Technology: Keeping it cool
December 2008 Commercial Carrier Journal 27 3 Surprising Benefits of High-Efficiency Oil Filtration www.spinnerii.com Spinner II is a mark of T.F. Hudgins, Incorporated. 2008 T.F. Hudgins, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Spinner II centrifuges remove soot and other sub-micron contaminants, reducing engine wear up to 50%. But that's just the beginning: (1) Additive Power. Removing soot keeps oil additives potent longer. At today's oil prices, extending service life means big savings. (2) Oil Change Savings. Extending drain intervals not only cuts oil consumption it also helps you save on full-flow filters and labor. (3) Productivity. Less time in the shop means more productive time on the road. 1 Way to Get Them The benefits of high-efficiency filtration only with Spinner II centrifuges. Write 236 on Reader Service Card technology power from the reefer when it is on, and when the reefer is off, ReeferGuard automatically converts to full solar power, says Gary Hadfield, chief operating officer. TransCore's Sense & Track monitoring system includes a reefer installation that connects to the microprocessor. Sense & Track, which uses an autonomous power sup-ply of lithium-based battery packs, is designed to utilize vehicle power when the trailer is connected to a tractor, the company says. CarrierWeb's ReeferMate is designed to run completely off of the reefer's power supply; it has no internal power supply. The system provides real-time exception alerts, historical reporting and two-way com-munication with reefers, says Norman Thomas, vice president of marketing. Tom Robinson, executive vice president of StarTrak Systems, says his company offers a satellite- and cellular-based reefer monitoring system called ReeferTrak Sentry. By using geofencing technology, StarTrak can combine accurate fuel-level readings with reefer logistical information, including the time spent and fuel burned at customer locations for loading and unloading events. This capability makes it pos-sible to include surcharges for excess fuel burned, Robinson says. GE VeriWise with reefer monitoring can capture fuel usage data for acces-sorial charges, but Montgomery says that its customers have found that they don't need to have an independent fuel sensor. By using VeriWise, they know when the trailer arrived, what time the reefer is turned on and its operating speed (high or low). This information allows them to derive the amount of fuel burned at each cus-tomer location, he says. Another difference among reefer monitoring systems is whether or not they can communicate with the in-cab units. Reefer units have an idiot light on the trailer that drivers can see in their rearview mirror. For added protection, Qualcomm says its reefer service for its T2 untethered trailer-tracking system can work in con-junction with its in-cab mobile hardware for drivers to be aware of alerts immediately. n