Tires play a major role in truck safety – so controlling the tire pressure is absolutely crucial. The permanent monitoring of tires can also bring economic and ecological benefits, because drivers benefit from increased safety on the roads and fleet managers also enjoy lower repair costs, more durable tires and lower fuel consumption. The French transport company Express Mareé can confirm these claims, because it has been testing a special air pressure monitoring system by Continental for some time now.
“Maximum of 24 hours to deliver”
Express Mareé is part of the STEF Group. The company has 140 trucks and specializes in the transport and logistics of seafood, an industry which, like many others, works under great time pressure. When the goods have been been packaged in the various ports of Brittany and Pas-de-Calais, the trucks transport them to retail trade destinations. As Phillip Barbier, Technical Manager at Express Mareé, explains, “Our profession as a transport company that specializes in the refrigeration chain is subject to strict conditions. When the fish is taken out of the water, we have a maximum of 24 hours to deliver it to the various platforms.”
In 2016, the company had to act to meet the growing pressure to perform and the ever-increasing demands of its customers – so the decision was taken to make its trucks more efficient, environmentally-friendly and safer. The result was that around 80% of the vehicles were fitted with fuel-saving tires by the end of 2017 – and they were also equipped with the ContiPressureCheck system, which measures tire pressure and temperature. The company also used ContiConnect software to evaluate the collected data for its fleet management.
Tire monitoring with ContiPressureCheck and data evaluation with ContiConnect
A small sensor on the inner layer of each tire measures its pressure and temperature and transmits the data to the driver via a display. For example, if the pressure of a tire has decreased too much, the driver receives a visual and acoustic warning. When the truck is finally driven back to the yard after completing a tour, the collected tire data is uploaded to ContiConnect, where it can be evaluated by the fleet manager, who can then use the information to create an exact maintenance plan for all vehicle tires. ContiConnect can also send e-mails and SMS notifications automatically to departments within the company or to tire service providers, enabling an instant response to serious tire pressure or temperature defects.
Fast results
The effects of the new equipment were amazing – according to Express Mareé, the number of punctures had already been halved after more than a year – even although only 80% of the fleet was equipped with the new technology. Repairs, fuel costs and pollutant emissions were also clearly reduced and all these positives – including a longer service life for the tires – have convinced Express Mareé to work even more closely with Continental in the future and to equip its entire fleet with the Continental tire solutions.
The ContiPressureCheck is also compatible with more comprehensive fleet management software solutions, and the system can be integrated into TIS-Web Motion®, which includes other aspects such as driving times, rest periods and movement & position data in addition to tire pressure and temperature.
