old school observation.... tire whacker

John & Angela wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
The other side of the "thumping" coin:

It’s a scene played out countless times a day: A truck driver climbs into his cab and cranks his rig. While the big diesel is warming up, he reaches down behind the seat or into the storage space in the door and pulls out a heavy wooden club. He climbs out and walks around his rig, thumping each tire along the way to ensure they have the proper air pressure.

According to industry experts, he’s wasting his time.

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The article completely misses the point. The purpose of thumping the tires is strictly to detect a difference in pitch between the tires. If a significant pitch difference is detected then get a checker, get on your knees, remove the cap and check the pressure. Checking the tires at every rest stop is part of the walk around procedure that we carry out 4 or 5 times per travel day.

Not according to several posters on this thread. They have said they, and others, can tell if the tire is off by a few psi just by thumping it.

And if there are a few on here who think that, then you know the "professionals" are thoroughly convinced of it.