Regularly checking for inflation 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 finer points of a pressure check can slip between the cracks.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), approximately 7 percent of all tires are under-inflated by at least 20 PSI, and only 44 percent of all tires are within 5 PSI of their target pressure.
Fortunately, through systems like Automatic Tire Inflation (ATIS) and Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPMS), technology is capable of serving as a fleet’s wingman.
“Tires generally do not fail in the yard,” says Harry Trost, senior manager of product planning at Dana. “Fleets realize even a perfectly inflated tire can encounter road debris or be damaged in service.”
Both TMPS and ATIS systems provide backup by helping keep tire pressures at appropriate levels, but they do so in different ways.
“We view ATIS and TPMS as two different products that are complimentary in nature, not competitive,” says Pressure Systems International Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing Jim Sharkey.
