Category: Tire Monitoring

Tire pressure monitoring systems evolved from a manual system to an automated system.

Why do fleets care about tire pressure monitoring systems?

Tires are important to a fleet’s success because they affect 2 categories – safety and cost.

Safety

Tires must be in tip-top form to prevent accidents. One reason is that tires are a big factor in determining braking time.

TireRack ran an experiment between new tires and worn out tires. What was the difference in braking time? The truck with worn out tires took twice as long to brake. Yikes! Instead of risking an accident, fleets use tire pressure monitoring systems to maintain healthy tires.

Cost

Tires are the 3rd leading fleet cost.

Some people stop accounting beyond repair costs. It’s a great start but tires have a greater financial impact.

One of the biggest tire costs is wasted fuel. Flat tires cause fleets to use more fuel. And, of course, fuel cost adds up! Instead of breaking the bank on fuel, tire pressure monitoring systems are installed to ensure tires are properly inflated.

How have tire systems evolved?

Then

Tire systems used to be a manual process. This meant drivers were supposed to regularly check their tires and report any problems.

Unfortunately, manual processes leave room for human error. Not all drivers complete regular checks. Also, not all mechanics receive or finish repair jobs. As a result, manual processes increases safety and fuel cost risks.

Now

Tire pressure monitoring systems moved towards an electronic process. This is done through either an indirect system or a direct system.

Indirect system. Indirect systems estimate tire pressures by measuring the truck’s tire revolution speed. If a tire spins at a different pace than the other tires, then a tire pressure warning is created. This system is less costly but also less accurate than a direct system.

Direct system. Direct systems, on the other hand, means installing a tire pressure monitoring device directly on the tire. This device reads and reports tire pressure. As a result, drivers can take a live look at tire readings.

Case Study: PressurePro

PressurePro is an example a direct tire pressure monitoring system. Here is a quick video rundown:

 

Some of PressurePro’s most important uses include:

In-cab displays and alerts

PressurePro looks like one of those fancy gadgets on a airplane cabin. Just like a plane’s control panel, PressurePro shows tire pressure and tire temperature. Drivers can also set up alerts if the tire pressure and temperature is outside of the normal range.

Office reports

Besides sharing data with drivers, PressurePro also sends reports to the geniuses in fleet operations. This is done by integrating PressurePro with fleet management solutions. As a result, managers can review tire patterns to make decisions on tire purchases and maintenance policies.

Results

Fleets report that PressurePro’s active tire program saves money from fewer accidents, better fuel economy, and longer lasting tires.

Links

Tire Rack: Test Tire Results

 

Why is it important to control tire expenses?

 

Tire expenses are the third biggest expense for most fleets. In order to control expenses, fleets must consider capacity, tire pressure maintenance, and tire purchases.

Capacity

Tires can only hold so much weight. Think about table legs. If someone were to pile a mountain of heavy objects, what happens to the table? It collapses, of course.

The same concept applies to tires. For every 10% of overcapacity, tire life is reduced by about 16%. The best practice for managing tire capacity is to set rules on maximum load and to ensure tire specifications can handle such a load.

Tire Pressure Maintenance

Tire pressure maintenance is an important part of tire health. In fact, not only does it improve a tire’s life cycle, tire pressure maintenance also leads to fuel savings. Consider the following statistics.

Underinflation is the #1 cause of tire failure and leads to almost 40,000 accidents in a year. Also, due to higher rolling resistance, under-inflated tires decrease fuel efficiency. For every 10% of underinflation, there is a 1% decrease in fuel economy and a 7% decrease in tire life.

Severe over inflation, on the other hand, is also a problem. It can also cause tire failure as overinflated tires are unable to absorb shock.

Tire Purchases

Tires are becoming more expensive. Michelin, a major tire producer, announced an 8% price increase earlier this year. Michelin explained that rising cost in raw materials has translated to a higher tire bill for fleets.

 

3 Helpful Technologies

 

Many fleets are reducing tire costs by investing in helpful technologies. Some of these technologies include Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, tire maintenance software, and automated tire purchasing.

Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS)

Recall the damaging effects of under and over inflation. Fleets developed strict check-up programs to extend tire life.

A popular tool to help extend tire life is a Tire Pressure Monitoring System. These systems are screwed onto tire valves and provide live tire pressure readings. These readings can be generated into a report that measures tire performance. Maintenance managers can then be alerted when there are spikes in tire pressure.

Besides sending reports back to the office, Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems can also alert drivers. The system includes an in-cab display, where drivers can receive real-time readings and alerts for tire pressure and temperature changes.

Tire Maintenance Programs

Just like vehicle tracking, more and more companies are investing in tire tracking.

In fact, look at Michelin. The major tire supplier worked on transitioning into RFID technology over the past 15 years. RFIDs are attachable tags that track objects. Michelin is optimistic that the RFID chips will help fleets manage inventory and reduce inspection time.

Similar to Michelin’s RFID program, there is software that allows fleets to manage tires. For example, the Zendu Maintenance software includes a tire maintenance program. This program receives tire pressure data and automatically schedules a maintenance check-up.

Automated Tire Purchasing

Tire purchases require careful planning. Fleet managers need to find a balance between a fit with their business needs and a fit with their budget.

Fleets can find the best fit by using an automated tire purchase systems. These programs automatically trigger tire orders when current inventory is low. Tire vendors can then submit proposals. From here, purchasers can review tire specifications, cost, and warranty in order to make the best decision.

 

Want to learn more about these technologies?
Check out our Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Maintenance Management & Purchasing Software.

Sources:
Government Fleet: Managing Tire Expenses
Pamplin Media: What is a Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Truck News: Tire Prices Set to Increase
Waste DIVE: Michelin Adds RFID Tags in Tires to Provide Fleets with Cost-Saving Data
Consumer Reports: How to Save Money When Buying Replacement Tires

 

Drop & Hook Makes Truck TPMS Simple

Finding the right truck TPMS can be a challenge when different trailers are constantly hooked up on the truck. It often creates extra work for the driver and the fleet to ensure all tires on the trailer are being properly monitored. With GoFleet’s true automatic drop & hook, the trailer sensors and the tractor are paired automatically and wirelessly through the transceiver.

Our true, automatic drop and hook system was designed for the trucking industry specifically to overcome the tire monitoring challenge. The driver does not have to do anything except the normal trailer changing procedure. The tractor recognizes the new trailer automatically as soon as the trailer is attached.

Your tractors can be paired with any trailer in your fleet and the truck TPMS will recognize it automatically. The tire pressure monitoring system sensors will send immediate alerts to the fleet manager if the tire pressure is high or low, there is a fast or slow leak and if the temperatures are high. The alerts can be sent via SMS text message, email or posted on the dashboard. This allows for proactive truck TPMS management.

The drop and hook saves your company time and money. Since your tires will be automatically monitored with the truck TPMS, your drivers will not have to manually inspect their vehicle’s tire pressure. You will also not have to rely on the driver to report any issues with their tire pressure or temperature. Receiving instant alerts will notify you of potentially dangerous and costly tire issues before they become a problem.

The best part about GoFleet’s truck TPMS add-on is that it is fully integrated with our GPS fleet management software. The fleet manager is able to proactively monitor tire pressure and temperatures in the same place they manage their fleet operations.

For more information about our true drop and hook truck TPMS add-on, Contact Us.

Tire Monitoring Add-On to GPS Fleet Tracking System Saves Money

 

Did you know that tires
are actually the largest contributor
to the operating costs of your fleet? When you add-on tire monitoring system
with a GoFleet GPS fleet tracking system, you will have reliable, accurate and
real-time tire pressure monitoring on your vehicles. This system also
monitors your tire temperatures.

When your fleet has
properly inflated tires, you will save
on fuel costs and maintenance. It will also increases your vehicles’
safety.

How
Does Tire
Monitoring Work?

Valor uses a patented
TPMS solution to monitor the air
pressure and air temperature of your tires in real-time using robust
sensors that are installed internally. If you use trucks and trailers, they are
paired automatically and wirelessly using an innovative drop & hook
solution. This will save you both money and time as it gets your trucks back on the
road safely.

Tire
Monitoring Features

• Real-Time
  Monitoring: Every 4 seconds the robust sensors measure the
  temperature and
  tire pressure on your vehicles.

• Alerts:
  Management is alerted automatically by SMS or email when there are any
  issues
  with tire pressure, leakage, or high temperatures.

• Automatic
  Drop & Hook: This was designed for the trucking industry specifically to overcome some of the tire monitoring challenges. Your trucks and trailers are paired automatically and wirelessly.

• Fleet
  System Integration: The tire monitoring system is seamlessly integrated
  with GoFleet’s Geotab G06 GPS tracking system. This enables mangers
  to proactively manage their fleet’s tires using the GoFleet MyGeotab software.  

Benefits
Of Tire
Monitoring

• Improved
  Productivity: There is no need for monitoring the tire
  pressure manually.
  You will receive automatic updates alerting you of potentially
  dangerous and
  costly tire issues.

• Extended
  Tire Life: Real-time tire monitoring will ensure all of your
  tires are inflated
  properly, which will extend the life of the tires and increase safety.

• Savings:
  When your tires are inflated properly, you will reduce your fuel costs
  and maintenance
  costs.

Contact GoFleet today to find out more information about adding tire monitoring to your GPS fleet tracking system.