As telematics systems evolve beyond track and trace capability into interactive asset management solutions on the road and in the yard, today’s easy-to-use tools ensure connectivity on the go. Additionally, such solutions give refrigerated fleet managers or maintenance managers information when they need it and where they need it.
This helps them increase uptime, improve efficiency, reduce operating costs, record data digitally and meet the ever-increasing demands of their customers.
Sophisticated cellular remote monitoring systems with temperature and fuel level sensors, door switches and solar panels have made accurate temperature and refrigeration equipment monitoring and diagnostics easier and more accessible, says Gayatri Abbott, telematics product manager for Thermo King. Today’s telematics solutions enable fleets to monitor cargo integrity and fleet uptime, plus manage fleet operating and maintenance costs more effectively.
Real-time remote monitoring not only offers peace of mind, she adds, but also the ability to react and correct potential issues before load integrity is compromised or a delivery schedule is interrupted.
Thermo King (na.thermoking.com) manufactures transport temperature control systems for a variety of mobile applications, including trailers, truck bodies, buses, shipboard containers and railway cars. It is a division of Ingersoll Rand (www.ingersollrandproducts.com), a global business committed to advancing the quality of life by creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments.
Thermo King’s TracKing telematics solution, for example, enables fleets “to operate more efficiently and stay at the forefront of evolving industry requirements,” Abbott says. “The dynamic, web-enabled system provides traceability during transport while helping to ensure temperature compliance and increased productivity.”
The solution provides fleets “with the tools to protect their assets, improve their response times and manage their operating costs, while maintaining the highest food safety and quality standards,” she adds.
MAINTENANCE SAVINGS
Like trucks and trailers, refrigeration units need regular maintenance to deliver maximum performance and ensure that valuable loads arrive on time and in optimal condition.
“Customizable electronic tracking allows users to create a personalized view of their fleet to optimize – and manage – maintenance to ensure preventative maintenance schedule compliance, avoid unexpected breakdowns, extend system life and ultimately save time and money,” Abbott says. “Coupled with a guaranteed maintenance program, telematics eliminates the guesswork.”
“Fleets with similar refrigeration units operating in similar environments can expect up to 30 percent fewer breakdowns when telematics is supported with a guaranteed maintenance program,” says Patrick O’Meara, Thermo King’s director of customer service. “Because telematics provides unprecedented visibility into a fleet, we can help customers transition from a reactive to a proactive and predictive approach to maintenance.”
By monitoring data provided by the systems like TracKing, real-time engine hours and reefer alarms data can be utilized to assess unit health and make informed decisions specific to the fleet to better manage maintenance schedules and costs. When this data is further integrated into fleet maintenance management systems, it helps with maintenance planning and scheduling and is a good example of how to fully optimize telematics data.
“The ability to remotely download the refrigeration unit datalogger to get a more in-depth view of refrigeration unit health further enhances maintenance efficiencies and asset uptime,” O’Meara says. “Predictive maintenance not only saves valuable time, it also takes the unknown out of maintenance pricing so fleets can better control costs and easily route trucks to the nearest service location.”
To further illustrate the savings, Thermo King’s asset utilization calculator (see Figure 1) can convert recovered service hours into revenue, as well as provide estimates on how annual run hours, dealer service rates and parts pricing levels impact the total cost per hour.
IMPROVED OPERATIONS AND ASSET UTILIZATION
Telematics technologies also provide the ability to monitor trailer movement and position, and create geofences around important pick-up, drop-off and maintenance locations, Abbott says. Knowing how long assets have been stationary in certain locations and how much the refrigeration unit was utilized while stationary is important to manage asset utilization and identifies unauthorized usage as well.
Fleet managers will know where their units are at all times, she says. “This level of visibility provides the pertinent information needed to effectively schedule, control and manage operations and improve overall asset utilization and fleet productivity.
“By tracking and monitoring all incoming and outgoing fleet activities, including performance routing, delivery time and destination, assets can be quickly identified for efficient reassignment.”
Multiple telematics capabilities are now enabled over websites and smart devices ensuring connectivity for fleets and drivers alike. Having access to critical refrigeration unit data on their smartphones, particularly after hours, lets fleets take action immediately.
Mobile apps like the TK Reefer App allow drivers to focus on what they do best – driving and ensuring deliveries arrive on time – since they don’t need to stop and check the reefer unit periodically, says O’Meara. Instant notifications of critical events provide peace of mind and ultimately protect the bottom line.
In today’s competitive environment, every operational and maintenance dollar counts, he concludes. Advancements in telematics are making it easier than ever to stay ahead of the competition with an intelligent, information-driven approach to managing refrigerated fleets.
