Ensuring your fleet's safety and efficiency is paramount. Azuga Fleet’s Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is a game-changer in this regard, providing real-time insights and alerts to help maintain optimal tire conditions. Here’s a deep dive into how TPMS works and its significant benefits for fleet management.
What is TPMS?
TPMS is a technology designed to monitor the air pressure within a vehicle's tires continuously. It ensures the tires are kept at the recommended levels of inflation, alerting drivers when there’s a deviation in air pressure. This system is essential for safety as underinflated or overinflated tires can lead to poor fuel efficiency, instability, higher risks of blowouts, and overall unsafe driving conditions. With TPMS, drivers receive timely alerts to correct tire pressure, thus maintaining vehicle safety and performance.
The Costs of Improper Tire Inflation
Tires are commonly the third largest operating cost for fleets, and improper tire inflation exacerbates these costs through additional issues:
- Abnormal Shoulder Wear: Caused by underinflation, leading to increased heat generation, risk of tire blowout, reduced tire life, and reduced fuel economy (2% - 5%).
- Abnormal Center Wear: Caused by overinflation, leading to increased heat generation, increased risk of tread cuts and bursts, reduced tire life, and increased vehicle downtime.
- Poor Handling: Both under and overinflation contribute to poor vehicle handling and increased risk of accidents.
- Increased Downtime: Improperly inflated tires result in more frequent maintenance, leading to increased vehicle downtime.
Benefits of Azuga’s TPMS
- Improves on OE Pressure Monitoring: Original Equipment (OE) pressure monitoring systems typically activate only when a tire is significantly underinflated. A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 45% of vehicles with OE TPMS alone have at least one tire that is 25% or more underinflated. Additionally, TPMS on OE vehicles does not keep pressure close enough to the target inflation, with underinflated tires most likely to be 12.85% - 15.75% underinflated.
- Digital-Only Solution: Azuga’s TPMS taps into Class 1 & 2 vehicles' OE TPMS systems for a digital-only solution, providing seamless integration and real-time monitoring without additional hardware.
- Fuel Efficiency: Underinflated tires greatly reduce fuel efficiency. Azuga’s TPMS helps maintain proper tire inflation, saving $7 - $15 per vehicle per month in fuel costs.
- Safety Enhancements: Improperly inflated tires extend stopping distances. Azuga’s TPMS optimizes stopping distances, enhancing asset, load, and driver safety.
- Extended Tire Life: Under and overinflated tires wear out more quickly. Properly inflated tires last longer, keeping vehicles on the road instead of in the shop.
- Handling and Stability: Proper tire pressure ensures better handling and stability. Overinflated tires for vehicles with TPMS are most likely to be 14.19% - 16.85% overinflated, leading to poor handling and increased risk of tread cuts and bursts.
How Does Azuga Fleet TPMS Work?
Integrating an Azuga device with a vehicle allows it to gather tire pressure data directly from the vehicle's onboard systems. No additional hardware is required. The collected data is then analyzed by Tire Matics, when a tire’s pressure deviates by 12% or more (either underinflated or overinflated), the system triggers an alert for the driver to take corrective action.
The TPMS tracks various tire pressure issues, including identifying slow leaks, providing comprehensive monitoring across the entire fleet. Both fleet managers and drivers receive custom alerts on their desktops and mobile devices, ensuring timely responses to potential tire issues.
Types of TPMS Events
The TPMS categorizes events based on the data received from the vehicle, allowing for precise and timely interventions. Here are the types of TPMS events:
Low Pressure Events
1. Low Pressure: Triggered when the tire pressure is deflated by 12-19%.
2. Critical Low Pressure: Triggered when the tire pressure is deflated by 20% or more.
3. Low Pressure Resolved: Triggered when the tire is inflated back to the recommended pressure.
High Pressure Events
1. High Pressure: Triggered when the tire pressure is inflated by 12-19%.
2. Critical High Pressure: Triggered when the tire pressure is inflated by 20% or more.
3. High Pressure Resolved: Triggered when the tire is deflated back to the recommended pressure.
Leak Detection Events
1. Slow Leak Event: Triggered when there is a gradual loss of air pressure, identified through specific criteria such as allowing a little air to escape every few hours.
2. Pressure Loss Rate (PLR) Resolution: Triggered when the tire is reinflated back to the appropriate recommended pressures, ensuring the leak is addressed.
Conclusion
Azuga Fleet’s TPMS is an essential tool for modern fleet management, ensuring safety, efficiency, and cost savings. By providing real-time alerts and comprehensive monitoring, it helps fleet managers and drivers maintain optimal tire conditions, ultimately enhancing the overall performance of the fleet. With Azuga's advanced TPMS, you can ensure normal wear, even heat generation, full contact, maximized tire life, fuel efficiency, and vehicle uptime, leading to optimum handling and overall improved and efficient fleet performance.
Embrace the power of Azuga’s TPMS and drive your fleet towards a safer and more efficient future.
