Phillips TrailerSignal Brings Tire and Light Alerts Into the Yard

Phillips Connect has launched two smart-trailer tools designed to turn tire and lighting data into faster maintenance action. FreightWaves reported October 21 that Insights diagnoses likely faults, while TrailerSignal displays a green or amber status light on the trailer nose. The products were introduced at the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition and are available now, although pricing was not disclosed.

Insights identifies the affected lighting circuit, distinguishes partial from complete failures and suggests possible causes such as a burned-out bulb or moisture. Its tire analysis can flag a slow leak, show which tire is losing air and detect pressure imbalance or an automatic tire-inflation-system problem. Alerts can reach fleet, safety and maintenance teams, drivers and technicians, and the system can open a service ticket in compatible maintenance software.

TrailerSignal gives hostlers, dock crews and drivers a visible ready-or-not answer without requiring a dashboard login. Phillips says the solar-powered light can be read from 50 feet, works while the trailer is unplugged and can be installed without wiring. Fleets choose which sensor conditions turn the light amber, including tires, lighting, doors, liftgates or brakes. The indicator remains dependent on the sensors installed and configured on that trailer.

The maintenance case is practical: FreightWaves reported that tires produced 2,914 vehicle out-of-service violations during the 2026 International Roadcheck, while lighting accounted for 1,659. Fleets should still require complete pre-trip and post-trip inspections rather than treating a status light as a substitute. A useful rollout would compare caught defects, roadside violations, service response time and false alerts at a small group of terminals before expanding systemwide.