There has been a considerable rise in popularity among fleets when it comes to the uptake of Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) and Tyre Pressure Refill Systems (TPRS).
The reason is simple, there are plenty of benefits associated with investing in this technology. Namely, minimising tyre wear and maximising fuel efficiency. Correctly adjusted tyre pressure extends the service life of the tyres, saves fuel, avoids tyre breakdowns and reduces the time required for vehicle maintenance. This gives operators financial and technical security.
Monitoring and controlling tyre pressure, whether via tyre pressure monitoring or a refill system, will become the standard for newly purchased fleet vehicles internationally. In Europe, the EU Regulation GSR 2019/2144 calls, among other things, for tyre pressure to be monitored for heavy goods vehicles and their trailers. This will become mandatory for new type-approvals from July 2022, and for all vehicles from July 2024. The technical framework for this Regulation is ECE Regulation 141, which is currently being worked on. It stipulates that vehicles already equipped with a TPRS do not require a TPMS.
SAF TIRE PILOT
SAF-Holland has developed a system to permanently monitor and help maintain consistent tyre pressure, SAF TIRE PILOT. It is an intelligent assistant for fleets and helps to protect tyres and save fuel in the process. As soon as tyre pressure drops, rolling resistance increases which causes tyres to wear.
This can also lead to environmental implications where road infrastructure is damaged over time and discarded, worn tyres are left to harm the environment. Of course, a more efficient journey will also minimise carbon emissions. Fitting SAF TIRE PILOT to your heavy vehicle combinations is a win for industry and the environment.
This tyre pressure refill system is available for rigid and steerable axles. It can also be configured in a multi-weight setup for three-axle trailers. How much can this equipment generate in terms of a return on investment? See the payback calculator: http://tirepilot.safholland.com.
TrailerMaster
In Europe, TIRE PILOT TPMS is offered with TrailerMaster which is SAF-Holland’s trailer telematics digital system which monitors functions in real-time and keeps the fleet manager updated on the condition of their trailer. Trailers can be upgraded or retrofitted with TrailerMaster.
In North America, Trailers can be equipped by the OEM or retrofitted with the TIRE PILOT Plus with RTS (Real Time Sensing) TPMS, which will function with all available N.A. telematics systems.
The TrailerMaster intelligent interface for line connection technology takes on a range of tasks which were previously distributed throughout different systems including loading status and optimisation (also when unhitched), lighting functions check, patented performance data and condition evaluation of the braking system, data evaluation from tyre pressure monitoring system and EBS and GPS data transmission for trailer tracking.