How Nussbaum Transportation Uses Phillips Connect to Extend Trailer Life and Drive Fleet-Wide Efficiency
Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Hudson, Illinois, Nussbaum Transportation has built nearly 80 years of growth on a simple philosophy passed down from its founder: treat your people well, and the rest will take care of itself. Today, that philosophy shapes not just how Nussbaum manages its drivers, but how it manages its equipment. Operating nearly 600 trucks, 1,700 trailers, and roughly 540 drivers across all 48 contiguous states, Nussbaum needed more than good intentions to keep that scale running reliably. They needed visibility.
The challenge is not unique to Nussbaum, but it is acute at their size. Tractors generate a steady stream of driver input. Drivers live in them, report problems, and take ownership of their condition. Trailers are different. On any given day, two, three, four, or five different drivers might touch a single unit, with no single person accountable for its health. As Nussbaum grew from 200 to nearly 600 trucks, tracking 1,700 trailers spread across 48 states manually became unsustainable. The company also faced pressure common across the industry: new trailer purchases had slowed, making it more critical than ever to extend the useful life of the assets already in the fleet. Nussbaum made a strategic decision to push its trailer replacement cycle from 10 years to 15. That kind of confidence requires eyes on the equipment.
What challenges did Nussbaum Transportation face before partnering with Phillips Connect?
Nussbaum struggled with visibility across a fast-growing trailer fleet. With 1,700 trailers spread across 48 states and multiple drivers touching each unit, there was no single person accountable for trailer health. Manual tracking became unsustainable, and the company needed a way to extend trailer life without sacrificing confidence in the equipment.
How does Phillips Connect help Nussbaum prevent roadside failures?
Every Nussbaum trailer runs TPMS, ABS fault monitoring, light-out detection, and wheel-end temperature monitoring through Phillips Connect. Critical alerts go directly to the roadside team around the clock, allowing them to dispatch vendors before drivers are even aware of a problem.
How has Phillips Connect impacted Nussbaum’s CSA score?
Since deploying Phillips Connect, Nussbaum has seen a significant reduction in roadside events and costs. Their CSA score has improved to the point where Nussbaum now leads its benchmark group, an outcome the team attributes largely to real-time visibility into trailer health.
How did Phillips Connect help Nussbaum extend its trailer replacement cycle?
With full visibility into the health of every trailer in the fleet, Nussbaum moved from reactive maintenance to data-driven, condition-based PM. That confidence supported a strategic decision to extend the trailer trade cycle from 10 years to 15.
How does Nussbaum use CargoVision for cargo claims and freight security?
CargoVision documents the condition of loads at pickup and delivery, creating a timestamped record that protects Nussbaum in cargo claim disputes. Combined with door sensors and geofencing, the platform provides a chain of custody that deters theft and resolves shipper disputes with documented evidence.
How does TrailerID benefit Nussbaum’s drivers and operations?
When a driver connects to a trailer, TrailerID logs the hookup automatically and flows straight into Geotab for hours-of-service compliance. This eliminates manual entry, reduces errors, and removes disputes over which driver had which trailer. This is a significant time saver across a fleet of 600 drivers.
How does Phillips Connect support Nussbaum’s customers?
Account managers use Phillips Connect dashboards to give customers real-time visibility into their trailer pools: what is loaded, what is empty, and what is DOT-healthy. Customers can set their own min/max alerts without needing to call, improving planning and reducing friction.