The Dutch are testing a system that checks truck tyre pressure while driving. Until now, the result of such a test was displayed on a screen above the road. However, now drivers can also receive notifications on their phone.
According to a study carried out in the Netherlands in 2018, more than 40% of accidents involving trucks were related to tyre failure – either due to tyre wear or inadequate pressure. Too low pressure contributes to excessive heat build-up, which negatively affects the tyre’s grip and increases the braking distance.
In the Netherlands, work has been going on for some time to introduce an intelligent system on the country’s roads that will measure the pressure in the wheels without the need to stop the truck. At the end of last year, such a solution was installed for test purposes on the N-279 road, near Erp. Until recently, drivers who were driving trucks with insufficient tyre pressure were informed about this by a message displayed on screens above the road.
Currently, truckers can also receive notifications on the phone via a special application – Be-Mobile Truckmeister. All you have to do is register in the application and connect to the vehicle registration numbers.
According to the Dutch media, since the start of the tests, the system has been detecting inadequate tyre pressure in approximately 15 trucks per day on average. This shows that the problem is still crucial for road safety.
These are the warnings sent by the application:
Photo credit @ Truckmeister Be-Mobile
Photo credit @ Truckmeister Be-Mobile
Cover photo credit @ Michelin