Continental Tire the Americas displayed its ContiConnect digital tire monitoring platform at the North American Commercial Vehicle show. The remote tire monitoring system allows fleet managers to see tire pressure and temperature data for the entire fleet in a single web portal, every time trucks return to the fleet yard. Identifying and resolving tire issues immediately upon return to the fleet yard helps protect the tire from long-term damage, ensuring maximum removal miles and improved casing retreadability.
Continental’s tire sensors can identify creeping air loss, one of the major causes of tire failure, before it would typically be noticed in a pre- or post-trip inspection, helping to reduce tire-related breakdowns on the road, the company explained. In addition, verifying proper tire inflation guarantees the highest possible fuel efficiency to save fuel costs, reduces tire wear for long tire life, and helps to prevent tire blowouts for optimal safety.
ContiConnect remote tire monitoring platform does not depend on a telematics or over-the-road connection. Tire data is collected via sensors, which are mounted on the inner liner of the tire to prevent damage from kerbing, eliminate theft and ensure the sensor can accurately detect the tire temperature and pressure without being influenced by heat from braking systems. As trucks enter the fleet yard, the yard reader station picks up data from the sensors and transmits it to the ContiConnect web portal via a cellular network.
In the web portal, the fleet manager can immediately access low pressure alerts, track data over time, and view reports and analytics for all tires equipped with sensors. The platform also features customizable text and email notifications, so the fleet manager, maintenance supervisor, or other personnel can receive immediate alerts when low tire pressure or high tire temperature is recorded. This allows fleets to act proactively to fix issues rather than spending valuable time performing manual pressure checks.
Tire sensors can be retrofitted onto a fleet’s existing tires. Select tire models are also available direct from the factory with sensors mounted on the liner during tire production, making it easier than ever for fleets to outfit their trucks for any of Continental’s digital tire monitoring systems.
Additionally, Continental offers a range of digital tire monitoring systems to fit a fleet’s individual business needs. The ContiPressureCheck tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) constantly displays real-time tire pressure and temperature to the driver via an in-cab display, along with alerts if issues are identified. This helps protect drivers from top tire-related safety concerns. The tire pressure monitoring system also offers data integration with multiple telematics providers, including Zonar, majority owned by Continental, and independent third party PeopleNet. Integration allows tire data to be seen in both the providers’ in-cab displays and back-end portals.
Several commercial fleets have already participated in a beta trial of the solution, with applications ranging from regional haul to construction to waste transport. Regional food service distributor Feeser’s relied on 85 drivers to inspect their 90 vehicles, resulting in one flat tire per week on average. Now, with ContiConnect, fleet manager Bob Herr can see tire data for all trucks as soon as they return to the yard, Continental reported. “Now I can bypass the driver and just watch the web portal as the trucks return,” Herr said.
Before trying ContiConnect, Herr was using a valve-mounted TPMS. He became frustrated as the sensors were frequently damaged when the tires scraped against a curb, and caused costly tire failures, Continental said. The ContiConnect tire sensors are mounted inside the tire, preventing damage. ContiConnect detects low pressure in four to five Feeser’s tires per week on average, allowing service staff to address the issue right away and avoid the tires going flat overnight.
“I’m saving casings and time, and I no longer have to depend on my drivers to check tire pressure,” Herr said. In the future, Herr plans to mount a screen in his workshop so mechanics can easily see which tires need maintenance when the trucks pull in.
