Andrew Overton, managing director of Verilocation, says the move is about helping to reduce tyre-related breakdowns, while also saving fleet operators fuel and extending tyre life.
ContiPressureCheck consists of sensors mounted inside the tyres, which wirelessly send tyre pressure and temperature information to a central receiver.
Verilocation has linked the receiver to its onboard GPS tracking device, which sends this information to its own web-based tracking account in real time.
This new system allows tyre pressure information to be fed directly into a fleet's own telematics system," explains Overton.
"Our aim is to help operators save on expensive tyre repair bills and costly vehicle downtime by providing them with a system to monitor their fleet's tyres in real time – enabling them to spot a potential blow out before it occurs," he states.
Verilocation and Continental Tyres emphasise that if tyre punctures are caught early enough, corrective action can be taken, preventing costly blowouts and saving vehicle downtime.
The Verilocation system also generates reports which fleet managers can use to ensure that tyre pressures are kept at optimum levels, which helps save on fuel and ensures that tyres last longer.
Bristol-based Paul Smart Transport, which is trialling the system for six months on one of its bulk tippers – a Scania G410 eight-wheeler – reckons incorporating tyre pressure monitoring into his telematics information will impact positively on operation costs.
"Being able to monitor tyre pressures and tyre temperature in real time will save us money – the primary saving is fuel and the secondary saving is the tyre life itself," says Smart.
And he adds: "As an example, we had two tyre blow-outs – on different vehicles – about 12 months ago. These two incidents ended up costing us about £3,000... I'm sure the system will pay for itself in a short period of time."
"Continental Tyres is delighted to join forces with Verilocation, taking our ContiPressureCheck System to the next level with telematics integration," comments Tracey Hyem, Continental Tyres' commercial marketing manager.
"This partnership is a great demonstration of our business looking to enhance the system and support fleet managers and drivers in identifying tyre-related concerns in advance."