What benefits can truck wheel technology bring to your fleet?

What benefits can truck wheel technology bring to your fleet?

The trucking industry is so much fun because it’s so diverse. Every fleet has different needs. Every application requires different trucks, each truck needs different components, each meeting minute specifications. And every one of those components plays an important role in both uptime and ROI.

Take your wheels, for example. More than just equipment that holds a truck’s tires on, wheels can make a huge difference in a variety of nuanced truck specs. Are you interested in light-weighting equipment? There’s a wheel for that. Worried about your finances, aesthetics or driver preferences? There are wheels for all of that.

Click here to watch more of FE’s On the Road video series.

Let’s home in on light-weighting – an important stat for many reasons, one big one being that the North American Council for Freight Efficiency says that light-weighting technologies save between .5 and .6% of fuel per 1,000 lbs. of weight reduction. So, going from a wheel that weighs, say, 65 lbs. down to a wheel that weighs 38 lbs. would save about 450 lbs., or approximately .2% of fuel on that truck. That might not sound like much, but extrapolate that over a year’s worth of fuel, and that’s a ton of truck bucks back in your pocket.

Some fleets also use their wheels to enhance the safety of their truck, turning to an ultra-reflective rim flange and surface to bring additional brightness to the world, and thus more visibility to the truck.

Beyond these low-tech specs, wheel manufacturers are also addressing the increasing use of on-board truck telematics by developing technologies that work with tires and vehicle systems. One example is in the Tire Pressure Monitoring System, or “TPMS” arena.

For example, consider the cap that goes on the valve stem. It’s a critical component that physically connects the tire to a TPMS system. Operators can easily remove the TPMS cap to put air in a tire and put it back on, but that cap can get lost, and once it’s gone, the TPMS is no longer valuable. As a result, some wheels are now built to feature a second valve stem, so the TPMS sensor can operate on one valve while air pressure is serviced on the other. That’s pretty cool.

TPMS isn’t all there is in the world of wheel telematics, though. Fleets managers or drivers with smart, connected wheels can be warned before a potential issue in the wheel OR tire arises, and as a result, should see increased uptime for their trucks.

So, next time you’re thinking about new tires, give your wheels some thought, too. If you haven’t considered them in a minute, you might be surprised how times have changed.

You May Also Like

Cool and collected: A guide to choosing the right heavy-duty coolant

Technicians and drivers should be trained on correct coolant usage.

It’s important to educate and train technicians and drivers on the importance of using the correct type of coolant. While both conventional fully formulated and extended life coolants are designed to protect engines from corrosion, they do so in very different ways and are designed for different engine types. Mixing them together will only dilute each formula, making both ineffective. Anyone that may be adding coolant to the radiator’s reservoir needs to understand the type of coolant that engine requires and the dangerous outcomes that could result from an incorrect mixture.

Can ELDs reduce operating costs?

The benefits of real-time visibility aids in route planning and allows for managers to better track drivers out on the road.

Treading into the world of heavy-duty truck tire retreads

Everything is meticulously checked to ensure that a tire not suitable for retreading doesn’t slip through the cracks.

retreads-on-the-road-1400
Truck batteries in winter: A guide to keeping your fleet running

As the weather cools, the batteries’ loads are reduced and the negative impacts of the summer sun will begin to surface.

Using telematics insight to improve fleet operations 

Urgency isn’t a new concept to the world of fleet operations and neither is flexibility. Being in an industry that changes everyday means it’s important for you to keep track and keep up. If your ship doesn’t rise with the tide, it sinks.  Related Articles – Picking up the trucking pace: An industry update –

Other Posts

Phillips unveils new manufacturing facilities in Mexico to meet N.A. product demand

The manufacturer plans to relocate its manufacturing in China to Mexico.

Phillips-Mexico-Ribbon-Cutting-1400
Cummins launches Accelera brand for its New Power business unit

The new brand will provide battery electric and fuel cell electric solutions across a range of commercial and industrial applications.

Accelera-Cummins-1400
Tips for creating a transportation sustainability strategy

Setting sustainability goals can seem like a lot of work, but even small steps toward decarbonization can add up.

FE-Unscripted-sustainability-strategy-1400
Five truck trend takeaways from (FE)bruary

The month of February can be pretty uneventful. Good thing FE has you covered with some great trucking content.

5-takeaways-FEB23-1400