-Lite’s approach, Phillips President and COO, Rob Phillips, said the new division is developing a new, open platform plug-and-play system to connect sensor-driven air and electrical systems.
Sensor data can be transmitted to the driver, to the fleet’s operations team, or even the trailer OEM utilising various telematics options, Phillips added.
“We are very excited now to be introducing new patented … products that will meet fleet demands for connecting intelligent vehicles and to deliver information about their trailers effortlessly,” he added.
Image: Truck-Lite