Technology & Telematics · Driver Training VideoTire Pressure Monitoring (TPMS)

Let's start with the regulation underneath it. Federal rules require every tire on this truck to be free of flats, free of audible leaks, and properly inflated for the load it's carrying. That's 49 CFR 393.75, and it gets checked at every roadside inspection, every time.

Here's the line that puts a truck out of service at roadside: a tire that's flat, audibly leaking, or down to half its rated pressure or less. That truck gets parked right there on the shoulder. Not a warning, not a note on the DVIR to fix later — out of service, on the spot.

Now, about TPMS itself

Many trucks and trailers on the road today run tire pressure monitoring — sensors that track pressure and flag a problem before it turns into a blowout. Direct systems read actual PSI off each tire. Indirect systems watch wheel speed for the wobble a low tire causes.

Here's where drivers get it wrong. A quiet TPMS light does not mean skip the pre-trip.

Underinflated tires run hotter

Heat is what turns a slow leak into a blowout at highway speed, and long before that happens, it's quietly eating tread life and fuel economy. A tire riding low is doing damage every single mile, whether that light is lit or not.

Your company standard: check TPMS at start-up as part of your pre-trip, but never rely on it by itself. Gauge every tire, every pre-trip, no exceptions. Any TPMS alert gets logged on the DVIR immediately, not held for the next stop.

Treat that dashboard light as a second set of eyes, not a replacement for your own. The gauge in your hand is still what keeps this truck, and everyone driving near it, safe on the road.