Onspot of North America will be closed from Monday, December 23rd through Wednesday, December 25th.

In 2019, the Onspot Blog focused more on the what and how of automatic tire chains. The following are the most downloaded blog posts that answered what they are, how they work and how to use and maintain them.

Winter weather driving season never fails to surprise drivers. However, for fleets, winter weather driving conditions can affect not only how vehicles stay on the road but also the efficiency of completing their deliveries.

Driver satisfaction is an important facet to the success of any fleet. In addition to general maintenance, driver training in all aspects of the use and function of a school bus leads to the successful, safe transportation of school children. But, what do bus drivers say about Onspot?

Achieving the shortest response time possible is key for saving lives or property at risk. But, what is response time?

Here is what David Anderson, Director of Transportation & Fleet at Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Colorado has to say about Onspot automatic tire chains on their school buses:

“Onspots are great tools! Give them some general maintenance and they last the life of the bus.”

What does a fleet manager say about Onspot?

Friction and traction are key to avoid sliding vehicles and spinning wheels.

Friction is defined as the rubbing of one object or surface against another. The friction between your vehicles’ tires and the road will determine maximum acceleration and minimum stopping distance. The force of friction depends on the force pushing the objects or surfaces together and the coefficient of friction. The coefficient of friction is the relationship between the force required to move the surfaces against each other and the pressure to stay in contact while in motion.

The trucking industry is instrumental in maintaining the supply chain of materials and goods all over the world. Thanks to the trucking industry, global economies receive over 10 billion tons of various goods. Other industries rely on trucks to deliver the raw materials to produce those goods. The trucking industry delivers more cargo than ships, planes or trains and cargo theft will disrupt the greater supply chain.

Optimization is key to the transportation industry. From a logistics perspective, trucks should never roll unladen. The bigger truck fill rate, the better. New technologies and driving techniques are developed with the aim of reducing fuel consumption which is good both for the business economy and the environment. Looking at such major factors as fill rate and fuel consumption, is there reason to consider optimization of such a tiny thing as tire pressure? Yes, there is!

Tire chains – automatic or conventional – do they have an expiration date? No, there is no fixed end date because there is no way to calculate the wear and tear on tire chains. Wear and tear is not determined with a simple mathematical formula. It has many variables such as how often they are used, terrain, weather, maintenance and drivers.