For most truckers, time is of the essence, but operating in accordance with rules and regulations is similarly important. According to John Baxter of CCJ Magazine, DOT regulations concerning tires, “require drivers to gauge tires as part of a pre-trip inspection and every three hours while on the road.”

But Baxter says this doesn’t happen realistically. Getting drivers to stop and check their tire pressure at truck stops, when this would mean less time on the road and less money in their pockets, would be a hard task to complete. That’s why Joseph Cummins, who used to own a small fleet and was once a driver, invented the Accu-Thump.

This innovative device is designed to give truckers the chance to check their tires for problems without the hassle and downtime associated with tire gauges. This way, truckers achieve their goal of checking their tires, where they probably would have avoided the task in the past. Truckers simply use the Accu-Thump to whack their tires during each rest stop in order to determine whether or not they’re up to par. The patented technology is designed to both give the driver an accurate reading in addition to preventing fatigue, which will encourage truckers to continue using the device.

With a bulb on one end and a 90-plus-degree convex curve so that truckers can strike the tire at almost any point and still get an accurate reading. Because truckers can use the device nearly effortlessly and quite quickly, Cummins and others hope that this will increase the number of truckers who choose to check their tires on a regular basis.

Although many suggest that tire pressure does not change much in three hours, truckers are compelled by DOT standards to check their pressure. Of course, Baxter remarks that using gauges to check the pressure would most likely lead to an incorrect reading anyway because of temperature changes, and the like. The Accu-Thump gives drivers a way around this regulation. Truckers and fleet owners who want to stay safe without the hassle can check out a Cummin’s accu-thump to see if the device is for them.