Open data for the road ahead.

A family business since 1949

Founded in 1949, STS Truck & Utility Trailer Sales of New York (STS) is a family-owned company serving fleet operators across Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, where it operates as STS Trailer, Truck, and Equipment. With locations in Syracuse, Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, and Selinsgrove, STS has built a reputation as a one-stop shop for new and used trailer sales, rentals, leasing, truck equipment, yard trucks, and aftermarket support.

STS carries premium brands including Utility (in New York only), MAC, Landoll, and Pitts Trailers; Kalmar Ottawa Terminal Tractors; and Morgan, Reading, and Stellar Truck Bodies. It backs them with quick, reliable service through a well-stocked parts department and in-house fabrication teams.

We sat down with Nick Jacobs, Sr. Director of Finance & Operations at STS, to talk about the company’s strategy, Utility’s new smart trailer platform, and why open data, AI, and intelligent managed trailer care might be the key to winning the future.

Moving off CDK to compete

“We had been running on CDK and it was a fine platform for where our dealership had been operating but we needed more to compete in the marketplace,” Jacobs says.

Flyntlok, the dealer management system now powering STS’s operations, came up again and again in our conversation. Jacobs praised its open structure, and how easily it integrates compared to other platforms.

“Most of the legacy software solutions dealers rely on are based on an architecture that was developed decades ago. Even though they may be hosted in a data-center and marketed as cloud they are not and require VPNs or other factors that limit connectivity and interoperability,” he says.

For STS, an integrated, true cloud DMS was critical to support not just accounting but every part of the business, especially the customer.

“Being delivered on the Google cloud and truly built from the ground up by the Flyntlok team was critical in our selection process.”

“We had run across some other platforms that ran on a Microsoft or Salesforce platform and we felt that was limiting,” Jacobs adds. “We had tried in the past bolt-on capabilities for CRM and other functions, but the integration cost and lack of functionality did not deliver the ROI we were looking for. Flyntlok offers us a truly integrated platform.”

A customer portal on day one

One of the biggest differences showed up on the first day.

“We especially appreciated the fact that on day one through the Flyntlok Spark’s portal our customers have self-service access to request parts, view invoices, see equipment availability, functionality we couldn’t come close to delivering without Flyntlok.”

Why open data matters

A key theme throughout our conversation was openness. STS is a strong advocate for open architecture platforms, like Flyntlok, which allow for seamless API integrations and better data access through a Google cloud delivery model.

“We’ve seen what happens when OEMs wall off their data, and dealers rely on outdated DMS platforms,” Jacobs says. “It frustrates customers and slows down support. With Flyntlok, the data flows freely.”

The next step is connecting that data to the trailers themselves. “We plan to tightly integrate STS Flyntlok DMS with Utility Trailers Telematics to capture critical trailer data in real time. That means better service, smarter diagnostics, and more trust.”

The rise of smart trailers

As an authorized Utility Trailer dealer, STS plays a key role in delivering some of the industry’s most trusted reefer and dry van solutions to fleets. Utility’s market leadership, especially in refrigerated trailers, aligns with STS’s commitment to offering customers integrated telematics, smart diagnostics, and advanced uptime tracking.

Jacobs started by outlining Utility’s joint venture with Schmitz Cargobull, a collaboration that has produced one of the most advanced integrated telematics systems in the industry.

“This system isn’t just about sensors,” Jacobs explains. “It’s about full visibility: fleet data, uptime tracking, preventive maintenance. It gives customers tools they’ve never had before, and that transforms how they run their operations.”

STS isn’t limiting its telematics strategy to reefer trailers. The team is working on expanding diagnostics and sensor capabilities to other types of units, from tire pressure monitoring to system fault alerts.

“Fleet managers want to know everything, not just what’s going on in the reefer. Utility is building tools that give them that visibility and we could not be more excited to bring these powerful platforms to our markets to serve our customers.”

Prepaid maintenance as a differentiator

As STS prepares to launch these next-generation trailers, it is also considering a new offering: Intelligent Managed Care Contracts. These service plans could give customers peace of mind and a more predictable ownership experience.

“This isn’t something most of our competitors offer,” Jacobs notes. “It could really set us apart, especially if we pair it with the right technology support.”

Asked about competitors like Carrier and Thermo King, Jacobs acknowledged the challenge but saw opportunity. “We’re not trying to play their game. We’re offering something different. Our technology, our DMS, our support model: it all adds up to a more complete customer experience.”

STS is also building the new Utility and Schmitz Cargobull transport refrigeration platform into every reefer quote, reinforcing its commitment to delivering value upfront.

Looking ahead

Asked what comes next, Jacobs was candid: there is still work to do on forecasting and finalizing the prepaid service model. But the goal is clear: grow parts and service revenue while helping customers operate smarter, safer fleets.

“This isn’t just about trailers. It’s about the entire lifecycle: data, service, uptime, value. That’s where the future is headed.”

He left us with one more thought.

“Fleets are investing significant capital into technologies and platforms that give them actionable data to manage their fleets. Dealers and fleets need to stop thinking about trailers as dumb assets. These are rolling computers now. And the ones who figure that out fastest will win.”

At STS, they are already a few steps ahead.