European truck and trailer safety has advanced with a new technical requirement that promises to deliver real gains for fleet managers and transport owners. 

Since 7 July, all newly registered trucks and trailers operating in the EU must feature a TPMS system. Licensing renewals will eventually require all trailers operating in the EU to be upgraded or retrofitted with TPMS hardware and software, making the regulations unavoidable. 

Regulatory compliance can often be a burden, but the mandatory tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) rule, part of UN ECE R-141 regulations, is different. In principle, it is about enhanced road and public safety but can also deliver real cost benefits for businesses. 

Why R-141 requires TPMS

With statistics confirming that tyre blowouts are responsible for nearly a quarter of over-the-road transport breakdowns, TPMS isn’t an illogical regulatory requirement. Tyre pressure is a verifiable early warning sign of potential tyre failure, with underinflation being the issue. 

The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) know truck and trailer tyres, estimating that 40-65% of trucks are driving on under-inflated tyres. More alarmingly, ERTMA believes that 10% of European trucks are operating on critically under-inflated tyres. 

Keeping tyres inflated correctly is easy – provided drivers and maintenance yard crews know about an issue. Hence, there is a need for TPMS to expand beyond trucks to trailers, which carry a much heavier weight burden. 

Although TPMS is now a regulatory need, transport owners and business managers should understand its potential beyond safety, as a cost management tool. Trucks and trailers rolling at their ideal tyre pressures save money for every mile en route travel. Under or overinflated tyres increase rolling resistance, wastefully increasing diesel consumption. 

Want to optimise your fleet’s rolling efficiency? In that case, meticulous tyre pressure management is the answer. It also requires very little workshop or maintenance crew labour hours, provided you have an integrated TPMS system.

Direct TPMS is best

The issue with many TPMS solutions is their configuration and integration. GoMetro’s CEO, Justin Coetzee, sees enormous potential with the new EU tyre pressure monitoring regulations. “As a company with deep software engineering expertise and cloud computing experience, GoMetro’s ConnecTyre TPMS is the easy and reliable way for your fleet to achieve ECE R-141 compliance and unlock the cost savings that correct fleetwide tyre pressure management brings.”

ConnecTyre doesn’t use indirect TPMS, where ABS sensors monitor wheel rotation and detect deviations. The logic is that a variable in tyre pressure will change rotational speed compared to other tyres. Still, indirect systems can suffer phantom readings created by fractional differences between actual tyre size and manufacturer specification. 

Even the best-made tyres will have occasional production tolerance variances. ConnecTyre’s direct TPMS system embeds pressure sensors in the wheel, delivering the most accurate and reliable pressure monitoring. 

Using direct tyre pressure monitoring sensors and excellent telematics integration, ConnecTyre brings advanced TPMS to your trailer fleet. TPMS data and active warning systems are about the fusion between hardware and software. That’s what ConnecTyre does, because GoMetro’s approach is to deliver the power and sophistication of integrated telematics – simply. 

ConnecTyre’s glanceable in-cab interface informs instead of distracts, enhancing driver awareness instead of creating fatigue. Tyre pressures are also viewable at your fleet’s homebase, creating a second layer of awareness. All the data is viewable and usable, helping you plan maintenance and track cost savings. 

Becoming safer – and more profitable

UN ECE R-141 is a rare opportunity for fleet managers to integrate advanced safety technology that also creates real-world cost savings. Your TPMS system should be understood as a long-term investment, and that means selecting the correct solution instead of buying on price or legacy brand affiliation, which could result in an underperforming TPMS setup with poor data and fleet telematics integration. 

For GoMetro and ConnecTyre, the regulations are an opportunity to prove how advanced monitoring systems and integrated telematics, discover and deliver previously unrealised cost savings for European fleets. Justin Coetzee explains. “Conforming to ECE R-141 should be considered an investment, not a compliance cost. Fleet operators don’t have a choice regarding ECE R-141 compliance, but they have an opportunity to choose an advanced TPMS solution that can unlock all the cost savings that are available as part of this vital safety technology.”

Safety technology is usually about collision avoidance sensors, which don’t have additional cost-reduction benefits when your fleet is rolling along at highway speeds. TPMS is different. Here is a safety technology that also saves money with each mile your fleet rolls, by helping to optimise tyre pressure management and enhance rolling efficiency. 

Lower diesel cost, less tyre wear, and better sustainability metrics. GoMetro’s ConnecTyre can help your truck and trailer fleet achieve all those benefits with a UN ECE R-141-compliant TPMS system.