State-of-the-art trailer tracking helps refrigerated carrier keep its cool

The company

C.R. England is one of the largest temperature-controlled carriers in North America. The company manages a fleet of more than 6,000 refrigerated trailers and 1,500 intermodal reefer containers, providing transportation services to the food and pharmaceutical industries, among others, across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The challenge

C.R. England needed a tracking solution that would provide around-the-clock visibility of trailer operations. Their previous solution could only transmit trailer data when trailers were attached to trucks, making them untraceable once at a yard or a customer’s warehouse. This made trailers and temperature-sensitive cargo vulnerable to theft, put temperature-sensitive cargo at risk, and left them unable to optimally utilize their trailer pools.

C.R. England needed a comprehensive telematics solution that would allow them to track and manage their refrigerated trailers anywhere in order to minimize loss due to damage, improve claim prevention, and maximize fleet utilization.

“At the time, one of the conversations we were having internally was around state-of-the-art technology hitting the market,” said Ron Hall, Vice President of Equipment and Fuel. “As the largest refrigerated truckload fleet in the nation, we had an obligation to be on the cutting edge of product protection technology.”

The solution

VIACHAIN’s solution included rugged, two-way telematics devices, uninterrupted connectivity over cellular and satellite, and seamless data integration into C.R. England’s custom management portal and dispatch system.

The VIACHAIN solution made it possible for the company to set trailer temperature remotely for added convenience and control of their operations. The devices transmit data without requiring connection to a tractor, allowing C.R. England to track trailers anywhere.

VIACHAIN’s flexible infrastructure also allowed C.R. England to seamlessly integrate field data into their existing platforms, enabling management of trailer operations from a single, familiar interface.

In addition to detecting mechanical errors—when equipment is not operating as per its configuration—VIACHAIN’s state-of-the-art solution helps minimize human error by comparing trailer temperature against the temperature specified in the order. If a driver adjusts a trailer’s temperature in error, the system immediately notifies operations. According to Hall, “Everyone in the telematics industry can alert on mechanical error, but no one else, to our knowledge, can offer alerts on decision error. This type of error may be rare, but it happens, and when it does, it can be very costly.”

The Benefits

In the first year after deploying VIACHAIN’s cold chain telematics solution, C.R. England reduced the number of trailers that sat idle for more than 30 days by 53%.

Furthermore, comprehensive temperature management capabilities made it possible to significantly reduce claim losses caused by temperature damage. In the first year, the carrier saw total claims go down by 44%, for savings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Most recently, VIACHAIN’s cold chain telematics has helped the carrier comply with some of the transportation guidelines in the Food Safety Modernization Act by enabling in-transit temperature monitoring, automating record-keeping, and allowing the company to provide proof of temperature records as required.

“As the largest refrigerated truckload fleet in the nation, we had an obligation to be on the cutting edge of product protection technology”

Processes that previously required manual intervention, such as yard checks and inventory management, have since been partially automated. By automating the data collection process, the carrier has not only streamlined dispatch operations but also reduced staffing costs.

The telematics solution has also proved efficient at helping the carrier recoup revenue losses caused by long detention periods. VIACHAIN’s trailer data makes it possible for the company to monitor dwell and detention times and flag trailers that have remained at a customer’s location for too long. C.R. England uses trailer data to invoice customers that have exceeded grace periods.

“Reefers are one of the most expensive ways to store product, but some companies are not efficient with warehouse space,” said Hall. “Some warehouse operations are great stewards and free up trailers quickly, and then there are others who are not so great. We already have a generous allowance for bill time, but sometimes receivers are slow and make us less efficient. What we’re able to do now with the data is encourage efficient use of our trailers by invoicing for inefficiency.”

The VIACHAIN solution includes comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities that enable the carrier to use reefer performance data to optimize overall fuel economy. The company can now assess the efficiency of different refrigerated units by comparing hours of operation versus fuel consumption to determine how to best operate its assets. Hours of operation data can also be used to effectively schedule preventive maintenance on refrigeration units and to avoid the expense of servicing equipment that is not yet due for maintenance.

The year before deploying VIACHAIN telematics, C.R. England had 12 trailers stolen. Since then, the carrier has experienced significantly fewer thefts and is able to quickly lock down, trace, and recover assets.