Conti adding trailer version of TPMS for trucks

Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico – Continental Tire the Americas has developed a stand-alone version of its ContiPressureCheck tire pressure monitoring system, designated for use on trailers.

ContiPressureCheck Solo is a low-maintenance solution for trailer tire monitoring that notifies the driver of tire pressure issues in real-time while keeping the trailer system separate from the tractor, Conti said.

"This new solution keeps fleets and trailer manufacturers ahead of pending legislation, and demonstrates our commitment as a partner to the commercial vehicle industry," Paul Williams, executive vice president of commercial vehicle tires in the Americas, said.

"With this addition to our digital tire-monitoring portfolio, we now offer solutions for long-haul fleets and owner-operators, for fleets that return to the yard daily and for trailers," he added.

Conti debuted the ContiPressureCheck Solo at the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association Convention in Santa Ana Pueblo, where it promoted the system as a way to reduce trailer tire costs and stay compliant with pending greenhouse gas regulations from the EPA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and California Air Resources Board.

The solution is expected to be commercially available by year-end 2018.

ContiPressureCheck Solo comprises three components:

Continental tire sensors mounted on the inner liner of each tire;

A central control unit, mounted on the trailer, which receives data from the sensors and activates alerts if needed;

A notification light mounted in an industry-standard position and visible in the driver's side mirror.

Trailers equipped with telematics systems also can transmit tire data into the telematics dashboard, allowing back office support personnel to view trailer TPMS information remotely, Conti said.

Battery-powered sensors—either those installed by Conti or those retrofitted—last six years or 400,000 miles, keeping maintenance to a minimum, Conti said.

Continental's solution is not connected to trailer air hoses, so it does not introduce additional leak points into the air system or require intensive upkeep to prevent air leaks, Conti said, making it ideal for drop-and-hook scenarios since there is no connection needed to a specific tractor.

Pending regulations also state that trailers will be required to use low-rolling-resistance tires. Continental offers SmartWay-verified and CARB-compliant tires, including the Conti EcoPlus HT3, which Conti claims has one of the lowest rolling resistance coefficients on the market.

"If the legislation stays as currently written, fleets will be able to meet all GHG 2 regulations with just two simple items from Continental: the ContiPressureCheck Solo trailer TPMS and our extremely low rolling resistance tires," Michelle Reinhart, head of Continental's digital solutions for the Americas region, said.