Guide
GPS Tracker for Trailers
A trailer tracker has to survive without tractor power, report often enough to be useful, and stay attached to the right trailer ID after every hook and drop.
- Dropped trailers are the usual reason fleets buy a second device instead of relying on the cab ELD.
- Battery life is a tradeoff against reporting interval, motion, temperature, and signal—not a fixed number of months.
- TruckerPro is evaluating the Teltonika TAT141 (TP057) for this use. No trailer map or alert product is for sale.
The dropped-trailer problem
Dry vans, reefers, and flatbeds spend a large share of their life unhooked. Dispatch still needs to know which yard they are in, whether they moved after hours, and whether a customer is holding equipment. That is the job of a trailer gateway: a GNSS receiver, a cellular modem, and a power strategy that does not depend on the tractor.
Seven things trailer GPS can help with—if the software exists
- Finding equipment in a large yard.
- Confirming arrival at a shipper or receiver.
- Noticing a unit that left a geofenced lot.
- Reducing “where is my trailer?” calls.
- Pairing the right trailer with the right tractor after a mismatch.
- Feeding dwell and utilization summaries.
- Giving claims a location history—not a guess.
Samsara and Motive document the same jobs on their trailer-tracking pages. None of those jobs are currently offered by TruckerPro. They are the evaluation targets for a future platform.
Hardware under evaluation
The unpowered candidate is the Teltonika TAT141-Q3IB0 (TP057): replaceable non-rechargeable 2200 mAh battery, LTE-M / NB-IoT capable, IP68. Configuration is a provisioning task, not Bluetooth pairing. Runtime will be measured in the pilot; it will not be advertised as a fixed duration.
Reefers sometimes justify extra sensors (temperature, door). The TAT141 candidate is a location tracker. Do not infer reefer monitoring from this page.
Install notes that decide success
- Mount where GNSS and cellular are not boxed in by steel.
- Record the trailer ID at install; a tracker that reports “device 88” is not an asset system.
- Test a parked trailer and a moving trailer. Parked behavior is the hard case.
- Include Canadian winter and southern heat if those are your lanes. Chemistry cares.
Related reading
- Trailer GPS tracker pilot
- Trailer GPS selection checklist
- How trailer GPS tracking works
- Hardwired vs battery GPS tracker
Questions
Why put GPS on the trailer instead of the truck?
Because the trailer is often not with the truck. A cab device leaves with the tractor; a trailer device stays with the box.
How long does a trailer GPS battery last?
There is no honest fixed answer without a reporting profile and a field test. Treat any “X months” claim as a configuration, not a guarantee.
Is the TP057 the best trailer GPS tracker?
That has not been established. It is a private-pilot candidate. TruckerPro has not launched a commercial trailer-tracking service.
Share a pilot use case
Tell us what you would track and where it operates. This records interest; it does not place an order.