Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is rolling out a new tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) as an aftermarket upgrade for its Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses commercial vehicle models.
The company said its TPMS technology provides air pressure and tire air temperature data while driving or stationary, enabling drivers to preemptively address tire issues before they occur.
DTNA’s TPMS package also reports per axle high- and low-pressure and rapid pressure loss alerts that can dramatically increase a driver’s ability to avoid dangerous situations, along with customizable axle settings also allow driver notification of other issues including hanging brake calipers, bearing failures and individual tire defects.
The company noted that its aftermarket TPMS offering comes with a one-year warranty, with service support offered at over 800 DTNA locations across the U.S. and Canada.
“Blown tires are most often caused by under- or over-inflation,” noted DTNA’s Todd Biggs, director of aftermarket parts and service marketing. “Running the proper air pressure prolongs the life of the tire, increases fuel economy and improves safety through fewer on-road tire failures.”
He added that DTNA’s aftermarket TPMS package is easily installed, with the exterior sensors simply screwed onto standard tire valve stems, allowing them to communicate tire pressure wirelessly every two minutes to a central control unit. Those sensors are also made of durable brass threading and powered by military-grade lithium-cadmium batteries designed to last five to seven years, the company said.
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, DTNA pointed out.
Finally, 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.
DTNA said more information is available via the Freightliner Team RunSmart blog, as well as from Freightliner, Western Star or Thomas Built Buses dealers.
