Continental has unveiled a standalone tire pressure monitoring system for trailers called ContiPressureCheck Solo that operates separately from a tractor’s TPMS.

The ContiPressureCheck Solo solution notifies the driver of tire pressures in real-time while keeping the trailer TPMS completely separate from the tractor’s.

ContiPressureCheck Solo consist of three major components. Continental tire sensors form the basis of the company’s commercial tire monitoring solutions. Mounted on the inner liner of each tire, they are protected from weather, theft, curbing, and damage during tire mounting. Sensors can be retrofit into existing tires, or intelligent tires with preinstalled sensors can be ordered directly from the Continental factory.

The Central Control Unit, mounted on the trailer, continuously receives data from the tire sensors and activates alerts if needed.

The notification light, mounted in an industry-standard position and visible in the driver’s side mirror, is activated if low pressure is identified in any of the trailer’s tires. Multiple levels of low pressure alerts ensure notifications reflect the severity of the issue.

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

“This new solution keeps fleets and trailer manufacturers ahead of pending legislation, and demonstrates our commitment as a partner to the commercial vehicle industry,” said Paul Williams, Continental’s executive vice president of commercial vehicle tires in the Americas. “With this addition to our digital tire monitoring portfolio, we now offer solutions for long haul fleets and owner-operators, for fleets who return to the yard daily, and for trailers.”

Battery-powered sensors last six years or 400,000 miles, keeping maintenance to a minimum, according to Continental. The solution is not connected to trailer air hoses, so it does not introduce additional leak points into the air system or require upkeep to prevent air leaks. As a standalone trailer TPMS, it is designed for drop-and-hook scenarios that do not require a connection to a specific tractor.