Hirschbach Selects Phillips Connect and ConMet Smart Technologies for New Refrigerated Trailers

Newport Beach, CA (January 26, 2021) Hirschbach, one of the nation’s most innovative fleets, will add Phillips Connect and ConMet smart trailer technologies to 1200 new refrigerator trailers they will purchase in 2021.

The sensor technologies chosen by Hirschbach will give them increased visibility to the health of their refrigerated trailers resulting in a significant increase to uptime and driver satisfaction to support their strong customer service initiatives.  Included on the new trailers will be the Phillips Connect Smart7™ integrated telematics hub with ABS Fault√™, Light Out√™, Remote Pre√™, ATIS Monitoring√™, and Door√™.

For the Hirschbach trailers, ConMet will be the connected wheel end of choice with their PreSet Plus® SmartHub, an integrated health monitoring system that will generate actionable data on hubs, tires and brakes through the Phillips Connect gateway.

Hirschbach is among the newest, most environmentally friendly, innovative, and fuel-efficient fleets operating in the U.S. Since 2017, responding to increased customer demand, they have doubled the size of their fleet.  They currently operate 1800 class 8 trucks and 3400 trailers and expect to purchase 500 power units in 2021 in addition to the 1200 trailers.  “Hirschbach is committed to increasing uptime for the benefit of both our customers and our drivers,” commented Nick Forte, vice president of maintenance. “Having visibility to the health of our trailer assets while in service and even before they are dispatched is extremely important.  It’s a waste of valuable driver time to dispatch them to get a trailer with a problem, not to mention the negative effect it can have on shipping commitments.  We chose the Phillips Connect and ConMet smart technologies for our trailers because of their long histories and reputations for developing quality, high performing products”

“This is a big win for us at Phillips Connect because we know Hirschbach is a leader in adopting new technologies that improve fleet operations”, emphasized Rob Phillips, president and CEO.  “The fact that they chose our product, along with ConMet, for their latest upgrade confirms our product development strategy is on the right path.”

“ConMet is excited to partner with Phillips Connect to bring SmartHub technology to forward-thinking fleets like Hirschbach”, stated John Waters, president of ConMet. “It’s this type of collaboration that realizes the greater vision of bringing connectivity and intelligence to the heavy-duty industry.”

The Phillips Connect Smart7 is an integrated 7-way nose box with cellular gateway, GPS tracker, and sensor hub all-in-one that maintains continuous 4G-LTE connection to the trailer.  It is as easy to install as Phillips standard nose boxes and requires no additional harnessing or electrical connections. Phillips Connect sensors are durable, reliable, and linked to one platform to deliver complete transparency and asset management. They offer fleets tremendous ROI by increasing revenue, improving driver uptime, and reducing CSA violations.

ConMet’s PreSet Plus SmartHub is the first connected health monitoring system integrated into a hub assembly. SmartHub sensors tap into hub, tire, and brake performance data, alerting fleets of any performance anomalies. The data is also analyzed and compared to ConMet’s test engineering expertise in order to create insightful information that allows fleet managers to make more informed wheel end maintenance decisions. Taking early action with SmartHub alerts and health insights can improve safety, drive down asset TCO, and improve overall fleet efficiency and uptime.

About ConMet

ConMet, a division of Amsted Industries, is a leading global supplier of wheel hubs, aluminum castings, and structural plastics to original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket channels in the commercial vehicle industry. Founded in 1964, ConMet has innovated for more than 50 years by designing, engineering, and manufacturing revolutionary technologies for trucks and trailers. Growing in popularity worldwide, ConMet products are standard equipment on most heavy-duty vehicles in North America.

Headquartered in Vancouver, WA, USA, ConMet has 14 additional locations throughout North America and China where over 6,000 diverse employees innovate to transform the commercial vehicle industry.

About Hirschbach Motor Lines

Founded in 1935, Hirschbach Motor Lines is an industry leading transportation carrier. Hirschbach offers experienced, refrigerated truckload services to all 48 states. In addition, Hirschbach offers clients a complete range of dedicated transportation solutions and a wide range of innovative specialized services. The business continues to grow. The company now has a fleet of 2000+ trucks and 3,500+ trailers, multiple terminal locations, and continues to expand into new service areas. For more information, visit www.hirschbach.com.