Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/357935
34 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | AUGUST 2014 in focus: TIRE INFLATION SYSTEMS M any studies by the Technology & Maintenance Council have shown that the majority of destroyed tires found on highways failed due to improper infla- tion – usually underinflation. This is a significant problem for fleets, as tires are typically one of the top three major operational expenses alongside driver pay and fuel – and, it appears, an expense that can be controlled easily with a little extra attention. Pretrip inspection guidelines man- date that drivers visually inspect tires and check their pressures. But checking tractor-trailer tires is time-consuming, often difficult and monotonous. Often, a quick glance and a whack with an ax handle are all the attention many tires get on a daily basis. Today, as with so many other vehicle systems, technology has an answer for fleets. Tire pressure monitoring sys- tems and more proactive automatic tire inflation systems give fleets the ability to monitor and even actively inflate tires during normal vehicle operations. Jim Sassen, senior marketing manager at Omnitracs, says TPMS also can be beneficial in everyday driving situations. "We incorporate a high-heat and fast- leak alert with in-cab mobile computing platforms," he says. During the hot summer months, high temperatures can cause air within tires to expand, resulting in an unsafe fluctuation in tire pressure. High-heat and fast-leak alerts are designed to deliver near real-time notifications when a truck's tires have surpassed safe tire temperature and have reached an excessive heat range, allowing both the driver and fleet to quickly intervene and take prompt and necessary action to avoid a safety-related problem. "Getting that information to the right personnel as quickly as possible allows for the most immediate response time that can prevent a critical safety issue," Sassen says. Jon Intagliata, product manager for tire pressure monitoring systems at Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, says either setup presents two primary benefits. First, they can offer severe tire problem notifi- cation – such as very low pressure or very high temperature – to the driver or the fleet manager. Second, these systems can show the driver or the fleet that a par- ticular tire is operating slightly above or below the cold inflation pressure. "Over time, this will reduce fuel efficiency and tread life," Intagliata says. Monitoring systems generally have a driver warning component when tire air pressure drops. "Automatic inflation systems handle that as well," says Jon Morgan, senior product manager, trailer products group for Meritor. "But they take things a step further by inflating the tire as needed to maintain proper pres- sure while the vehicle is moving down the highway." This is combined with an in-cab or telematics feature to warn the driver and the fleet that air is flowing to a tire. Morgan says ATIS can keep a tire from failing due to a slow leak and even stave off failure from serious leaks long enough to get the vehicle to a repair facility. "It really depends on the capacity of the air system on the truck," he says. "Generally speaking, the system can compensate for a fairly sizable air leak." ATIS can be spec'd on original equip- ment, says Al Cohn, director, new market development and engineering support for Pressure Systems International. The Meritor Tire Inflation System by PSI is designed to fit all axle configurations and be retrofitted easily in less than four hours. During a normal preventive main- tenance, the system should be checked for leaks using soapy water. Intagliata says that while TPMS installation times are similar, technicians need to be trained to support both the installation of the sensors in the tires and the reprogramming of the tire sensor during vehicle service. Drivers also need to be educated on the alerts provided by the system and actions they should take in response to those alerts, he says. Technology helps maintain proper inflation Tire protection comes of age BY JACK ROBERTS Aeris by Stemco is a high-performance auto- matic tire inflation system designed to minimize downtime while maximizing fuel economy. The (ATIS) system can compensate for a fairly sizable air leak. – Jon Morgan, senior product manager, trailer products group, Meritor