G&B Finch equips heavy-duty trucks, trailers with Wheely-Safe technology

Essex-based G&B Finch has equipped five of its heavy-duty Iveco tractor units and bulk tipper trailers with Wheely-Safe technology. The in-motion wheel loss detection system combines brake and hub temperature monitoring with an intelligent tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS). G&B Finch decided to fit the system after suffering a series of tyre blowouts.

Lee Finch, manager at G&B Finch says: “Our artic tippers do plenty of miles out on the road, and over the years we have had quite a few incidents with the super single trailer tyres – even the good quality premium tyres that we use. Having a system fitted that constantly monitors the health of the tyres and alerts to any issue at a very early stage is a real game changer for us.

“The technology has already saved us several times, notifying the driver to a slight drop in pressure and allowing us to get the tyre changed or repaired before it gets too serious.”

The firm has replaced the standard valve caps with Wheely-Safe’s external TPMS sensors, which auto-pair with an in-cab solar receiver. These are fitted alongside a pair of wheel loss sensors and brackets on each wheel which transmit an in-motion alert to a solar-powered receiver in the cab, should the wheel nuts start to loosen. The same sensor also monitors heat and can quickly identify a temperature abnormality from the brakes or hub.

G&B Finch is also utilising Wheely-Safe’s Pressure Checkers to get accurate readings without the hassle of connecting a pressure gauge to the valve.

“The whole system is so easy to use,” adds Finch. “When you’ve got 14 tyres per motor to check every morning, for a guy to go around every tyre with an air gauge – you are talking about a serious amount of time. Almost an hour a day of dead money, and you don’t need to be a genius to work out how much it would cost over the course of a year.

“Now the team can touch the reader on the TPMS sensor and get the pressure readouts. They’re all very impressed with the system and are grateful to have something in place that prevents problems before anything serious arises.”

Family-run G&B Finch was established in 1969 and specialises in large-scale earth-moving, aggregates, ready-mix concrete and recycling.