Lost & Found: Trailer Technology Triumphs

Apr 15, 2024 - 2 years ago

Ocean Trailer is making lost trailers a thing of the past, thanks to a new trailer-tracking technology developed by Phillips Connect Stealth Net. By Ronald Mullins.

Lost & Found: Trailer Technology Triumphs — The Ocean Trailer installed Stealth Net computer interface provides a myriad of information that is invaluable to the dispatcher, including where each trailer is located, its direction of travel, speed and where it has been, 24/7.

We have all seen them… at the ball park, hockey arena, school, place of work, theatre, church…a bin or box, full to overflowing, with items left behind by someone…it’s the lost and found bin. Items within are usually small… hats, mitts, books, semi-empty lunch bags, reusable water bottles, some items of value… some… well… not so much.

But how do you lose something that is 53 feet long and may be over 8 feet wide and could be over 13 feet high…and whether empty or full, is of great value?

Regrettably that happens every day, all across the country. Hundreds of transport truck trailers are lost…well they may not be lost lost… although some are, but the trucking company dispatcher has no idea where they are and no way to find them.

Dispatcher: A Difficult Job

With multiple miles to travel, numerous daily dispatches and various drop and go scenarios, it has become even more difficult for dispatchers to organize and track their fleet. Missing or lost trailers cost money… in damaged or lost loads, lost revenue and disgruntled customers. Every trucking company owner knows that if the commercial transport-truck trailer is not hooked up to a tractor, loaded and rolling, it travels to the liability side of the ledger and at that moment in time is no longer an asset. If it is not rolling down the road and across the country, it is not earning a penny. However, monthly rent or purchase loans have to be paid.

Now, one of Canada’s premier transport-truck trailer rental, sales and maintenance companies wants to put an end to this very avoidable financial loss. British Columbia based Ocean Trailer believes that in this ever-evolving world, resolving even simple everyday problems requires innovative solutions. To that end, and to aid trucking firm dispatchers in this daily battle to find the lost, Ocean Trailer is installing GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking devices on all their trailers, regardless of type or size.

A Huge Problem

When asked about the magnitude of this continent-wide lost-trailer problem, Mack Keay, Ocean Trailer’s Chief Operating Officer, was very candid, “Lost or missing trailers are a huge problem both for our customers and our business. Too often a trailer is misplaced and the trucking company dispatcher has no idea where it is. We have tons of instances where a trailer is missing for days, weeks and even months, nobody knows where it is and all-the-while our customer is being charged rent on it. We want to help solve that problem.”

Ocean Trailer has recognized this lost-trailer problem for a number of years and started researching possible innovative solutions as early as 2019. Following a period of trial and error, the company has settled on Phillips Connect Stealth Net as the best and most cost effective GPS tracking device and are installing the system on every one of their over 6,100 trailers.

Much like Ocean Trailer, Phillips Industries has been making a difference in the business lives of its customers. As a highly regarded supplier in the commercial vehicle industry, it has built a reputation on producing best-in-class air and electrical components. Ocean Trailer values the durable, high-quality line of products that Phillips Industries is known for. Stealth Net features advanced telematic solutions that are easy to install, intuitive to use, and scalable for the future.

The Cost Is Covered

“This is a very capital intensive program for us,” Mack Keay continued. “Many trucking companies will have a GPS tracking device in the cab of the truck and a few may even have it on their company-owned trailers. But if you are the company renting the trailer, it is highly unlikely that you will want to go to the trouble and expense of installing a tracking device on that unit. That is where we come in. We cover the purchase cost of the unit, the installation, the monthly software fee and any maintenance required and our customers get the benefit.”

The Ocean Trailer installed Philips Connect Stealth Net allows the trucking company dispatcher to log into the system and find out exactly where each trailer is… 24/7. They can also confirm the speed and distance the trailer has traveled and a ‘bread-crumb’ trail displays exactly where the trailer has been. Additionally, the dispatcher can set up a geofence for each trailer and the program will notify the dispatcher via email or text when that trailer is moved. Geofencing is a virtual geographic boundary, defined by GPS technology, that enables the software to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves a particular area.

B.C. Based. Canada Proud

Ocean Trailer is a family-owned and operated business, started in 1981 by Chuck Keay, from very humble beginnings in Burnaby, British Columbia. Since that time, the company has grown from its first very tiny office in the family home and a rented small parking space next door to become the largest trailer rental company in western Canada and one of the premier trailer rental companies in Canada. Now headquartered in Delta, British Columbia, and still a family-owned and operated business under the guidance of brothers Sid and Mike Keay, the company has expanded to seven rental, sales and maintenance locations in three provinces. Ocean Trailer is proudly Canadian and staffed with over 240 exceptionally enthusiastic and dedicated women and men, many who have been with the company for decades.

24/7 Tracking

The Phillips Connect Stealth Net is a sturdy, waterproof unit that is built to withstand life on the road. The device is attached to the frame of the trailer just in front of the bogies and is virtually undetectable. It is a small battery host unit that is connected to the ABS-ECU. Installation only takes about 15-20 minutes. It will work with or without tractor provided power and has built-in battery backup that can last up to six months. When powered on, the unit provides live tracking and custom reports on the trailer’s location, status and health.

Back in the trucking company’s office, the dispatcher has computer access to an easy-to-read and navigate interface. This interface provides instant information as to where the trailer unit is located, whether it’s in the company’s yard, at a customer’s warehouse, or on the road, anywhere across North America… 24/7.

Lost. Tracked. Found.

This is a huge step forward for Ocean Trailer. From the very beginning the company has always been customer focused. Their motto: If we promise it, our customers can expect it to happen.

They are confident that the installation of the Phillips Connect Stealth Net GPS system on all of their over 6100 trailers will be of great benefit to all their customers. It will save time and money. Now regardless of its size and type… the lost… can now be tracked… and found.”

For further information on how the Ocean Trailer installed Philips Connect Stealth Net can benefit your trucking business, please contact the company at www.oceantrailer.com or 1-800-891-8858.

Ronald Mullins is a Kelowna, B.C. based writer / photographer and is a regular contributor to Supply Post.