KRONE wins the 2027 International Trailer Award with TrAIler Health

KRONE is the winner of the 2027 International Trailer Award in the ‘Future’ category. With TrAIler Health, Krone impressed the international expert jury and topped the category with 87 points. The International Trailer Award recognizes technical innovations and forward-looking concepts for trailers and is presented as part of the IAA Transportation in Hanover.

With TrAIler Health, Krone is taking a new approach to digital fleet management: rather than providing fleet operators with ever more individual vehicle data, relevant information is consolidated into a clear and operationally useful health status for the trailer.

From vehicle data to concrete recommendations for action

Modern trailers provide a wide variety of data from systems such as tyre pressure monitoring, brake diagnostics and telematics. For dispatchers, fleet managers and service managers, this has often meant having to evaluate different pieces of information themselves and correlate them with one another.

“This is precisely where TrAIler Health comes in. AI-supported algorithms developed in-house analyse, amongst other things, information on TPMS pressure anomalies, braking behaviour, the status of telematics devices and other subsystems,” explains Maximilian Birle, Head of Digital Services at KRONE Trailer. “This data is used to generate a standardized health status for the respective trailer. A clear traffic-light system indicates whether the vehicle is ready for use or whether it requires monitoring or urgent action.”

A key component of the concept is the ‘human-in-the-loop’ approach. If a relevant anomaly is detected, Krone experts review the specific case and validate the status before the customer is informed. This is intended to reduce false alarms and ensure that recommendations for action are as practical as possible. The customer is then proactively contacted and receives a specific recommendation on how to proceed.

KRONE is thus pursuing a clear objective: the fleet operator should not have to search for anomalies themselves or analyse large volumes of data. Instead, they receive condensed information from which a course of action can be immediately derived.

Higher uptime and more predictable service processes

This approach can help to identify critical vehicle conditions earlier, plan maintenance measures more effectively and avoid unplanned downtime. At the same time, it reduces the analytical workload in fleet management. The aim is to achieve higher vehicle availability, more efficient service processes and, in the long term, a lower total cost of ownership.

The solution is designed to be scalable from the outset: numerous trailers are already actively connected to the service at launch. TrAIler Health is being gradually integrated into the mykrone.blue offering.

Hüffermann also successful at the International Trailer Award

At the Community Choice Award, the Hüffermann HSA 1870 NH Skid-Carrier took third place, thereby also being recognized for its high practical value in day-to-day transport operations.

At the heart of the solution is the low rear end of the single-tyre Skid-Carrier. It addresses a specific problem when transferring roll-off containers onto trailers. With single-tyre vehicles fitted with 385/55 R 22.5 tyres, the air suspension of the roll-off tipper lorry previously often had to be manually readjusted to achieve the necessary transfer height. This meant extra work for drivers and could unnecessarily complicate the workflow.

The low rear end of the Skid-Carrier eliminates this additional step. With 385/55 R 22.5 tyres, the transfer height now corresponds to the familiar height of trailers fitted with 265/70 R 19.5 twin tyres. Roll-on/roll-off containers can therefore be transferred directly onto the trailer without the need to manually override the lorry’s lowered air suspension. The workflow thus remains simple and familiar for drivers. At the same time, operational effort and unnecessary interruptions can be reduced.

In this way, Hüffermann combines practical handling with the advantages of single tyres. According to the application documents, this can contribute, amongst other things, to lower rolling resistance, longer brake service life and reduced maintenance costs. Customers also report a reduction in diesel consumption of around two litres per 100 kilometres during long-distance transport. The Skid-Carrier thus facilitates the use of single-tyre trailers and combines ease of operation with economic and environmental benefits.