Seventeen trailers on the fleet list, four unaccounted for
Drop-and-swap keeps the tractors moving, but it scatters the trailers. Some are at a producer's site waiting to be loaded, some are empty at a retailer's depot waiting to be collected, some are in your yard. The planner needs an empty frozen trailer at a site first thing tomorrow and has no idea which is nearest.
Meanwhile an empty trailer has sat at a customer's site for three days with its unit still running, burning fuel to cool nothing. Another, loaded, has a unit that is low on fuel and nobody has noticed.
Why trailers get lost in plain sight
Tracking shows dots on a map. It does not say whether a trailer is loaded, what it is waiting for, or whether its unit should be running.
- Trailer tracking and fridge unit telematics are in separate systems.
- Load status is in the transport system, not on the map.
- Drivers report drops by phone or not at all.
- Empty trailers at customer sites are forgotten until the customer complains.
- Unit fuel levels are only checked when a driver is there.
What scattered trailers cost
Trailers that cannot be found or are in the wrong place mean hired-in trailers, extra empty running and missed collections. Units running empty waste fuel. A loaded trailer whose unit runs out of fuel puts the load at risk. And customers charge or complain when trailers sit on their sites too long.
How we build a trailer board
- We combine trailer tracking, fridge unit telematics and your transport system into one view per trailer.
- Each trailer shows location, site name, loaded or empty, the load it is assigned to, unit on or off, set point, return air temperature and fuel level.
- Drops and collections are recorded from the driver's app, so status changes as the trailer is left or picked up.
- Rules you set raise alerts: unit running on an empty trailer, fuel low on a loaded trailer, trailer at a customer site longer than agreed, trailer outside expected sites.
- The planner can filter by type, regime and area, to find the nearest empty frozen trailer for tomorrow.
- Time at each site is logged, which supports any charges or discussions with customers about trailer dwell.
| Alert | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Unit on, trailer empty | Fuel wasted |
| Fuel low, trailer loaded | Load at risk |
| Trailer at customer site too long | Asset tied up, customer friction |
| Trailer outside known sites | Possible misdrop or theft |
What the planner sees after
A board with every trailer, where it is and what state it is in. Tomorrow's empties are found in seconds. Units running empty are switched off, and loaded trailers low on fuel are dealt with before they become a problem. Customer sites holding trailers too long are raised with evidence.
The same history helps when you plan the fleet. Months of trailer location and status data show how many trailers are really working and how many sit waiting, which is useful evidence the next time someone proposes adding trailers or hiring in for peak.
Are your trailers hard to find?
- The planner rings round to find empty trailers.
- Trailers sit at customer sites for days unnoticed.
- Units run on empty trailers.
- Fuel on loaded units is checked only when a driver is present.
- You hire trailers while your own sit idle somewhere.