NASHVILLE, Tennessee—With its Halo Connect tire management solution, Aperia Technologies will begin offering a new tire tread diagnostics suite and remote tire pressure adjustment capabilities. During a press conference at American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference and Exhibition, the fleet technology company announced that the system could help fleets improve fuel economy by up to 2%.
Aperia's new tread diagnostics suite offers proactive tire service recommendations using analyzed tread depth data. The system accepts multiple sources of tread depth data inputs—from paper clipboard scans of manual measurements to drive-over readers—to forecast wear and recommend service when approaching specified pull points.
Halo Connect is on nearly 250,000 heavy- and medium-duty trucks, according to Aperia.
Aperia also offers a premium option via a laser-based handheld 3D tread scanner, enabling advanced tire service recommendations and maintenance insights. With the 3D scanner, the system can detect irregular and excessive tire wear, mismatched tires, and alignment issues to help fleets optimize their maintenance programs and maximize miles per 32nd.
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How Aperia’s Halo Connect tire tread diagnostics works
Ralph Dimenna, CCO at Aperia Technologies, said that Aperia's tread diagnostics suite is even more powerful when paired with the new Halo Connect i3 capability that allows fleet managers to remotely adjust tire pressure set points over the air for equipped vehicles.
He explained how the over-the-air adjustment capabilities give fleets control to optimize tire performance in various conditions, providing benefits including:
- Adapting to seasonal temperature fluctuations: Ambient temperature variations can impact tire pressure. Fleet managers can proactively modify set points to compensate for seasonal or regional temperature changes.
- Tailoring set point selections by truck application: Cargo weight is a significant factor in tire pressure. Halo Connect i3 allows fleet managers to successfully select and tune target set points across the fleet based on varying load weights in different regions or applications.
- Simplifying after-tire-change adjustments: Set point adjustability within Halo Connect i3 lets fleet managers remotely certify and tune the inflation pressures for newly installed tires, ensuring post-maintenance performance.
Dimenna said the technology could help fleets improve fuel economy by 1% to 2%, make 70% to 90% fewer emergency roadside service calls, and extend tire life by 15% to 20%. According to Aperia, fleets using the system can save $2,000 per truck annually.
"These new capabilities close the loop for active tire maintenance, transforming tire management for fleets," Dimenna said. "These innovative features are simple to implement and act upon. Halo Connect i3 advanced tread diagnostics and remote adjustments deliver tremendous leverage for optimizing operations."
Some large fleets are currently piloting the tread diagnostic suite. In December, it will be available to all Halo Connect customers via the Halo Tech App in the Google Play and Apple App Stores.
“No two fleets are the same,” Dimenna noted. “They all have their program. They all have the way they want to operate. We've made it very easy. You can customize the message, you can customize the view, and you can customize everything about the application so the information is presented however you want your technicians to work on the vehicle.”
Fleet technicians and managers can use the app to quickly analyze tire health data, including pressure and temperature readings, directly on their mobile devices or remotely through a web browser.
