(Atlanta, Georgia – February 24, 2020) – Great Dane will be celebrating 120 years of innovation, premium service, and quality equipment at the 2020 Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition. The event is being held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, from February 24-26.
Great Dane’s exhibit at Booth #1339 will highlight the company’s 120-year anniversary with a special display showcasing the company’s robust history in the transportation industry. In addition, the theme of the booth will be Great Doesn’t Stop, which highlights the company’s never-ending commitment to delivering premium value in its products, aftermarket services, and overall customer experience.
“For 120 years, Great Dane has been committed to providing its customers with the premium products and services they need to get the job done,” said Chris Hammond, Great Dane’s Executive Vice President of Sales. “We’re looking forward to highlighting our history of excellence at the TMC exhibition and showing off some of the new things we’re working on to guide us into the next 120 years.”
In addition to Great Dane’s booth, the company’s Vice President of Engineering Chris Lee will be presenting at the TMC/SAE Symposium session titled “The Combination Vehicle as a Connected Whole”. Lee will be speaking on behalf of trailer manufacturers regarding the challenges and opportunities that tractor-trailer connectivity may provide.
Great Dane will feature three pieces of equipment in its booth and will highlight its FleetPulse smart trailer telematics system, Streamline aerodynamics prototype, AdvantEDGE Aftermarket Parts and Service program, and Pre-Owned Trailers program.
Innovations
“Innovation is one of the many keys to our 120-year legacy of success,” Hammond said. “By keeping our eyes on current trends and keeping our ears open to what our customers are asking for, we have been able to identify problems and create innovative solutions. The latest of these solutions being our FleetPulse telematics system and our Streamline aerodynamics prototype.”
FleetPulse is a fully integrated, comprehensive solution for trailers, and is the first and only trailer telematics system developed by a trailer OEM. Great Dane teamed up with supply partners and customers to ensure that both the system and the data it provides are robust and capable of adapting to shifting needs and trends. Beyond simply a GPS, FleetPulse’s system of built-in sensors collects precise measurements from the trailer’s components, keeping watch over key indicators of a trailer’s health and status, such as tire inflation systems, open doors, cargo weight, burned-out lights, ABS fault codes, and actual mileage.
“FleetPulse is laying the foundation for technologies beyond telematics,” said Mike Molitor, Great Dane’s Director of Business Development. “The transformational shifts that will occur in our industry, such as autonomy, electrification, and smart distribution centers, will require the trailer to be designed and wired differently than it is today. We’ve built FleetPulse with these technological advances in mind.”
Streamline is a simple, lightweight, and fuel-efficient aerodynamics prototype designed to improve profitability and efficiency for long-haul trailer fleets. It is designed for 53-foot dry or refrigerated trailers and includes aerodynamic side skirts, rear fairings, and mud flaps. The rear fairings are mounted on the sides of the trailer, so they are compatible with either roll-up or swing doors.
“The Streamline system was created to make the jobs of key fleet employees – including maintenance managers and drivers – easier,” Lee said. “We designed a simple, easy-to-maintain system that not only meets advanced aerodynamic requirements for regulations in 2021 and beyond but is also capable of improving fuel efficiency by more than 7 percent.”
Premium Services
“Our customers have always been and will always remain at the center of our organization. Their needs have directed our steps since day one,” Hammond said. “We have made many transitions over the past 120 years, but one thing that has always remained the same is our dedication to providing premium services to our customers.”
One of these services is Great Dane’s AdvantEDGE Aftermarket Parts and Service program, and visitors to Great Dane’s booth will have the opportunity to learn about and sign up for this program. AdvantEDGE connects members to a nationwide network of authorized service locations. Members have access to 24-hour emergency roadside assistance, controlled ordering and invoicing, up-front estimates, competitive labor rates, and signature parts price protection.
Great Dane will also be highlighting its Pre-Owned Trailers program in the booth. The company has recently bolstered its pre-owned trailer program as the dominating industry leader for dependable and cost-conscious solutions to pre-owned trailers. Visitors to Great Dane’s booth can learn more about how this program utilizes the company’s vast nationwide network of branches and dealerships to help customers quickly and easily expand or reduce their fleets to meet business demands.
Quality Equipment
“No matter what challenges we have faced during our long tenure, we have never wavered in our commitment to providing the highest-quality products on the market, using the finest components, and true American craftsmanship,” said Hammond.
The equipment on display in Great Dane’s booth will include a 53-foot Champion Composite dry van equipped with FleetPulse and Streamline and designed exclusively for NFI; a 48-foot Champion Sheet-and-Post dry van designed exclusively for Transervice; and a 20-foot Sahara dry freight truck body.
