Blue Tree, ATDynamics to offer TrailerTail sensor
Blue Tree Systems Inc, a provider of reefer monitoring, trailer tracking, and in-cab fleet management systems; and ATDynamics Inc, supplier of semi-trailer rear-drag aerodynamics technology, have announced the availability of a modified door sensor to detect when a semi-trailer’s TrailerTail aerodynamic device is properly deployed by a driver.
“TrailerTails have hands-down proven to reduce drag and save fuel,” said Michael Eggleton Jr, vice-president of Raider Express, the first fleet to test and deploy the new sensor. “We have completed a fleetwide roll-out of TrailerTail technology, and we wanted a way to ensure that the devices were being properly deployed and our technology investments were being put to good use. The new sensor provides real-time reporting to confirm that the TrailerTail is deployed anytime the vehicle is moving at highway speeds.”
A recent adopter of BlueTree’s R:COM system on its fleet of 270 refrigerated trailers, family-owned-and-operated Raider Express gives its drivers weekly fuel bonuses of two to five cents per mile.
“We have always taken fuel costs seriously and rewarded those drivers that have the same mindset,” said Eggleton. “The drivers quickly learned the TrailerTails were giving them a real leg up on getting their bonus. The new sensor report is a great tool for management to show our drivers the role TrailerTails play not only in our bottom line, but theirs as well.”
“TrailerTail technology is a critical fuel savings investment for trucking fleets delivering thousands of dollars in savings annually per trailer,” said Andrew Smith, chief executive officer of ATDynamics. “The extension of telematics from truck and trailer monitoring systems like Blue Tree’s R:COM solution to aerodynamic equipment like ours is a natural progression and an accelerant to industrywide adoption of fuel-saving technologies.”
Hayward CA-based ATDynamics is a founding member of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. The firm is an affiliate of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, member of the American Trucking Association’s Technology Maintenance Council, and partner in the US Department of Energy-funded Super Truck initiative. For more details, access www.atdynamics.com.
Blue Tree provides systems for temperature management, fuel management, fleet analytics, driver performance analysis, trailer tracking, and hours-of-service compliance in both the United States and Canada. Go to www.bluetreesystems.com for more information.