CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 17, 2026--
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co., LLC is pleased to announce significant enhancements to UTILITY TrailerConnect, expanding its connected trailer platform with new capabilities designed to help fleets improve uptime, simplify maintenance, and gain deeper visibility into trailer operations.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260917112802/en/
Already available for reefers, dry vans and flatbeds, the latest updates strengthen UTILITY TrailerConnect's position as a comprehensive trailer telematics solution by combining advanced diagnostics, enhanced fleet management tools, improved service support, and expanded access to trailer performance data in a single, user-friendly platform.
"Today's fleets need more than trailer tracking. They need actionable insights, faster support, and technology that helps them make smarter operational decisions," said Steve Bennett, President & COO for Utility. "These upgrades to UTILITY TrailerConnect deliver a more connected experience that helps customers improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and better manage their assets."
UTILITY TrailerConnect also introduces advanced remote diagnostic capabilities, giving deeper insight into trailer health through improved system monitoring, fault code visibility, and proactive issue identification. With better monitoring and fault reporting, maintenance teams can spot concerns early, plan repairs more effectively, and help keep trailers on the road longer.
Newly-designed specifically for North American fleets, UTILITY TrailerConnect delivers localized communications, region-focused functionality, and continuous software enhancements driven by market needs. Combined with deeper integration of next-generation trailer technologies, including Bendix® iTEBS X advanced braking and electronic control systems, these enhancements reinforce Utility's commitment to helping fleets improve performance and operational efficiency.
UTILITY TrailerConnect combines advanced telematics with the expert support of Utility and Cargobull dealers from day one, helping customers get connected quickly and confidently. From account setup, telematics activation, and user training to fleet integration, customers have access to guidance throughout the onboarding process. As maintenance needs arise, dealer service teams can assist with parts, service scheduling, and repair coordination to help minimize downtime.
“The system is backed by our extensive dealer network, which continues to expand its service capabilities and 24/7 customer support,” added Bennett. “UTILITY TrailerConnect ensures fleets have access to knowledgeable professionals who can help maximize the value of their trailers and connected technology.”
ABOUT UTILITY TRAILER
Utility Trailer is America's oldest privately owned, family-operated trailer manufacturer. Founded in 1914, the company designs and manufactures dry freight vans, flatbeds, refrigerated trailers, and aerodynamic technologies. Utility currently operates six trailer manufacturing facilities across North America. Utility’s 3000R® and the 3000R® multi-temp refrigerated trailers are manufactured at the Atkins, Virginia, Clearfield, Utah and Piedras Negras, Mexico plants. The 4000D-X Composite® series dry vans are manufactured at the Glade Spring, Virginia and Paragould, Arkansas plants. The 4000AE®, 4000S, and 4000AE® Drop Deck flatbeds are all manufactured at the Enterprise, Alabama facility. Utility is also the exclusive distributor of Cargobull TRU products, accessories and telematics. Cargobull TRUs are available options only on the 3000R. Utility has an extensive dealer network with over 140 locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. Visit: www.utilitytrailer.com for more information.
UTILITY TrailerConnect provides fleetwide visibility with advanced telematics
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An SUV driver was under the influence of drugs when she swerved into the wrong lane, blew a red light and slammed into a Los Angeles city bus, killing two riders, prosecutors said Thursday as they charged her with murder.
It was a tragedy compounded by the subsequent fatal crash of a TV news helicopter that had been covering the collision.
Bailee Lynn Rios was speeding and impaired when she drove her 2004 Ford Expedition the wrong way down a busy avenue and struck a vehicle before plowing into a city bus on Tuesday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told a news conference.
Rios, 36, faces two charges of second-degree murder in the deaths of the two people on the bus, identified as Daniel Castillo, 46, and Gage Weida, 31. Castillo left four children.
“There are no words that can truly capture how much we will miss him or the space he leaves behind in our lives,” Castillo’s youngest daughter, Johaunna, wrote on a fundraising page for funeral expenses.
Rios was being held on $4.1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court Friday. Online court records did not list a lawyer who might speak on her behalf, and the public defender’s office did not immediately return a message about whether it was representing her.
Reached Wednesday, her mother Cindy Rios said she was shocked and saddened by the string of events. She said she had not spoken to Bailee Lynn Rios since her arrest and had not been contacted by law enforcement. She could not immediately be reached Thursday for additional comment.
The news helicopter crash killed both people on board, pilot George Marciniw and reporter Eliana Moreno, and a man on the ground, Edy Gutierrez Mejia. At least four cars and two storage containers burned after the helicopter caught fire.
A vigil was planned Thursday evening to honor the victims of both crashes.
There were no immediate details on what caused the helicopter to go down, but investigators said significant clues could come from the last seconds of video the crew broadcast. In it, an alarm could be heard inside the helicopter’s cockpit as it lost altitude.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Fabian Salazar said Wednesday that the video is “probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far.”
Just after the beeping starts, a woman’s voice says “uh oh.” The helicopter moves quickly away from the bus crash site and starts losing altitude. The woman says “You can’t pull up?” before the video stops as the chopper nears the ground.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the alarm suggests a potential loss of engine power and a dangerous decrease in the main rotor speed. He said the pilot appeared to be trying to perform an emergency maneuver to use the wind to force the rotor to spin again.
The NTSB is also investigating the bus collision.
Moreno and Marciniw both worked for Angel City Air, a helicopter contractor, and provided aerial coverage for NBC4 and Telemundo 52.
Moreno, born in Orange County, joined Angel City Air in 2010, the same year she earned a broadcast journalism and political science degree from Chapman University. She reported for several news outlets and began flying with Marciniw in 2023, NBC4 said.
Marciniw grew up in Southern California and graduated from Burbank High School in 1974.
There have been at least eight fatal crashes involving news helicopters in the U.S. since 2000, killing 16 people, according to a review of federal accident records and news accounts.
A memorial for Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw, who died in a helicopter crash the day prior while covering an accident for a television station, at the site where their helicopter used to park at Whiteman Airport in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) ADDITION: the day prior while covering an accident for a television station.
A person adjusts flowers at a memorial for Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw, who died in a helicopter crash the day prior while covering an accident for a television station, at the site where their helicopter used to park at Whiteman Airport in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) ADDITION: Adds in a helicopter crash the day prior while covering an accident for a television station.
A memorial for Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw who died in a helicopter crash is seen at the site where their helicopter used to park at Whiteman Airport in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
In this aerial view, people investigate the aftermath of a news helicopter crash in Chatsworth, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.(AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A person adjusts flowers at a memorial for Eliana Moreno and George Marciniw who died in a helicopter crash at the site where their helicopter used to park at Whiteman Airport in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
