There are increasingly integrated solutions where a large number of parameters relating to trailer operation and load integrity can be monitored sees a trailer telematics solution being offered by braking specialist WABCO called TX-TrailerPulse.
This is a system that links up with the Trailer Electronic Braking System (TEBS) electronic control unit (ECU) and reads braking information and then feeds the information to the Cloud for companies to access it.
Directly connected to the TEBS, the solution captures and processes TEBS and trailer diagnostics data via the web-based TX-TRAILERFIT portal, which assesses the technical health of the trailer and can provide, for example, root cause indication and repair hints.
Additionally, operators can monitor the TEBS use over a trailer’s lifetime and check critical TEBS events. Health and diagnostics insights can be shared easily and securely with workshops and service partners, building a digitally connected repair and maintenance chain which can create a direct positive impact on the total uptime of fleet vehicles.
Besides providing the same information in the back office as a technician would access with a physical readout in the workshop, a trailer telematics solution like TX-TRAILERPULSE makes the data available remotely and in real time.
Specifically, the solution can zoom in on trailer details, providing, amongst others, the trailer brand, model, EBS type and axle configuration. As for diagnostics data, TX-TRAILERPULSE processes the diagnostics code history as recorded by the Operating Data Recorder (ODR) that addresses topics related to maintenance and uptime management, specifically highlighting events such as tilt alerts, insufficient tyre pressures, roll stability (RSS) events, warning lamps, supply pressure warnings, wheel-speed sensor, demand pressure sensor and axle load sensor data.
The occurrence of any new Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) or EBS warning lamp forces a new read-out of ODR data and results in a constantly updated trailer health score for each vehicle.
A historical overview of these error codes and warning alerts in the TX-TRAILERFIT portal allows for determining patterns or reoccurrences of technical issues.
Taking DTCs and contextual data into consideration, a health score is generated for each individual asset of a fleet, allowing the fleet operator to better prioritise maintenance activities, and to act preventively on any degradation of a trailer health score.
Fleets can securely share these overviews with workshops, allowing accelerated repair and maintenance by improving the communication flow throughout the service chain regarding trailer health, its generated error codes and diagnostics data.
Therefore, workshops can be better prepared to perform analysis, to determine the best course of action and make prompt decisions, and to be practically prepared by the time the trailer arrives.
