WATCHMAN plus TIREMAAX PRO equals complete wheel-end solution

NASHVILLE—Drivers and their fleets need to know exactly what’s going on at each wheel position as the tractor-trailer rolls down the road, and adding the Hendrickson WATCHMAN advanced trailer wheel-end sensor technology is the last piece in the technology package to make that happen. The company highlighted the system at the Technology & Maintenance Council 2026 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition here this week.

WATCHMAN is designed to deliver real‑time, actionable wheel-end and tire condition insights, giving fleets the data needed to make informed maintenance decisions and improve uptime, Matt Wilson, VP of Hendrickson Vehicle Technology Group, explained during a press conference at the Hendrickson exhibit on the show floor.

“What makes WATCHMAN especially powerful is the way it seamlessly integrates with our TIREMAAX systems,” he said. “Together, they combine automatic inflation tire and wheel and sensing with our proprietary data insights and alerts into one cohesive solution.”

Building on the foundation of TIREMAAX PRO tire pressure control system and TPMS monitoring, WATCHMAN takes trailer health visibility to the next level. The system interprets wheel-end and tire conditions to help prioritize maintenance needs, and provides clear alerts when issues arise.

A tire underinflated by 10 psi can reduce casing life by 15% and treadwear by 10%, and tires can represent more than 25% of a fleet’s total operating cost. Early detection of underinflation or leak conditions is critical to reducing unplanned downtime and maintenance costs. WATCHMAN insights identify slow leaks, major leaks, and low-pressure events to help drivers and maintenance teams act before they escalate into costly failures or compliance issues.

The WATCHMAN system combines Bluetooth hubcap‑mounted sensors, receiver, and the WATCHMAN mobile app to create a smart trailer wheel‑end insights platform.

Telematics independent

“The WATCHMAN app allows a fleet—even if they don't have the telematics—to walk up to any unit that has WATCHMAN installed and use the service app to look at the current status,” Wilson said, as he demonstrated the app on a large screen. “So you can use this as a pre-trip inspection to look for low tires or problems, or even a low tire condition that happened maybe the day before. It can tell you that, hey, even though your tire inflation systems may be keeping up with any issues that you have, you can use the app to find tires that might have a slow leak that need to be serviced at some point.”

Integrated hubcap-mounted sensors provide a permanent, secure installation that helps prevent theft and eliminates the need for recalibration when changing tires, according to Hendrickson. A long‑life, high‑capacity battery is engineered to last the life of the system, requiring no replacement or service. 

By pairing TIREMAAX PRO with WATCHMAN wheel-end sensing, Hendrickson enables fleets to elevate tire maintenance with real‑time insights powered by Hendrickson’s proprietary alert algorithms. This combination helps fleets automate proper tire inflation, improve operational consistency, maximize uptime, reduce tire costs, and support predictive maintenance strategies.

“There are other tools out there, but WATCHMAN delivers a complete integrated tire and solution,” Wilson said. “Because it's specifically engineered to work seamlessly with Hendrickson’s trailer suspensions and wheel ends, fleets benefit from one unified, well-integrated system instead of separate components that don't always communicate well.

“WATCHMAN is also built to grow. We're actively developing additional sensing capabilities, including vibration monitoring and brake-wear sensing, to provide even more detailed diagnostics and further enhanced maintenance planning.”