Auburn researchers test battery-free tire sensor to prevent deadly truck blowouts

AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) - If you’ve ever driven on a major highway, you’ve probably seen the aftermath of a tire blowout — shredded rubber scattered across the shoulder. For drivers of heavy commercial trucks, those blowouts can be deadly. Now, a team of researchers at Auburn University is working to stop them before they happen.

Federal data shows heavy commercial trucks account for 13 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States — despite making up just 5 percent of all registered vehicles on the road. Tire-related problems contribute to roughly 6 percent of truck crashes involving critical vehicle failures.

Auburn University’s Transportation Research Institute, known as AUTRI, has landed a $1.9 million federal grant to test whether a small, battery-free sensor could change that.

The sensor uses RFID — Radio Frequency Identification — to monitor conditions inside a commercial truck tire in real time. It can track pressure, temperature, and strain on the tire, potentially flagging a problem long before a blowout occurs.

“It’s a very simple technology, very inexpensive — but potentially with these new chips, they can give you pressure and temperature and strain on the tire,” said Larry Rilett, director of AUTRI and the project’s principal investigator. “If we can use that to identify when a tire is getting weak, we can replace the tire before a blowout.”

The grant comes from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through its High Priority–Commercial Motor Vehicle program, which focuses on reducing crashes involving large trucks and buses.

Three Real-World Tests

Over the next two years, Rilett’s team will put the sensors through three real-world scenarios:

1. Parked inspections — Testing whether tires can be scanned during routine pre-trip or post-trip inspections while the truck is stationary.
2. Low-speed pass-throughs — Testing whether tire data can be captured as trucks roll through weigh stations or inspection sites.
3. Full highway speed — Testing whether the sensors can continuously monitor tire conditions while a truck is in motion at highway speeds.

“So we’re looking at all these different possibilities,” Rilett said. “This is a true research project — we’re trying to find out: can this technology be used to help identify issues?”

Testing will take place on Auburn’s campus in an anechoic chamber — a specially designed room that eliminates outside signal interference — and at the National Center for Asphalt Technology Test Track, where researchers can simulate real-world driving conditions.

Rilett says the technology has broad appeal across the transportation industry.

“The trucking firms, the drivers for sure would be interested — and law enforcement,” he said. “They want to make sure everyone is safe on the roads.”

And the potential doesn’t stop at big rigs. Rilett says if the sensors prove reliable, the same technology could one day be applied to school buses and passenger vehicles.

Results from the two-year study are expected by 2028.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!