Welcome to the 2026 CVSA International Roadcheck 2026! On the first day of the blitz I was invited to the inspection barn for my very first Level I inspection. And I was awarded an Out of Service for a low trailer tire. Now, I always do my Pretrip, I always check the tires - bop with ball peen hammer, and listen to the tire, like a tuning fork. In the inspection, the DOT officer found one trailer tire (Right, front tandem axle, outside) was at 35 lbs, not the 110 it should be. Boom! OOS.
Here’s the background: the trailer has the Tire Pressure Management System. I have heard that a low tire on a trailer would “pump up” as the engine ran and the truck moved down the highway. I did bump that tire, it was low, and I believed the “pump up” story.. Also, with the TPMS tubes connected to the tire, I figured it’s not the driver’s place to mess with those. So when that system fails, I’m the one sitting at the weigh station waiting for the road service and a looming suspension from driving from my company.
My question is, on pretrip, what should I do about the low tire with a TPMS hookup? Call it unsafe right then? Run the engine for five minutes to see if the tire fills?
On our flatbed trailers we have a light on front driver side that comes on when pressure is low.i had a flat recently and thought it strange that light wasn’t on.come to find out the valve for the auto inflate was turned off.guessing someone had a flat and turned valve off to keep tank from draining.its a box by the trailer tank.wondering if you had same issue.drawback to constantly swapping trailers
The state trooper suggested i check that valve. It’s a simple ball valve - the lever is either on or off. I crawled under the trailer. It is on.
Errol that is horrible. I don’t have that system but I did hear a interview with a tire guy on roaddog radio recently. He suggested drivers don’t mess with those systems because they have a small o-ring that is very easy to mess up on the valve stems. He recommended letting the truck build air and waiting approx 15 minutes. If the tire doesn’t inflate then call road service.
I think companies using that or any other trch stuff need to do a better job training drivers on the proper operation of that stuff.
Hopefully your company doesn’t give you too much grief over it.
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Thanks for sharing Errol. I know in the past you were a CDL instructor. I too, thought the TPMS system would keep tires at the correct pressure. Hopefully your company will treat you fairly.
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