The analytics tracked by telematics systems are myriad and expanding rapidly, as developers devise new ‘black box’ systems to meet the whims of private consumers and the needs of fleet-operating companies across a range of industries. International Telematics Corporation (ITC) provides a telematics system specifically for fleets of refrigerated trailers, protecting the cold chain and offering costumers the assurances that their foods and medication have been kept at a safe temperature throughout their transport.
Kriska, a Canadian provider of temperature controlled and dry transport throughout North America, has teamed up with International Telematics Corporation to track temperatures and efficiencies in its fleet. The ibright refrigerated telematics system provides an integrated monitoring system for all components of the fleet, from lorries to tractors to reefers (refrigerated containers). The system produces a refrigerated unit health report to assure operators, drivers, and consumers of the security of the cold chain. It can also be forward to dealers to enable rapid response to reefer malfunction and encourage pro-active maintenance.
“We have heard loud and clear from our food and pharmaceutical customers that cold chain security– both from a temperature abuse and tampering perspective–is of paramount concern,” Mark Seymour, CEO of Kriska, said.
The stakes of cold chain transport are high. A variation in temperature, a malfunction in equipment, a delay in delivery can result in spoiled food and pharmaceutics, leading to the loss of contracts, damage to a company’s image, consumer illness, lawsuits from victims, and fines from regulatory agencies. Despite the benefits provided by a telematics system that allows managers and drivers to tracks temperatures across reefer fleets, adoption of specialised refrigerated telematics systems has been slow in the industry. For example, while 500,000 trailer refrigerator units operate across the United States, in 2013 only 15% of them were outfitted with telematics technology.
For Seymour, the benefits of the system for his company and customers were obvious.
“The ibright platform will allow [Kriska’s] employees and customers to see in real-time not only where their freight is, but also the current and past temperature history of the load, when and where the trailer was open, the health of the reefer including fuel levels, as well as an ability to remotely make changes to the reefer settings,” Seymour continued. “We believe this added level of safety and security is appropriate given the tremendous importance of protecting the North American cold chain.”
In addition to its specialised temperature-tracking system, the ibright platform collects data on more standard analytics, including such as driver performance, alerting managers to speeding, swerving, or sharp turning by their drivers.
