Tyrata will deploy its automated tire tread monitoring system at a Durham, North Carolina bus depot, in cooperation with the Durham City Transit Company and Continental.

In this test program, Tyrata’s IntelliTreadTM Drive-Over System (DOS) will measure and evaluate Durham buses’ tire tread depth to provide actionable tire maintenance information. The company says the IntelliTread DOS is easy to install and operate, collecting data as buses drive over the low-profile, speed bump-like sensing unit. Data collected at the Durham City Transit Company bus depot will provide a foundation for other potential installations involving Durham fleet management sites.

Tyrata announced limited availability of the IntelliTreadTM DOS for testing in October 2019. This first system field test is aimed at taking measurements of Durham bus tires over several months. The field test will provide a unique opportunity to evaluate DOS performance in normal operating field conditions. Tire measurements and the subsequent data analytics will allow Tyrata to observe and evaluate overall DOS performance, gain more understanding of customer requirements, and demonstrate the positive business impact of automated tire monitoring, the company says.

The Durham bus system runs exclusively on Continental tires, and the goal of this program is to support Continental in its efforts to provide the best possible value to its commercial fleet customers and to reduce the complexity in managing tires.

“The IntelliTreadTM DOS delivers low-cost, real-time vehicle tire tread wear monitoring to fleet managers, automotive service centers and truck depots. We are excited to demonstrate its performance in the field and thankful to the city of Durham and the Durham City Transit Company for working with us on this field test. It has been a pleasure working with the DCTC team. This project reflects yet another reason why it’s great to be a startup in Durham,” said David Koester, Tyrata’s vice president of engineering.