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.

Heil Trailer International Co. has announced the availability of a 5-axle, 12,000-gallon petroleum trailer intended to enable customers in the Western United States to haul more in fewer runs.

Trailer orders surged to 45,002 in November, an all-time record for the month according to ACT Research Co., citing preliminary data.