Year after year, tire-related issues are one of the top two causes of out-of-service violations for commercial fleets. That’s probably never going to change. With 18 tires on each tractor-trailer facing rough asphalt, potholes, nails, and more every day, issues are bound to pop up. However, fleets can reduce the likelihood of incurring violations, and spending so much on tire replacements, by leveraging data to improve their tire maintenance programs and proactively address issues on the tire and wheel end overall.
For many, the power of this information starts with inflation data provided by tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). In their simplest form, TPMS sensors provide a fault light on the dash to indicate low pressure, or underinflation. These have been mandatory on passenger cars and commercial vehicles under 10,000 lbs. GVWR since 2007. The less inflated a tire is versus the specified pressure, the more likely a blowout may occur. Efficiency also decreases because of the added rolling resistance.
At the more complex end, TPMS data can link to various maintenance platforms to point out which tires need immediate attention and also provide a broader view of a fleet’s tire health.
But the benefits of TPMS and other tire and wheel-end data don’t stop there. When used to their fullest potential, fleet maintenance teams can use tire data to proactively address systemic tire issues and troubleshoot recurring problems.
“Most people view TPMS as a solution,” said Robert Chernow, director of national tire maintenance at Ryder. “In reality, it’s a catalyst for operational behavior change. TPMS will give the team on the ground what it needs to identify issues. But the team must also be good at capturing the ROI. If the maintenance team doesn’t use the data to address the issues, all the fleet is doing is paying for an expensive flashing light bulb.”
Before we explain some ways a fleet’s tire maintenance teams can get the most out of this data, let’s first discuss how tire health is handled and collected today.
The automatic solution
An increasingly common feature on today’s trailers is automatic tire inflation systems (ATIS), spec’d on about 70% of new trailers, according to Hendrickson. The ATIS itself relies on target pressure data established by the user to know when to add air to a tire.
Read more: How tires raise fuel economy and lower operating costs
Regardless of how sophisticated an autoinflate system might be, it’s important to note that adding air to underinflated tires is only one aspect of the system.
“Our customers recognize the value in managing both over and underinflation,” said Matt Wilson, general manager of the controls business unit, brake and wheel-end group at Hendrickson. “It’s also helpful when the system can ensure that all tires are operating at the same pressure.”
Hendrickson offers inflate-only ATIS for trailers, as well as ones that remove air from overinflated tires. They also provide systems that adjust tire pressures based on the load they sense.
In any event, auto-inflate systems all rely on data to make any necessary adjustments during operation. None of that data is retrievable or sharable, though, without the addition of other electronic sensors.
“An automatic inflation system solves most tire-related problems a fleet encounters,” Wilson said. “However, that system does not provide a technician with clear information regarding which specific tire has an issue or what the issue is. This is why TPMS, in addition to an auto-inflate system, can provide valuable benefit to a fleet.”
Auto-inflate and TPMS go hand in hand
When you think about it, a good auto-inflate system could actually lull fleets into a false sense of security. In the case of a slow leak, auto-inflation keeps the vehicle rolling down the road. In many instances, the driver—much less the maintenance staff—don’t even know it’s happening.
“When you get back to the shop and unhook, that leaking tire that has been kept up by the ATIS may go down,” said Craig Smith, VP of marketing and communications at Pressure Systems International (P.S.I.).
TPMS data, on the other hand, will record those recurring pressure changes so a technician knows there is an issue.
“Our TPMS sensors tell you which tire it is and if the ATIS control box has been activated,” Smith explained. “Drivers don’t always let you know when there’s a tire issue. TPMS data does.”
Another thing to think about is what happens to a slow-leaking tire after the truck, or especially a trailer, is parked for the night or long periods.
