At IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover, Krone will present itself not only as a semi-trailer manufacturer but also as a provider of a complete system for road haulage. As usual, the German group will occupy Hall 27 and will bring to the trade fair a strategy that combines vehicles, services, telematics and electrification, centred on new digital functions designed to support customers from purchase through to day-to-day fleet management.
The stand will focus on digital technology, with three connected innovations: the new generation of Krone Telematics, the fully revised Smart Assistant and the mykrone.blue platform, which will serve as the single access point for the manufacturer’s digital services. The aim is to create continuity between vehicle purchase, operation, maintenance and spare parts supply. Krone Telematics has been upgraded with new alarm and reporting functions to identify critical events more quickly and direct them to the correct operational process. Greater data availability will also give fleet managers a more accurate view of vehicle status. This will be supported by the Data Management Centre, which will provide structured telematics and operational data to external applications. Krone information will therefore be integrable into customers’ TMS and ERP systems and into the platforms used by hauliers’ own customers, preventing telematics from remaining an isolated system.
The Smart Assistant has been extensively revamped and will be accessible through the QR code on the semi-trailer. It is evolving from an application aimed mainly at drivers into a digital interface for all operators involved with the vehicle, reachable via WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram as well as through dedicated mobile and web applications. Drivers will manage the daily activities linked to the vehicle, while fleet and dispatch managers will monitor processes and fleet status. Krone’s service network and workshops will also be able to access the system, with the option of reporting damage and initiating interventions digitally. The Smart Assistant will therefore become the link between vehicle, driver, transport company and service network within the mykrone.fleet ecosystem, developed on the basis of user feedback.
The third component of the system is mykrone.blue, the centralised access point for Krone’s digital services. With a single login, users will be able to move between the different applications. The first step will be the direct integration of the Krone Spare Parts Shop, allowing customers to move from vehicle management to spare parts ordering without a new registration, across the entire life cycle of the semi-trailer, from configuration and purchase through to maintenance and component availability.
Alongside digitalisation comes electrification. Krone and Trailer Dynamics have developed the eTrailer, a semi-trailer equipped with its own electric drive system capable of assisting the tractor unit, which can be coupled to both diesel and electric road tractors. In the first case, Krone reports a fuel consumption reduction of around 40%, while in the second the objective is to exceed 600 kilometres of total range without recharging en route. The system uses a modular battery of up to 551 kWh, Kingpin technology for energy management and Predictive Drivetrain Control software. The project has already moved from the experimental phase to operational use, with 20 homologated units in pre-series operation.
Krone’s presence in Hanover will involve the entire Krone Commercial Vehicle Group, with an offering that goes beyond Krone-branded products. Twelve semi-trailers will be displayed in the outdoor areas, including Schwarzmüller and Knapen vehicles intended for specialised transport. These will include the Performance moving floor trailer, with an all-aluminium chassis and an unladen weight starting from 6.9 tonnes. This semi-trailer uses a Cargo-Floor moving floor with 21 profiles and is designed to combine high payload with versatility for bulk goods, recycling and agricultural transport. Schwarzmüller will also display outdoors an aluminium tipper body for the construction sector, with an unladen weight of around six tonnes and a volume of 28 cubic metres. The line-up will be completed by a low-loader semi-trailer for heavy haulage, with an extendable frame, low deck, independent hydraulic suspension and a technically permissible mass of 39 tonnes.
Massimiliano Barberis
