Smart Immobilizers And Parking Security

I'm using TruckerPath now which solved my problem with finding where to park around Mesa. There are convenient locations I can park at for days. But now new problems: I'm concerned about security. So I went researching good gladhand locks vs king pin locks, and came across this smart lock: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D9ZRQ4JL

Anyone has experience with this or any other smart lock? Also, what do you guys recommend for GPS tracker? Do you need to change batteries often?

Clickable link:

Immobilizer

I've never seen anything like this.

Truck had to go into the shop in Albuquerque, while I was running containers at the time. I asked the Freightliner people where to drop my trailer and they told me down the street a little ways and so I bought a kingpin lock at the Love's and put it on. I expected to be repaired and back on the road in 6 or 7 business days. That didn't happen and then the company had me come to get another truck and I did not get back to that container for 4 weeks. I don't know if the company had somebody stop by ever so often to see if it was still sitting there or not. When I did get back I was shocked that it was still there with the kingpin lock on it.

Parking is a challenge everywhere. An immobilizer along with door locks would open up the number of places to park....

Clickable link:

Immobilizer

I've never seen anything like this.

Truck had to go into the shop in Albuquerque, while I was running containers at the time. I asked the Freightliner people where to drop my trailer and they told me down the street a little ways and so I bought a kingpin lock at the Love's and put it on. I expected to be repaired and back on the road in 6 or 7 business days. That didn't happen and then the company had me come to get another truck and I did not get back to that container for 4 weeks. I don't know if the company had somebody stop by ever so often to see if it was still sitting there or not. When I did get back I was shocked that it was still there with the kingpin lock on it.

Clickable link:

Immobilizer

I've never seen anything like this.

Truck had to go into the shop in Albuquerque, while I was running containers at the time. I asked the Freightliner people where to drop my trailer and they told me down the street a little ways and so I bought a kingpin lock at the Love's and put it on. I expected to be repaired and back on the road in 6 or 7 business days. That didn't happen and then the company had me come to get another truck and I did not get back to that container for 4 weeks. I don't know if the company had somebody stop by ever so often to see if it was still sitting there or not. When I did get back I was shocked that it was still there with the kingpin lock on it.

The device from Amazon is $300. If the company thinks I need one, they will have to supply it at their cost. I already pay for my cell phone and a backup. The phones are used primarily for company business and for the benefit of the company. The company does not give the driver a cell phone allowance. Any additional device or hardware the company wants me to carry, needs to be at their expense, not mine. I do have a gladhand lock from a previous employer but I don’t need it because we are prohibited from dropping our trailers anywhere except at the customer’s location. I can see that in an unusual situation, having the gladhand lock would be of value and it is small and easy to keep on the truck. The company does issue a high quality padlock and I lock every loaded trailer as directed.

I do have a king pin lock that Schneider required new drivers to purchase for $60, but it weighs about 20 lbs. and is a pain in the butt to install, so I don’t even carry that anymore. But I do think it makes sense for companies to have GPS tracking devices for their trailers.

Clickable link:

Immobilizer

I've never seen anything like this.

Truck had to go into the shop in Albuquerque, while I was running containers at the time. I asked the Freightliner people where to drop my trailer and they told me down the street a little ways and so I bought a kingpin lock at the Love's and put it on. I expected to be repaired and back on the road in 6 or 7 business days. That didn't happen and then the company had me come to get another truck and I did not get back to that container for 4 weeks. I don't know if the company had somebody stop by ever so often to see if it was still sitting there or not. When I did get back I was shocked that it was still there with the kingpin lock on it.

Checked it out the Amazon link and this looks like a great leap forward. That said I would imagine that a 4 week trailer downtime would be expensive, at least to the company! Do you know why it took that long? What happened when you went back?

Clickable link:

Immobilizer

I've never seen anything like this.

Truck had to go into the shop in Albuquerque, while I was running containers at the time. I asked the Freightliner people where to drop my trailer and they told me down the street a little ways and so I bought a kingpin lock at the Love's and put it on. I expected to be repaired and back on the road in 6 or 7 business days. That didn't happen and then the company had me come to get another truck and I did not get back to that container for 4 weeks. I don't know if the company had somebody stop by ever so often to see if it was still sitting there or not. When I did get back I was shocked that it was still there with the kingpin lock on it.

The device from Amazon is $300. If the company thinks I need one, they will have to supply it at their cost. I already pay for my cell phone and a backup. The phones are used primarily for company business and for the benefit of the company. The company does not give the driver a cell phone allowance. Any additional device or hardware the company wants me to carry, needs to be at their expense, not mine. I do have a gladhand lock from a previous employer but I don’t need it because we are prohibited from dropping our trailers anywhere except at the customer’s location. I can see that in an unusual situation, having the gladhand lock would be of value and it is small and easy to keep on the truck. The company does issue a high quality padlock and I lock every loaded trailer as directed.

I do have a king pin lock that Schneider required new drivers to purchase for $60, but it weighs about 20 lbs. and is a pain in the butt to install, so I don’t even carry that anymore. But I do think it makes sense for companies to have GPS tracking devices for their trailers.

Can't stop laughing at the 20lb lock! How do you even get around with that?

Clickable link:

Immobilizer

I've never seen anything like this.

Truck had to go into the shop in Albuquerque, while I was running containers at the time. I asked the Freightliner people where to drop my trailer and they told me down the street a little ways and so I bought a kingpin lock at the Love's and put it on. I expected to be repaired and back on the road in 6 or 7 business days. That didn't happen and then the company had me come to get another truck and I did not get back to that container for 4 weeks. I don't know if the company had somebody stop by ever so often to see if it was still sitting there or not. When I did get back I was shocked that it was still there with the kingpin lock on it.

The device from Amazon is $300. If the company thinks I need one, they will have to supply it at their cost. I already pay for my cell phone and a backup. The phones are used primarily for company business and for the benefit of the company. The company does not give the driver a cell phone allowance. Any additional device or hardware the company wants me to carry, needs to be at their expense, not mine. I do have a gladhand lock from a previous employer but I don’t need it because we are prohibited from dropping our trailers anywhere except at the customer’s location. I can see that in an unusual situation, having the gladhand lock would be of value and it is small and easy to keep on the truck. The company does issue a high quality padlock and I lock every loaded trailer as directed.

I do have a king pin lock that Schneider required new drivers to purchase for $60, but it weighs about 20 lbs. and is a pain in the butt to install, so I don’t even carry that anymore. But I do think it makes sense for companies to have GPS tracking devices for their trailers.

Can't stop laughing at the 20lb lock! How do you even get around with that?

If I remember it, next time I get to my storage unit I’ll take a picture of it and post it here. It’s a real monster.

@BK I would love to see it. Thanks!

BK, I haven't used it but another driver recently gave me a kingpin lock. I didn't realize it would be a hassle to use. If nobody does it beforehand, I'll try to remember to take and post a pic of it here when I visit my truck next week.

With the kind of trucking I do now, I frequently sit at truck stops for extended periods and unhook to go to grocery stores (I didn't used to being home weekly) but my trailer's always been there safely awaiting my return, and my company doesn't have any rules dictating securement while it's dropped as far as I know. That said, it sure would be a hassle if it disappeared.