Rollout for Michelin solutions’ next-gen Effitrailer telematics

Michelin solutions has announced a suite of upgrades to its Effitrailer telematics programme. The dedicated trailer telematics software now offers three additional system abilities: asset ID, cold-chain management and a remote door opening sensor.

With asset ID, operators can quickly identify which Effitrailer-equipped asset is linked to which tractor unit, meaning fleet managers can quickly contact that driver if the system flags an action point via its live alerts, without needing to dig through the day’s dispatch reports. The function also allows better monitoring of subcontracted business.

The system’s cold-chain management upgrade allows Effitrailer to monitor the temperature of the optimised trailer’s cargo and flag up any abnormal operations. A live feed transmitted by the system’s datalink also allows fleet managers to see the system status of any attached refrigeration units, the unit’s set point, and the current temperature inside the trailer. The system’s data logging function can also provide Effitrailer operators with proof of the cold chain’s integrity throughout delivery.

Finally, the Effitrailer system’s door opening sensor capability provides operators with another level of confidence and security throughout the delivery run, as any abnormal door openings – outside of scheduled stops, in an unusual place off the logged route, or at unusual hours of the day – are immediately flagged up, and a warning sent to the operator.

“We designed Effitrailer to evolve with the needs of our customers, which is how these additional abilities came to be developed,” comments Paul Davey, commercial director at Michelin solutions. “With this expanded ‘toolbox’, the programme now offers operators even more data for analysis and a tighter degree of control over trailer fleet activities, streamlining day-to-day business and easing the administrative burden of managing diverse and busy fleets.”

Michelin solutions’ Effitrailer system centres around the installation of dedicated trailer telematics equipment, including an on-board datalink, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and electronic braking system (EBS) data analysis. Once installed, the equipment also enables constant geolocation of every Effitrailer-optimised asset in a company’s fleet.

When a company signs up to an Effitrailer contract, Michelin solutions will commit to reducing the number of tyre-related trailer breakdowns by up to 50 per cent, a commitment validated after diagnosis by a Michelin solutions analyst. If Michelin solutions does not achieve this goal, the company will refund the cost of all breakdowns over and above the contractual terms. Michelin comments that no other telematics provider in the industry offers a comparable commitment.

Effitrailer telematics can be installed on all trailer types equipped with EBS, regardless of age or manufacturer. The solution is aimed primarily at fleets operating at least 100 trailers on any brand of tyres. The system is offered to fleets regardless of their current or future tyre policy; this makes it suitable for the estimated 90 per cent of trailers in Europe that do not currently use telematics.

Michelin solutions has launched Effitrailer throughout Europe, and appointed Worldline to provide a collection and processing platform for the data transmitted by vehicles via the telematics control unit and customer portal.