By Mike Antich


The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to release its revised medium-truck tire standard (FMVSS No. 119) during the second half of the year. However, it is anticipated that it won’t contain a provision calling for the use of a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) for Class 3-8 commercial trucks.


TPMS is an electronic system that monitors the air pressure inside pneumatic tires. Should TPMS be mandated for commercial trucks over 10,000 lbs.? Here are three reasons supporting this.

1. Safety: “One of the most common reasons for premature tire failures of truck tires is underinflation. This is especially true with retreads, as the excessive heat generated from underinflation will quickly break down a retread,” said David Lodding, senior vice president, Donlen Fleet Management Services.

This is also the view of Bob Shipp, national truck sales manager for Automotive Resources International (ARI). “You can see the results of underinflated tires on the roadside every day (road gators). The inside tires on dual rear tires are the most neglected tires on a vehicle, which causes wear problems on the other tires,” said Shipp. “TPMS eliminates this problem.”

2. Fuel Savings: One underinflated tire can cut fuel economy by 2-percent per pound of pressure below the proper inflation level. “With today’s continual increases in fuel costs, fleets are looking for any advantage to get better fuel economy. With TPMS, a driver will have the advantage of knowing when tire pressure is low without having to check each tire,” said Dave Decker, manager of truck engineering for Wheels Inc.

3.Extended Tire Life: A key advantage of TPMS is its ability to reduce tire expense, the third-highest fleet expense. “Tire expense is right up there with the cost of fuel and TPMS will extend tire life, lessen emergency breakdown events, minimize crashes from tire failure, and increase fuel economy. When you eliminate side wall damage, you increase the number of times a tire can be retreaded. This is a saving for fleets,” said Shipp.

Echoing this assessment is Ken Gillies, manager, truck operations for GE Capital Solutions Fleet Services. “TPMS allows for extended tire life, a positive impact on fuel economy, lower maintenance costs, and high driver satisfaction since less hands-on time for tires would be needed during the pre- and post-trip inspection,” said Gillies.

Disadvantages of TPMS

Not everyone believes a TPMS mandate for commercial trucks is needed. “I believe Class 3-8 trucks, as long as they are on a regular maintenance schedule, need not make large investments in TPMS,” said Steve Byrd, CTP, regional fleet services manager for PHH Arval’s truck services. “In fact, drivers of most medium and heavy trucks are required to do a pre- and post-trip inspection. During these inspections, the drivers will most likely be able to identify underinflated tires. To assist drivers, a company may invest in a low-cost solution such as a valve cap system. Yellow indicates low tire inflation and red indicates a significantly low level of inflation. Any underinflated tire can be identified during the pre- and post-trip inspections. Automated inflation systems that draw air from a reservoir ($600-$800) may have more applicability on tractors/trucks with super singles that carry heavy loads and traverse bridges and highways where traffic essentially is not allowed to stop or pull over.”

One possible disadvantage of TPMS is that it may increase maintenance expense. “This includes maintenance cost for the system itself and potentially increased labor cost when performing work on the wheel ends for brakes, and tire changes,” said Gillies.

Another potential disadvantage occurs during certain upfitting applications when factory-installed wheels and tires need to be changed, such as with Hi-rail systems. “How will the upfitter recalibrate the system for the new wheels and tire?” said Decker.

Prospects of a Future TPMS Mandate

Some believe it is just a question of time before TPMS is mandated for commercial trucks. With advances in wireless technology, some observers predict that the TPMS mandate will be expanded to include Class 3-5 medium-duty trucks by 2011 or 2012. These same observers go on to predict that several years later, the TPMS mandate will be ultimately expanded to include Class 6 and 7 trucks. In the final analysis, a commercial truck TPMS mandate will benefit the industry. “Any option that makes vehicles safer to operate is of great value in our industry. Following the manufacturer’s suggested tire inflation tables, coupled with proper alignment and suspension, is the easiest way to increase overall tire life and, as a result, reduce tire replacement costs. I would look at a future mandate for TPMS as a plus for the industry,” said Bill Byron, senior truck specialist-medium/heavy duty for Donlen Corp.

Let me know what you think.

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About the author
Mike Antich

Mike Antich

Former Editor and Associate Publisher

Mike Antich covered fleet management and remarketing for more than 20 years and was inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Global Fleet of Hal in 2022. He also won the Industry Icon Award, presented jointly by the IARA and NAAA industry associations.

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