“We’ve seen what happens when OEMs wall off their data, and dealers rely on outdated DMS platforms,” said Jacobs. “It frustrates customers and slows down support. With Flyntlok, the data flows freely. 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.” -- Nick Jacobs, Sr. Director of Finance & Operations, STS
STS Truck & Utility Trailer Sales of New York (“STS”) is a family-owned company founded in 1949, serving fleet operators across Upstate New York and Pennsylvania (operating in Pennsylvania as STS Trailer, Truck, and Equipment) with full-service trailer and truck solutions. 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. They carry premium brands including Utility (in New York only), MAC, Landoll, and Pitts Trailers; Kalmar Ottawa Terminal Tractors; and Morgan, Reading, and Stellar Truck Bodies, and provide quick, reliable service through their well-stocked parts department and in-house fabrication teams.
As an authorized Utility Trailer dealer, STS plays a key role in delivering some of the industry’s most trusted and innovative reefer and dry van solutions to fleets. Utility’s market leadership—especially in refrigerated trailers—aligns with STS’s commitment to offering customers cutting-edge technology, including integrated telematics, smart diagnostics, and advanced uptime tracking. By pairing Utility’s trailblazing equipment with STS’s deep service infrastructure and open-system philosophy, the company is helping fleets embrace smarter, more efficient operations for the long haul.
We sat down with Nick Jacobs, Sr. Director of Finance & Operations at STS, to talk about the company’s strategy, Utility’s powerful new smart trailer platform, and why open data, AI, and intelligent managed trailer care might be the key to winning the future.
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 explained. “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.”
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 via a Google cloud delivery model .
“We’ve seen what happens when OEMs wall off their data, and dealers rely on outdated DMS platforms,” said Jacobs. “It frustrates customers and slows down support. With Flyntlok, the data flows freely. 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.” -- Nick Jacobs, Sr. Director of Finance & Operations, STS
As STS prepares to launch these next-generation trailers, it’s also considering a new offering: Intelligent Managed Care Contracts. These service plan could give customers peace of mind and a more predictable ownership experience.
“This isn’t something most of our competitors offer,” Jacobs noted. “It could really set us apart, especially if we pair it with the right technology support. For example, by monitoring service hours we will be able to pro-actively alerted when upcoming maintenance is due on a trailer and reach out to a customer to schedule their maintenance.”
When 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 integrating the new Utility/Cargobull state-of-the-art transport refrigeration platform into every reefer quote, reinforcing their commitment to delivering value upfront.
STS isn’t limiting its telematics strategy to reefer trailers. Jacobs confirmed they’re actively 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.”
Flyntlok, the Dealer Management System (DMS) powering STS’s operations, came up multiple times. Jacobs praised its open structure, and the ease of integration 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.” Jacobs stated.
“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 detailed how critical an integrated true cloud based DMS was to support not just accounting but all aspects of the STS ecosystem, 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.” noted Jacobs “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. 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.”
When asked what comes next, Jacobs was candid: there’s 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.”
Nick Jacobs left us with this reflection:
“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. Innovators in the market are realizing that their DMS expands beyond accounting and operations and is a critical component of customers success and revenue growth.”
At STS, it’s clear they’re already a few steps ahead. Download the full case study <<STS Flyntlok Case Study>>
