Daimler Trucks North America has launched new tire pressure monitoring technology as an aftermarket offering for its Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses commercial vehicles.
The new system allows real-time tire performance monitoring for better fuel economy and safety.

The system provides air pressure and tire air temperature data while driving or stationary enabling drivers to preemptively address tire issues before they occur. It reports per axle high- and low-pressure and rapid pressure loss alerts that can dramatically increase a driver's ability to avoid dangerous situations. Customizable axle settings also allow driver notification of other issues including hanging brake calipers, bearing failures and individual tire defects.

"Blown tires are most often caused by under- or over-inflation. Running the proper air pressure prolongs the life of the tire, increases fuel economy and improves safety through fewer on-road tire failures," said Todd Biggs, director of aftermarket parts and service marketing for Daimler Trucks North America.

The exterior sensors simply screw on to standard tire valve stems and communicate wirelessly every two minutes with a central control unit. The system is easily added to any 12-volt power system and is offered in six- and ten-sensor kits for quick tractor set up, with additional sets of two available for monitoring up to 34 different tires at a time.

A trailer exchange feature synchronizes the control module to the tire sensors on a new trailer automatically, facilitating quick and simple trailer exchanges with no loss of data reporting. The exterior fully-sealed sensors feature extremely durable brass threading and military-grade five-to-seven year lithium-cadmium batteries.