April 24, 2008
An electronic drive-over system designed primarily to measure tyre pressures has been developed by Kidlington-based WheelRight. RightStrip, which made its debut at the CV Show last week, can be programmed to identify both under- and over-inflated tyres, the resulting data being transmitted wirelessly to WheelRight's server and then on to the user.
The system can also record individual axle and total vehicle weights, and plans are in hand to measure other data, including wheel alignment and tyre tread depth. RightStrip will be rented out on a monthly basis, with capital expenditure limited to vehicle tagging and installation costs put at between £400 and £500.
Chief executive John Catling expects about 20 systems to be available by mid-year for operator assessment and sees RightStrip benefitting firms with 10 or more trucks. Catlin reckons a 40-tonner with all its tyres under-inflated by 10% would increase fuel consumption by 2%. Using MT's latest Cost Tables (MT 20 March), this equates to about £900 over 100,000 miles, not to mention the cost of premature tyre wear and casing failure on the road.
Meanwhile, T-Comm Tracking & Tracing of the Netherlands, launched the P-eye, a monitor that takes the place of the tyre valve. The P-eye measures the preset minimum pressure and passes this to a signalling LED. If the tyre drops more than 5% below the ideal pressure, the LED starts blinking. Canadian company Truck-Weight unveiled a wireless weighing scale, known as Smart Scale, at the CV Show.
Using the scale, operators can monitor axle weights (to within a claimed accuracy of 0.3%) from wherever it is safe and convenient, up to 500m away. The on-board sensor monitors pressure and temperature changes in a vehicle's air suspension. It sends a low-powered radio signal, containing the weight information, to the handheld reader.
John Phillips, Motor Transport
