Trimble introduced today a new, autonomous and cost-effective telematics solution to track and trace trailers— Trimble® Trailer4U. With the capability to be installed as a standalone battery-powered or wired solution, the Trailer4U is flexible. The standalone battery-powered modem can easily be attached to the trailer. In the event of unauthorized use, the modem indicates where the trailer stops so that it can be detected quickly. If the Trailer4U modem is wired to the trailer's power supply, each trip can be tracked independently of the executing transport company, with a five-minute interval. Trailer4U is expected to be available beginning October of 2017.
The Trimble Trailer4U is an ideal alternative to complex telematics solutions offered by trailer manufacturers and independent suppliers. These modems are connected to the trailer’s CANbus, which provides a wealth of data about the condition of the trailer enabling maintenance planning, but for many fleet managers, this level of information simply isn’t required. For fleet managers with more basic tracking needs, the cost-effective Trailer4U solution provides an answer to the most important question: “what’s the current or last position of my trailer?”
Warning in Case of Theft
With the Near Field Communication (NFC) feature, the modem can be activated immediately by an Android app. The modem’s battery lifespan is sufficient to communicate with the back office for at least two years. Once a day, at 12:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), the modem communicates its position using a 2G or 4G wireless network, ensuring continuous control of the units. The motion detector indicates when a trailer moves unexpectedly, alerting the fleet manager after 20 minutes. If the trailer remains stationary for 60 minutes, the modem automatically transmits its position. And time settings can be adapted to each user’s preference over the air.
"Trailer theft is a big problem. With this simple solution, we offer an effective solution," said Johan Peijnenburg, sales director of Trimble Transport & Logistics Europe and product manager for Trailer 4U.
Realtime tracking & tracing
Trimble offers an optional standard cable that can be connected to the trailer’s power supply for real-time tracking and tracing. As soon as the lights of the trailer are turned on, the modem sends a message every five minutes. This makes it possible to follow every journey made by the trailer.
"Today, supply chains are under enormous time pressure. More and more transport companies want to offer an accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA) to their clients and to the customers of these clients. Of course, this can be done by the on-board computer in the truck, but the load is stocked in the trailer, which is increasingly being driven by charters. With Trailer4U, it doesn’t matter which truck, belonging to which transport company, is pulling the trailer," explains Peijnenburg.
Full Integration with Trimble Back-Office Applications
Trailer4U integrates fully with Trimble’s back-office applications. Using FleetWorks, transport companies can adjust the names of their trailers, and with FleetCockpit, planners can track the trailer position and trace routes. FleetWorks is a convenient web application for fleet administration. FleetCockpit enables dispatchers to follow the fleet and provides them with insight into all the information supplied by Trimble on-board computers directly from trucks and trailers.
"Trailer4U is a flexible solution. It was developed at the request of our customers and can be fully integrated with Trimble’s back-office applications and on-board computers. In addition, Trailer4U can also be installed on trailers of transport companies who don’t use Trimble applications,” said Peijnenburg.
