Getting video from the back of a trailer to the driver’s cab doesn’t have to mean adding another tractor-trailer connection or pairing a wireless camera, Grote Industries says.

The company demonstrated its next-generation 4See Rear View Camera at the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina. The camera uses new data-transfer technology to send video from multiple cameras through the existing J560 seven-way electrical connection.

Because the solution is wired, no wireless pairing or management is needed. Drivers simply plug in and go.

But the camera is only one application of that technology, explained Grote’s Adam Slade in an interview with HDT at the show.

The connection has enough capacity to carry multiple camera feeds, as well as information about tire and lighting conditions, he said. It also opens the door to sending information in the other direction, from the tractor to the trailer.

For fleets, that could mean adding visibility and safety features without giving drivers another cable to connect or shops another connection to maintain.

More Data Through the Same Connector

Grote says the camera delivers video with virtually no delay.

"You’ve seen a lot of wireless solutions, whether that’s Wi-Fi-based or Bluetooth-based," Slade said.

"That works as long as you have a good, strong link. And with all the interference sources that are around, whether that’s overhead power lines or other units next to it, it’s not necessarily the most reliable connection.

"You’ve also seen other solutions which have a completely different connector dedicated between tractor and trailer. It’s an extra hookup, extra wires, extra something to maintain.

"You’ve seen solutions that bolt on extra pins, either to the side or within the J560 cable. And that works, except it becomes a maintenance nightmare, and it adds cost."

The company’s demonstration at ATA used a standard seven-way connector and included coil cords from other suppliers to show that the technology doesn’t require a Grote cord.

“It doesn’t have to be a specific harness,” Slade said.

Asked about concerns that the existing connector cannot handle the growing volume of truck-trailer data, Slade drew a distinction between the connector and the communication technology.

Older power-line communication technology, or PLC, had significant limitations, he said. Grote’s new approach provides substantially more capacity over the existing connection.

“We’re talking about tens of megabits per second of data that we can do reliably via the existing J560 harness,” he said.

That provides room for additional data beyond the rear-view camera feed, according to Slade.

"With great transfer speed, ample bandwidth for multiple cameras, and soon to include the addition of bi-directional truck-trailer data, this technology eliminates the need for a new tractor-trailer connector,” said Andrew Grose, vice president of Grote Networks.

Building on the 4SEE Platform

The camera expands Grote’s 4See smart trailer platform, introduced in 2022. That system uses a digital wiring harness to connect trailer devices and bring information from otherwise separate systems together, including lighting, tire monitoring, and cargo sensors.

Grote says the new camera can be added to trailers already equipped with 4See.

The company also sees uses for two-way communication. Slade described sending the tractor’s gear-position information to the trailer, for example, to activate rear lighting or a backup alarm when the driver selects reverse.

Grote’s announcement describes bidirectional truck-trailer data as an upcoming addition.

The wired approach is intended to simplify the driver’s hookup process while avoiding additional connectors or modified connectors with extra pins.

“This is just a standard seven-way,” Slade said. “It’s what you’ve seen forever.”

Production Starting This Quarter

Slade said Grote has been testing the technology and is moving into production, with release planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.

The company is positioning the rear-view camera as a way to help fleets reduce backing collisions, yard damage, and related downtime.