Many commercial truck fleets across North America practice a “drop and hook” truck and trailer configuration and to better serve the commercial truck fleets running ContiPressureCheck, engineers at Continental released Automatic Trailer Learning (ATL) in its latest software upgrade.
With ATL, the ContiPressureCheck system only requires the trailer to have tire sensors installed in each tire to be automatically identified and connected to the truck. No additional hardware needs to be installed on the trailer for it to connect to the TPMS. ATL saves fleets precious time by providing the capability for a system-equipped truck to hookup to any trailer outfitted with only tire sensors. This new software upgrade also eliminates the need to program the truck to a new trailer, allowing the truck to immediately embark on its next delivery.
“ContiPressureCheck has been on the market for just over a year and we are continuously striving to improve the system based on the feedback we receive from our key commercial fleet customers,” explained Terry Smouter, Continental’s business development manager for truck tires the Americas.
“The ATL upgrade is a great example of how our research and development engineers were able to improve an existing product based on feedback from our customers to better meet their needs,” Smouter said.
Another enhancement to ContiPressureCheck included in the latest upgrade is the Test Drive function, which grades the reception quality to the tires on both the truck and the trailer at the end of the install process. Once the system is connected to the truck and all the TPMS sensors are in the tires, the truck and trailer are driven for a seven minute test session. At the end of the session, the system grades the reception quality, allowing the customer to make adjustments in order to optimize the overall air pressure and temperature monitoring capability of the system.
With Continental’s tire pressure monitoring system, ContiPressureCheck, fleets are able to better manage their tire costs. Even if just slightly underinflated, the flexing of a tire increases significantly, shortening tire life. On average, commercial vehicle tires on the road are approximately 12% underinflated. In the majority of cases this is gradual, and is the cause of more than 90% of all punctures. However, if the pressure in the tire is too high, this also increases wear or makes the tire wear unevenly, leading to premature replacement of tires. Decreased tire life increases expenses for fleet operators.
According to the company, the system provides precise data on tire pressure and temperature, and is a valuable indicator of efficient fuel and tire management in the fleet. It enables the driver to monitor tire condition in real time, and to react quickly if an issue arises. Optimal tire pressure also ensures that casings retain their retreadability, and, therefore, their value.
