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Category: Smart Trailer

Phillips Connect Introduces Smart Nosebox GPS Gateways at TMC ’22 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition 

Posted on by Phillips Connect

ORLANDO, FL (March 6, 2022) – Phillips Connect introduced three new Smart nosebox GPS gateways during a press conference held today in conjunction with the TMC ’22 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition. Easily retrofittable or specified on new equipment, the new Phillips Connect Smart noseboxes transform trailers into managed assets that provide telematics benefits with a positive ROI.

The Smart S7™ Swiveling Nosebox, Smart Q-Box™, and Smart iBox™ are advanced cellular gateways, GPS trackers, and sensor hubs that deliver total awareness of trailer location, status, and critical trailer conditions to the cloud. All are equipped with a Phillips Quick-Change-Socket (QCS2) Sta-Dry™ 7-way connection requiring no additional harnessing or electrical connections.

Integrated sensors include GPS location, tractor power, and ABS PLC data such as VIN, fault lamp status, and trouble codes.  Additionally, data from a wide variety of external sensors are available through Bluetooth LE, GPIO, and an extendable RS485-based Phillips Connect PCT Bus.

The Smart S7 swiveling nosebox offers additional cost benefits to fleets.  The swivel feature, developed by Phillips Industries a decade ago, allows cables to simply follow the movement of the truck when the truck/trailer combination has to maneuver into tight spaces, creating a severe angle between them.  This situation can result in expensive and time-consuming damage to the trailer-side connections.  The Smart S7 swiveling nosebox accommodates a turn up to 80 degrees (40 degrees left or 40 degrees right) and will automatically disconnect the electrical connection if the turn exceeds that angle. 

Rob Phillips, CEO of Phillips Industries and Phillips Connect commented on the evolution of the new noseboxes. “By tapping into the long history of Phillips Industries’ solutions-based product development, Phillips Connect can now offer our current and new customers smart telematics-equipped noseboxes from a trusted source. The industry knows and has confidence in the Phillips name and we’re taking advantage of our history plus the exceptional team we’ve put together at Phillips Connect to deliver real, quantifiable change.”

The new gateway devices introduced at TMC operate on the Connect1™ platform, which gives fleets advanced management of their operations by providing complete fleet analytics through personalized dashboards.  By fully customizing the Connect1 dashboards, fleets can see the real-time status of an entire operation through custom notifications, geofences, reports, and more. With this information, fleets can take proactive action that can save time, money, and lives on the road.  

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Utility Trailer Connect Launches Advanced Trailer Telematics Platform

Posted on by Phillips Connect

ORLANDO, FL (March 6, 2022) – Utility Trailer Connect is pleased to announce the launch of its advanced trailer telematics platform.

This new system stems from Utility’s proprietary wiring harness that has been reengineered to work with the Phillips Connect Smart7™ nosebox. Utility recognized early on the advantages of providing the highest quality, corrosion-free harnesses that would seamlessly and reliably connect to multiple sensors for the life of the trailer. Because Phillips Industries is the standard wiring harness supplier for Utility Trailer, upgrading to the telematics version of its existing harness can be done without slowing the trailer production rates. All connections of the Utility harness are soldered, and connections are over-molded.

Utility Trailer with Phillips Connect Smart7™

This collaborative product suite at launch will include GPS trailer tracking, light-out detection, intelligent ABS fault code reporting, tire inflation system monitoring, and the ability to connect to additional sensors (sold separately) including door open/closed, ultrasonic cargo detection, and interior cargo cameras, among others. It also has built-in expansion capabilities, offering over-the-air communication updates that will integrate with advanced tire pressure monitoring systems and Bendix’s Roll-Stability system, trailer weight, air tank pressure, and optional brake pad wear-sensors for disc brakes. Future systems will include connection to reefer units and liftgates for monitoring status and maintenance.

“I really appreciate the way that Utility worked with our team to develop its joint smart-trailer solution. Rather than focusing on being first to market, we put our technical resources together to develop the most reliable, fully integrated, and easiest-to-install system available,” said Rob Phillips, founder and CEO of Phillips Connect. “Quality and reliability were always paramount to everything else, and they never compromised. This platform is a true game-changer for its premium fleet customers.”

“Our team also worked with Utility and our mutual customer, Hirschbach for Utility’s first large-scale installation of the Smart7™ system,” he said. “Hirschbach now has more than 1,200 Utility refrigerated trailers in operation with the Smart7 telematics, and has placed an additional order for Utility refrigerated trailers to be delivered in 2022.”

The Connect1 online or mobile platform is incredibly powerful, yet intuitive, and displays all the critical alerts for a trailer on just one screen. It even makes it easy for fleets with multiple telematics solutions to get to the right provider’s platform with a few keystrokes and a single click.

“Phillips has been an excellent partner to Utility and its dealer network for the last 40 years,” said Steve Bennett, VP of Utility. “This new platform’s components, such as the Smart7 nosebox, wire harness, and accessory items such as door sensors and cargo sensors are available at Utility Trailer Dealers throughout North America.”

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About Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company

Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company is America’s oldest privately owned, family-operated trailer manufacturer. Founded in 1914, the company designs and manufactures dry freight vans, flatbeds, refrigerated vans, Tautliner® curtainsided trailers, and aerodynamic technologies. Utility currently operates six trailer manufacturing facilities across North America. Utility’s 3000R® and the 3000R® multi-temp refrigerated trailers are manufactured at the Atkins, Virginia, Clearfield, Utah and Piedras Negras, Mexico plants. The 4000D-X Composite® series dry vans are manufactured at the Glade Spring, Virginia and Paragould, Arkansas plants. The 4000AE®, 4000S®, and 4000AE®Drop Deck flatbeds as well as the Tautliner® are all manufactured at the Enterprise, Alabama facility. Utility also has an extensive independent dealer network with over 100 locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. Visit www.utilitytrailer.com for more information.

Phillips Connect Recognized by Heavy Duty Trucking as a Top Product Introduced During 2020

Posted on by Phillips Connect

Newport Beach, CA (March 16, 2021) The Smart7™ Remote Pre√ from Phillips Connect has been recognized by Heavy Duty Trucking with a spot on their Top 20 list for products introduced in 2020. Each year, Heavy Duty Trucking selects their Top 20 Products for their innovation, ability to address important industry issues, and their potential to improve a fleet’s bottom line.

Phillips Connect’s Smart7™ Remote Pre√, powered by an on-board battery, delivers a full scan of trailer status and health, even when tractor power is unavailable.  It sends immediate responses and allows fleet operators to review trailer diagnostic.  With the ability to view the trailer’s status remotely, fleet operators can dispatch healthy assets and reroute flagged assets for scheduled maintenance.

Phillips Connect is a stand-alone company within the Phillips Technologies Group portfolio of companies.  Products from Phillips Industries have secured a spot on HDT’s Top 20 list multiple times since HDT began recognizing suppliers with this award in 2011. Rob Phillips, president and CEO of Phillips Industries and founder of Phillips Connect, commented about this latest recognition of Phillips’ product innovation, “HDT’s Top 20 Award is one we strive to win every year because we understand the criteria they use rewards solution-oriented innovations, which is our defining product development principle.  Now, with the Phillips Connect total telematics solutions for trailers, we are continuing that model. Thanks to all the hard work of all at Phillips Connect and to those at HDT who again recognized our company.”

Most products created by Phillips Connect are designed to operate in an open platform, that can interface with non-PCT telematics gateways and with any supplier sensor, or with Phillips Connect supplied sensors or a combination of both.  Phillips Connect has a complete line of intelligent products to monitor a fleet’s most valuable assets, providing real-time data, analytics, and insights. Phillips Connect provides the optimal solutions

for individual fleets to improve ROI, reduce fuel costs and roadside violations, improve driver retention and predict issues before they happen. All Phillips Connect hardware is 4G LTE compatible.

Visit Heavy Duty Trucking for award details.