ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. — TireStamp Inc. has enhanced its TireVigil Cloud's TPMS 2.0 system to allow continuous monitoring of each hardware component's health.
The enhanced system now can detect problems with tire sensors, external tire pressure monitorning system (TPMS) receivers and in-cab electronic equipment.
One of a fleet operator's biggest challenges is not knowing when his or her systems stop working, TireStamp President Peggy Fisher said.
"Vehicles can run for days, weeks and even months before someone realizes that a tire sensor or even the entire system is no longer monitoring a vehicle's tires as everyone expects," Ms. Fisher said.
"This results in poor tire maintenance, en route tire-related breakdowns, tire failures and negates the value of the TPMS, whose purpose was to prevent these problems to begin with."
The types of TPMS equipment problems that can occur include sensors that are missing, damaged or have dead or low batteries; vehicle electronic components unplugged from power or malfunctioning; and external hardware components that have no power, are malfunctioning or covered with snow and/or ice.
When TireVigil Cloud's TPMS 2.0 service detects a problem, Ms. Fisher said, maintenance personnel are alerted to it in the TireWatch servicing app, which lists the vehicles requiring attention and a summary of all equipment issues across the fleet is provided. This app provides tools to enable technicians to diagnose and correct equipment problems,
All outstanding equipment issues are listed on the active issues report to be included in a fleet's daily service scheduling. The software allows that those not resolved within a week are listed in the equipment maintenance report that is run weekly.
It keeps track of the length of time equipment issues have been outstanding and provides the vehicle unit number, the issue, the date the problem started and the last known location of the vehicle, prioritizing them by the length of time they have remained unresolved.
Ms. Fisher said that the benefit of the TireVigil Cloud is the "visibility of their vehicles' tires no matter where they are. Monitoring their TPMS equipment as well as their tires ensures they never lose sight of these assets or the savings in tires, emergency breakdowns, fuel and labor they can achieve."