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Outside of periodic inspections to make sure it's
free of debris buildup, there really is no maintenance to be done. "
Late last year, a London-based startup called
Sunswap unveiled its first zero-emissions TRU.
The company says up to 50 percent of the energy needed for most trips is provided by solar.
Sunswap's TRU is completely solar/electric, with
no reliance on an auxiliary diesel engine. A final
environmental benefit is this TRU's use of an ultralow Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant.

Telematics considerations
with TRUs
Insufficient battery charge represents a more obvious failure mode for TRUs, but there are also a
handful of other more inconspicuous problems
that can arise. Kampf says telematics, an increasingly utilized technology, is helping fleets gain
more insight into these types of issues.
" Up until a few years ago, when customers told
us how their TRUs were failing, the data was somewhat anecdotal, " Kampf says. " We made the investment to make telematics a standard feature on all
of our trailer units. This has allowed us to mine
data off of our units - data that helps tell us which
components are not operating as they should.
Maybe it's a buildup of ice on evaporative blowers,
for instance. This helps us, as a manufacturer, make
investments in areas that will help the fleet achieve
higher utilization. Everything is becoming more
data-driven, and a TRU is no exception. "
According to Bill Maddox, senior manager of
product management for Carrier Transicold,
more fleets are adding telematics systems to their
refrigerated trailers. The trend toward telematics
is being driven by not only a desire to increase
utilization, but also to improve temperature
control and help mitigate the potential human
error associated with TRU management. Carrier
Transicold provides a complete line of equipment
for refrigerated trucks, trailers, and containers.
" Telematics such as Carrier Transicold's eSolutions platform can help dispatchers quickly locate
and place into service refrigerated trailers that
are idle, " Maddox says. " Fleets can also monitor
a trailer's interior for temperature compliance
during transit.
" Additionally, with two-way control, [the]
eSolutions platform can enable temperature
settings to be managed remotely, helping to
remove the driver from the equation, " Maddox
continues. " By remotely controlling refrigeration
unit operation in accordance with the needs of
the cargo or customer, the fleet provides greater
accountability and allows the driver to focus
on transporting the goods, rather than operating the refrigeration equipment. This may be
especially helpful as fleets hire new drivers who
may not have deep knowledge of refrigeration
system operation. "
When telematics systems are applied to transport refrigeration systems, Maddox says there
are additional ways a fleet can realize return on
investment. Fuel consumption is a big one.
" When a fleet keeps a watchful eye on TRU operating modes used throughout the fleet, managers

20 Fleet Maintenance | March 2021

»TRU controllers, such as Carrier Transicold's APX control, are microcomputers that
can provide technicians with a wealth of information about unit performance.
Photo courtesy of Courier Transicold

" When a fleet keeps a watchful eye on TRU
operating modes used throughout the fleet,
managers can optimize fuel efficiency by
identifying opportunities for greater use of fuelsaving stop/start mode versus continuous-run. "
Bill Maddox, senior manager of product management for Carrier Transicold

can optimize fuel efficiency by identifying opportunities for greater use of fuel-saving stop/start
mode versus continuous-run, " Maddox explains.
" Fleets can also track the extent to which their
TRUs operate via electric standby when parked,
helping to document the resulting fuel-cost
savings. Also, centralized records generated on
fuel consumption can be used to recoup direct
costs through customer invoicing. "
Claims avoidance is another avenue for ROI,
according to Maddox. Centralized oversight of
temperature compliance helps in mitigating risk
to refrigerated loads. Additionally, data recorded
by the telematics system can easily validate and
document temperature compliance from point
to point.
In addition to utilization, temperature compliance, and fuel consumption, Thermo King's
Kampf says telematics captures hundreds of
other TRU readings including valve placement,
engine operation, blower speeds, and duty cycle
of the compressor.
" A lot of this information is available to our dealers, " Kampf points out. " It gets a little trickier when
you're talking about fleet maintenance facilities

because they are not tied into our system. That
said, a fleet does have the ability to download data
on a particular unit to study its previous operation
history through a program called Service Watch. "
This could help a fleet identify when a certain
parameter may be outside of a normal range,
prompting a call to its Thermo King dealer for
further diagnosis.
" This is really the key to telematics in general, "
Kampf adds. " It is really that preventive or prognostic approach to maintenance that helps reduce
the likelihood of a downtime incident. "

Options for executing
preventive maintenance
Telematics helps fleets gain efficiencies in another
big way. Managing TRUs and updating TRU software can largely be done wirelessly. That means
technicians no longer have to spend time walking
around the yard to service trailers.
" Efficiencies are gained through remote unit
activation and setpoint management, automated
pre-trip inspections, handsfree trailer precooling,

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2021