Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/412479
19 the road. Many of today's manufacturers offer simple training programs to educate distributors and end-user customers on installation best practices, and some manufacturers also have professional technicians that can be dispatched to assist in a major fl eet retrofi t. That customer support is built into the price of the product. "A lot of times when a fl eet wants to do a big retrofi t and it's not convenient to have trailers dropped off at a dealer, [the PSI distribution channel] will send a tech out to their terminal to do the installations," says Sonzala. "We have fl eets we've trained that are knocking out retrofi ts in 40 minutes or less," says Zaroor. Post-installation maintenance is another good selling point, adds Carter, because in most cases there isn't any. Thomas says 90 percent of all tire fail- ures are caused by under-infl ation, and nearly half of all emergency service calls are tire related. But tires that are properly infl ated rarely break down. "I think these products are capable of eliminating tire under-infl ation," Carter says. "And if you can show customers the system will always maintain pressure, you've convinced them already. Because then they connect the dots in their head about what that means." "A fully automatic system for moni- toring and maintaining proper tire pres- sures takes the driver out of the equa- tion, saving money and keeping drivers focused on the road," adds Bosler. Speaking from a fl eet's perspective, Phillips says "Our initial study [on tire pressure] was strictly on tread wear. We saw enough improvements there to go with the system, but when your tires are fully infl ated you're also going to get better MPG and less damage on the road." Roeth says the combination of each benefi t — proven products, consistent return on investment, improved tire life and fuel economy — truly makes tire pressure monitoring work. In an industry fi lled with uncertainty, the products offer welcome consistency. Phillips says that's something he'd recommend to any of his fl eet contemporaries. "It was pretty straightforward for us," he says. "We did our testing, found that [the technology] worked and started installing it." Adds Roeth, "I think tire pressure systems are one [fuel effi cient] technol- ogy where we're at a place where what is in production is very reliable, and fl eets are very comfortable using it. "Fleets value these systems pretty highly." W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 4 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E Aperia Technologies says its bolt-on Halo tire pressure infl ation system can be installed on any tire in 10 minutes or less. Cover Story PSI entered the heavy-duty marketplace with its automatic tire infl ation system the early 90s. The system can now be spec'd and/or retrofi tted on nearly every available North American trailer.