In an effort to make its Road Ready “smart trailer” system more “agnostic” and able to connect with sensors and telematics services offered by different suppliers, Truck-Lite Co. LLC is introducing what it calls a Smart Bridge Integrator (SBI) and installation application, along with a new mobile application.
During a TMC press conference, Rob Richard, vice president and general manager of Road Ready for Truck-Lite, explained that the system uses a battery- and solar-powered master control unit (MCU) to continually monitor and transmit data from a customizable sensor array without requiring power from a tractor.
The SBI adds a “bridge” between different trailer OEM and supplier systems with Road Ready by broadcasting data to the cloud for review on Road Ready’s website or via a fleet’s own dispatching software system.
“The SBI functionality is the second generation of our system,” Richard said. He added that the Road Ready system currently features seven sensor connections, with the SBI opening avenues for more of them. Richard also noted that Truck-Lite’s Road Ready system can be installed on new trailers or retrofitted to older models and can configured for use on all trailer types: dry van, refrigerated, flatbed, etc.
He said several trailer systems suppliers have signed on as “technical partners” to the Road Ready system, including: Continental (tire pressure monitoring;, Purkeys (lift gate charging); plus P.S.I., Hendrickson, and STEMCO (tire inflation systems). Any fleet currently using these systems can seamlessly incorporate and benefit from Road Ready, Richard stressed.
Truck-Lite also unveiled a new mobile application for Road Ready, which provides step-by-step instructions for hardware installation and setup. The installation app also allows users to pair their trailers with the Road Ready user interface, which previously could only be done at a computer. The new app is free and currently compatible with iOS 9.0 or later and is available in the iTunes App Store.