Sixty percent of fleets in a recent study are willing to pay for trailer monitoring equipment and over two-thirds say they would pay a monthly fee to monitor the location and status of fleet trailers.

Among surveyed fleets that already have trailer tracking, most are very satisfied with their investment, according to the study.
The Trailer Monitoring Systems and Services Study study was conducted by C.J. Driscoll & Associates, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., and assesses interest in tracking and willingness to pay for equipment and services.
Respondents also stated the amount they would pay for trailer monitoring equipment and services. Many of those who did not confirm a willingness to pay said they would have to study the potential return on investment, or confer with other members of management, before deciding how much they would pay.
The report includes the specific amounts fleet operators indicated they would pay for trailer monitoring equipment and services. It also compares willingness to pay based on criteria such as fleet size, fleet category, types of goods transported (e.g. hazmat or high-value goods) and current use of vehicle tracking systems for fleet tractors.
The study gauged interest in specific trailer tracking capabilities such as load status, door open/closed, hooked/unhooked, tractor ID, and trailer temperature. From 11 trailer monitoring system features, monitoring the location of trailers was the highest-rated feature, with 86% of the sample rating this feature a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1-5. According to the study, 47% rated arrival and departure information highly, 43% chose geofencing and 39% chose tire condition.
Other findings include:
* Trucking fleet operator awareness of most trailer monitoring suppliers is low.
* Among fleets using trailer monitoring the satisfaction level is high --3.7 on a 5-point scale.
* Sixty percent of participants said they would be willing to pay a higher price for a trailer monitoring system that will monitor untethered trailers as well as trailers that are hooked to the power unit. The need for untethered trailer monitoring is particularly prevalent among large truckload carriers that "drop" trailers in customer yards and other locations.
* Among the 168 trucking fleets participating in the survey, those that plan to purchase a trailer monitoring system in the next 18 months reported that they will install monitoring equipment on nearly 100,000 trailers.
The study was partially funded by seven companies, including most leading U.S. suppliers of trailer monitoring systems. Sponsors of the study included Aether Systems, GE Equipment Services, Qualcomm, SkyBitz, SkyTel, Terion and Transcore.
The study conducted in the third quarter of 2004 was based on interviews with 168 fleet executives who were paid a gratuity of $50 for their participation.
The survey included a representative sample of large fleets with 500 or more trailers, as well as mid-size and smaller trucking fleets. Truckload carriers, LTL carriers and private fleet operators provided opinions. Fleets transporting hazardous materials, high-value goods and perishable goods reported on the potential benefits of trailer monitoring systems for protecting their cargo.
For more information or to purchase a copy of the study, visit www.cjdriscoll.com.