Thermo King unveiled the Connected Precedent trailer refrigeration unit at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show.
Starting in 2018, all Precedent units will be equipped from the factory with Thermo King’s hallmark asset management system TracKing. This intelligent reefer puts customers in the driver’s seat when it comes to remote connectivity of their refrigerated fleets. Once activated, the Connected Precedent allows easy monitoring and analyzing of refrigerated operations to ensure temperature compliance and maximum uptime—without taking assets off of the road.
“Our remote connectivity, best-in-class mobile apps, and data gathering allows fleet managers to transform their operations and make their fleets more predictable and traceable, which ultimately helps grow their business by driving greater optimization,” said Dane Taival, vice-president and general manager, Thermo King North America.
Thermo King’s Connected Solutions offer users a robust, secure platform that collects and aggregates data for a large number of mobile assets. With support from the Thermo King dealer network, fleets benefit from proactive and efficient service across North America while minimizing downtime. Access to real-time data and diagnostics also enables Thermo King dealers to serve as trusted solution advisors that are even better equipped to anticipate and respond to customers’ evolving needs.
“Connected products like the Precedent, which keep actionable data at our customers’ fingertips, are the cornerstone of Thermo King’s digital strategy,” Taival said. “We recognize the value of intelligent products and services for our customers and we will continue to build on our data-driven intelligent services platform to remain at the forefront of the industry.”
The Connected Precedent was engineered to further deliver on Thermo King’s commitment to increase fleet efficiency and uptime. The units are conveniently connected from the factory, which gives fleets time- and money-savings for installation and the option to enable TracKing remotely to gain access to vital, fleet optimizing data when they are ready.
With in-cab and in-yard access via the Thermo King Reefer mobile app using Bluetooth, drivers manage cargo temperatures, monitor the reefer, and respond to alerts all within the cab. Similarly, in-yard access makes it even easier to prepare reefers for trips ensuring that they are fueled and alarm-free. Saving time and increasing efficiency, the in-yard access via Bluetooth delivers easy access to all trailers irrespective of their location.
The Connected Precedent refrigeration unit will be enabled with Thermo King’s temperature management system, TracKing, which provides real-time updates for efficient temperature management, Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance and refrigeration unit performance, and can be integrated into other transport management systems to optimize asset utilization and enable seamless data integration.
The Thermo King Reefer mobile app is available for download on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Thermo King also debuted its new all-electric TriPac Envidia auxiliary power unit (APU). The TriPac Envidia is an environmentally clean, reliable APU that delivers the longest run-time in the industry, without tractor startup, offering unmatched driver comfort previously unavailable in an all-electric unit.
Historically, battery-powered APUs provided insufficient run-time and limited power. With the introduction of the TriPac Envidia, Thermo King now offers a green solution with the longest all-electric runtime in the industry, without tractor startup.
The unit’s simple in-cab controller allows drivers to select the desired function of the system and also indicates the battery charge level.
In addition, the TriPac Envidia was engineered to deliver the fuel and maintenance-cost savings associated with reduced engine operation – a feature that APU users have come to expect.
The TriPac Envidia by Thermo King meets anti-idle and anti-emission regulations nationwide, including California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements, the companmy says.
The all-electric APU will be available for purchase in early 2018.