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Ever since digital antilock braking systems were mandated in the mid-1990s, an ever-increasing array of electrically powered, data-networked technologies have placed increased demands on the tractor electrical system and databus.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — A leading consultant and top executives at three fleets outlined the state of the trucking industry and overall economy to trailer dealers and suppliers during a meeting here, with discussion focused on changing conditions and persistent concerns about softening demand.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — As the market slows, trailer dealers need to pay closer attention to customer relations, inventory management, accounts receivables and employees, an industry consultant said.

U.S. trailer orders in August bounced along below 11,000 units for the fourth consecutive month and were 72% lower than a year earlier, according to ACT Research, amid near-record factory inventories of undelivered trailers, plus plentiful cancellations.

Trailer makers intending to sell their products in California beginning Jan. 1 must certify beforehand that the equipment meets the state’s Phase 2 greenhouse gas rule and receive an executive order, according to the California Air Resources Board.

It’s long been the case in our industry that trailers play second fiddle to the increasingly high-tech tractors that pull them. But times are changing.

As the capabilities of onboard sensors and trailer-tracking systems have expanded, so has the level of competition in this segment of the trucking technology market.

Technology adoption in the trucking industry typically focuses first on the back office and in the cab of the truck, but the proliferation of internet-connected devices and onboard sensors in recent years has increasingly pulled the trailer into the forefront of the conversation.