Phillips Connect has introduced two smart trailer solutions designed to make defect detection faster and more accessible to fleet personnel. Unveiled Sunday at the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina, the new products are Insights, a diagnostic tool that interprets tire and lighting sensor data, and TrailerSignal, an exterior indicator that communicates whether a trailer is ready for dispatch.
The two solutions address a recurring challenge in fleet operations: identifying technical defects that can escape routine visual inspections but become apparent during roadside checks. Tire and lighting violations also affect carriers’ Vehicle Maintenance BASIC scores under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.
The figures from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 2026 International Roadcheck illustrate the scale of the issue. Tires accounted for 2,914 of the 13,924 vehicle out-of-service violations, representing 20.9% of the total. Only brake systems generated more violations. Lighting defects accounted for another 1,659 cases, or 11.9%.
“We help you answer those simple questions: are my lights working or are they at risk of failing?” said Mark Wallin, president and general manager of Phillips Connect, in an interview with FreightWaves.
Insights provides more precise lighting diagnostics
Federal regulations require drivers to ensure that a vehicle’s lighting equipment and tires are in good working condition before operating it. The rules also stipulate that every required lamp must remain capable of operating at all times.
Until now, many fleets have depended heavily on yard personnel to identify lighting problems during trailer inspections. Phillips Connect’s sensors were already collecting information on tire and lighting conditions, but the new Insights functionality takes the analysis further.
Rather than simply identifying an irregularity in an electrical circuit, the platform can now specify the affected circuit, distinguish between partial and complete failures, and suggest the likely cause. Potential explanations include a burned-out bulb or moisture inside a lamp. The system also confirms when a detected fault has cleared.
This additional level of detail is particularly useful when problems occur intermittently. Wallin described cases in which a loose wire or water inside a bulb causes a lamp to fail early in the morning, only for the light to work again as temperatures rise and the moisture evaporates.
Insights can detect this recurring pattern, allowing technicians to investigate an underlying defect even when the light appears to function normally during a subsequent inspection.
Tire monitoring identifies slow leaks and inflation problems
Insights also analyzes tire pressure behavior to identify gradual air loss and indicate which tire is affected and how quickly it is losing pressure. The functionality is designed to detect problems even when a pressure reading appears normal or the trailer is equipped with an automatic tire inflation system (ATIS).
The platform additionally identifies ATIS malfunctions, pressure imbalances between paired tires, and the distance traveled while tires were underinflated.
According to Wallin, perhaps half of the trailers entering the market are beginning to be equipped with ATIS. While these systems represent an investment in tire maintenance, he cautioned that they can give some fleets a false sense of security.
“Fleets running ATIS have made a smart investment in keeping their tires inflated. Insights shows them what that system is compensating for, so a slow leak gets fixed in the shop instead of growing into something worse – like a blowout – is avoided down the road,” he said.
By revealing the underlying problem rather than just the resulting pressure condition, Insights is intended to help maintenance teams intervene before a minor leak develops into a more serious tire failure.
Alerts sent to fleet teams and drivers and techs
Phillips Connect provides diagnostic information via a variety of channels, depending on the problem and who needs to know.
Connect1 alerts fleet, safety & maintenance teams. The company also sends urgent tire alerts to drivers through its Driver Help application, with the ability for technicians to pull diagnostic information via the TechAssist app.
The system can also generate service tickets directly in a fleet’s maintenance management system, helping to get detected faults into the repair process.
TrailerSignal is ready without device
The second product, TrailerSignal, is intended for people working around trailers who may not have immediate access to a computer, smartphone or digital yard management system.
A light on the nose of the trailer gives a simple visual indication of the trailer’s condition: green means that it is ready for dispatch, amber that it is not.
The company claims the indicator is readable from 50 feet away. An onboard battery is charged by a solar panel, enabling the trailer to run off external power when it’s disconnected. When the trailer is parked the light remains on, but when the vehicle is moving the light goes off.
No wiring, installation takes five minutes.
TrailerSignal is for a wide range of yard personnel such as hostlers, dock workers, technicians, and drivers. The product makes status information visible on the trailer itself, reducing the reliance on applications and systems that may not be available to everyone involved in moving equipment.
Plus, not all yard workers use computers or mobile devices and the information might not be available yet through a hostler system or to those doing yard checks, Wallin said.
Fleets can customize the conditions that set off an amber light
TrailerSignal gives fleets the ability to define which sensor signals should disqualify a trailer from being deemed ready. Door status, tire and lighting issues and liftgate signals are all configurable.
For instance, one customer utilizes the amber indicator at the loading dock to alert drivers when the trailer doors are left open. If you move a trailer before those doors have been closed, there’s a huge safety hazard.
Wallin said that it is potentially dangerous, high risk and dangerous to withdraw while doors are still open.
But the trailer sensors contain the information that the indicator’s abilities are based on. Fleets that use smart trailer sensors to monitor systems such as liftgate batteries, tires and brakes can receive a warning on the nose of the trailer when a relevant condition is detected.
Phillips Connect adds new products to trailer intelligence platform
The launch comes after Phillips Connect expanded into more detailed brake and liftgate monitoring in March. In May Wallin was named president and general manager of the Irvine, Calif., company.
The company also plans to expand insights into cargo-related activity, including loading, unloading and transit.
“We see a direct connection between the new products and the maintenance workflow,” Wallin says. If an amber indicator is spotted by a mechanic, they can access the company’s app and check the state of the trailer and identify things such as a slow puncture in the tyre.
“So technicians can get access to trailer data that they wouldn’t have had access to before in the same way,” he said.
At the time of the announcement, neither Insights nor TrailerSignal had published any pricing. Both products are now available.
Why it matters to fleet operators
Tires and lighting together made up 32.8% of vehicle out-of-service violations recorded during the 2026 International Roadcheck. Phillips Connect is working to help fleets find and fix issues before roadside inspectors do by providing yard personnel, drivers and maintenance technicians with access to data from sensors.
A visible readiness indicator and comprehensive diagnostics could also help close the gap between the detection of a technical issue and the remediation. Fleet operators aim to improve maintenance responsiveness, support compliance and reduce the risk of preventable breakdowns or safety incidents.
