CUMMING, Ga. — A Cumming-based tire pressure monitoring manufacturer hopes to spread its technology to school buses in the area and soon – the state.
Truck System Technologies makes a tire pressure monitoring system that sounds an alarm whenever a tire becomes low, overinflated or overheated.
"It's a huge safety feature," said Mike Benson, domestic and international sales for TST. "If a tire goes low and heats up and gets ready to blow, it's going to alert the driver.
"He can then pull over and take the necessary safety precautions to keep the children safe."
Lumpkin County Schools has installed the system in one bus to be considered for all 57 buses in its school fleet.
In addition to safety, Benson said the alert will help to keep tires running at full PSI (pound per square-inch), meaning better gas mileage and tire lifespan. Benson said customers who use the system save about 20 percent in fuel costs.
Greyhound buses have also shown interest in the system, and Prime, a trucking company out of Missouri, has recently partnered with TST to place the sensors on their trucks.
Benson said he hopes that within six-to-nine months, the monitoring system will be installed in all buses including Forsyth and Fulton County schools.
The TST system can also detect mechanical malfunctions such as bad bearings, hanging brake calipers and manufacturer's tire defects.
"Lumpkin is our test market," Benson said. "I don't see how we'll get a no. We'll be going really aggressively after each county."
The system costs about $300 per six-tire bus to outfit, but a discount for schools is in place.
In 2008, car manufacturers were mandated to have some sort of tire monitoring system, but trucks and school buses were not included in that.
"This is more intricate, and all-in-all, they have more a use for in the commercial industry," Benson said.
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