december2022 - 25

useful data to a customer operation, " Sean
Kenney, chief sales officer at Hyundai Translead,
said. " GPS has essentially reached 100% adoption,
while accessories that go along with GPS
(cargo sensors, door sensors, solar panels) have
become a much more common sight in the last
two years. "
He added ATIS has seen steady growth, while
air disc brakes and TPMS " are also gaining steam
and garnering more interest with passing time. "
Because of fuel prices, aerodynamics devices
could end up being adopted by " a large majority "
of customers, Kenney said.
As far as smart hubs and zero-emission reefer
units, these technologies just improve their efficiency
rate to become cost-competitive.
" From a fleet perspective, the necessary infrastructure
must be in place to utilize new technology
and how quickly existing TMS software can
manage the new system or environment, " Kenney
explained. " It is expected that the use and application
of these new technologies will be adapted to
the truck/trailer industry in the near future. The
time it will take will be decided on whether the
needs of both supplier and user are met. "
David Giesen, VP of sales for Stoughton Trailers,
said shortages from component manufacturers
may continue through next year, though.
" The overall industry responded as good as
could be expected with all the barriers that were
put in place, " he noted. " OEMs are maximizing
what they can build given the constraints. Next
year looks a lot like the current year. "
Stoughton Trailers has taken measures internally
to ensure its trailers last longer for customers.
To maximize trailer life and prevent corrosion,
Stoughton started galvanizing " almost all painted
components, " Giesen said.
East Manufacturing has also experienced
longer lead time, according to Chris Cooler, VP of
sales and marketing, but that had minimal impact
on the customer.
" We have had a few isolated instances where we
did not receive materials in time for production
causing us to red tag a handful of trailers, " Cooper
said. " However, our close relationships with our
vendor partners have kept these situations to a
bare minimum. "
East has employed proactive measures since
the pandemic to ensure it also has the people to
assemble the trailers as well. These include labor
rate increases, sign-on bonuses, referral bonuses,
numerous employee appreciation events, modified
pricing strategies, allocations, and more.
" We anticipate that many of these programs
will be left in place through 2023, " Cooper said.
Like the rest, Cooper found TPMS and ATIS
have been more adopted the past few years,
though not at a significant rate. East does predict
trailer telematics and other smart trailer technology
will " grow dramatically in the coming years, "
Cooper added.
Tire outlook
Each of the five tire OEs we contacted said that
the pandemic disrupted production and that costs
increased, which should come as no surprise, as
inflation has done that to just about everything.
Unlike the other sectors, there are tire manufacturers
that are still reporting delays, some of
which have affected deliveries to customers.
" The tire industry seems to be in a state of flux, "
said Tommy Bazzell, director of national accounts,
truck stop and trailer OEM sales at Yokohama Tire.
He mentioned that technology, operational
changes, and the growth of particular segments,
such as last mile, all force the tire industry to
constantly evolve and improve. Because the
industry is so used to change, Bazzell said it was
able to " rise to meet the challenges " of the past
few years.
Yokohama Tire specifically was incredibly
productive, releasing 12 new tire products during
the pandemic and expanding the company's
Mississippi manufacturing plant.
Because of the recent spate of shortages, Bazzell
advised that fleets focus on ensuring longer tire life.
" This involves making sure the tire used is
designed for the application of the fleet, " he
said. " It could also involve technologies and/or
manual-based best practices to ensure proper
psi and any data-driven technologies that will
extend the life of a tire. These
measures will also increase
uptime, optimize fuel economy,
enhance safety, and lower
total cost of ownership. "
Another way to boost TCO is
via digital monitoring.
" This real-time solution
reduces downtime related to
tires, increases labor productivity,
keeps fleets operating
safely, and allows fleets to save
money by reducing non-retreadable
tires and roadside
emergencies, " explained Brian
Cunningham, VP of fleet solutions
at Bridgestone Americas.
He noted that Bridgestone's
Last Mile Tire System allows
small and midsized fleets
to better mange their tire
programs. The pay-as-you-go
program monitors tires to optimize
tire pull points and notifies
servicers when low-tread
depth is detected.
Aaron Murphy, SVP at
Double Coin, agreed that fleets
will have to focus on performance
and retreadability, as
well as lowering overall cost
per mile, to stay profitable as
freight volumes drop.
" If we move further into an
economic downturn,
these
items assist a fleet in reducing
their operating costs, " he said.
" The lowest price is not always
the answer to driving down
maintenance costs. "
Fleets can't do this alone.
" With fleets utilizing equipment
for longer periods of
time and with more frequency,
service partners are key, "
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Murphy said. " Whether that's the manufacturer
or dealer, this relationship can improve total cost
of ownership. "
Sean Uys, head of U.S. Market Replacement
Truck Tires at Continental, agreed.
" Fleets should frequently communicate with
their dealers in the forecasting process, " he
emphasized. " This is more important now than
ever to ensure they receive the right products in
this unprecedented environment. "
Jaye Young, B2B onroad marketing director at
Michelin North America, added, " The servicing
tire dealer will also play a critical role in helping
to keep the fleet rolling. This could be in the simple
form of making sure you are using the best tread
design for your application or suggesting alternatives
based on availability. "
She also recommended the use of quality components,
including lube, valves, or tires. " You will
either pay now to maintain or later to repair. "
For related content go to FleetMaintenance.
com/shop-operations
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