The new Drop-and-Hook tire-pressure system from Advantage PressurePro has been designed to work specifically with multi trailer fleets, allowing automatic tethering and un-tethering of trailers to tractors. It’s said to be an industry first.

It’s comprised of an intelligent monitor (IM), intelligent repeater (IR), and sensors. The monitor is mounted in the cab and displays current pressures and alerts to the driver, or it can be integrated with other telematics products in the vehicle to report pressures and alerts to an office/remote management system. Capable of reading 16 tires each on a tractor and up to three trailers, the IM communicates with other onboard devices via RS232, J1708 or J1939 networks. If an in-vehicle display isn’t needed, the an ‘intelligent bridge’ can be substituted so that pressures can be read in a remote office.

The IR is installed on a trailer and hooks into its power (ABS) line, allowing communication of the trailer’s sensors with the monitor or bridge in the tractor. When tractor and trailer are tethered, the monitor picks up the ID’s, pressures, and sensor positions on the trailer.  When a trailer is unhooked and there’s no communication for 20 seconds, the monitor ‘forgets’ that trailer and begins to look for new readings.  When a new trailer is introduced, the monitor recognizes the new ‘IR’ and accepts its full information.