Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1004801
commercial carrier journal | july 2018 53 T here is no greater impact on a eet's fuel economy – and no bigger maintenance budget-wrecker – than tires. Regularly checking for proper in ation is a staple of every preventive maintenance and pre-trip program, but with shippers getting antsy to move freight and carriers itching to oblige, the ner points of a tire-pres- sure check can slip between the cracks. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, about 7 percent of all tires are underin- flated by at least 20 psi, and only 44 percent of all tires are within 5 psi of their target pressure. Fortunately, through systems de- signed for automatic tire in ation and tire pressure monitoring, technology is capable of serving as a eet's wingman. "Tires generally do not fail in the yard," says Harry Trost, senior manager of prod- uct planning for Dana. "Fleets realize that even a perfectly in ated tire can encoun- ter road debris or be damaged in service." Similarities, differences Both TPMS and ATIS provide backup by helping to keep truck tire pressures at appropriate levels, but they do so in different ways. "We view ATIS and TPMS as two different products that are comple- mentary in nature, not competitive," says Jim Sharkey, vice president of global sales and marketing for Pres- sure Systems International. Easily installed on a tractor or trailer, TPMS also provides tempera- ture warnings via sensors. "TPMS enables the ability to moni- tor the whole vehicle combination," says Jon Intagliata, TPMS product manager for Bendix Commercial Ve- hicle Systems. Trailer TPMS data is transmitted wirelessly to the tractor and displayed on the dash to provide the driver or telematics system access to alerts and warnings, in addition to tire data for pre-trip inspections. TPMS monitors tire pressure in a variety of ways: valve stem-mounted sensors that also are good for ATIS with an auxiliary check/port tire Both TPMS and ATIS provide back- up by helping to keep truck tire pressures at appropriate levels, but they do so in different ways. Meritor is developing a tractor-optimized TPMS with air lines routed through the drive and steer axles and highly robust seals that can retain integrity in a highly dynamic environment. Systems that monitor, inflate tires complement a fleet's PM, pre-trip programs BY JASON CANNON