Bunk LedgerTire pressure gauges for highway trucks (2026)
The pressure number does not come from this page. It comes from the tire chart for your load, the fleet spec, or the door label that matches the tire you are standing next to. A gauge only helps if its scale covers that number and its chuck can reach the valve you are checking.
The scale has to pass the tire
A glovebox pencil that tops out around 60 psi is a car tool. Steer and drive tires on a highway tractor are often set much higher than that, sometimes near or above 100 psi, depending on the tire and the load. If your chart says 100 and the gauge ends at 60, the gauge is not conservative. It is blind.
Buy a gauge whose scale goes past the highest pressure you are supposed to run, with some room so you are not reading the last mark on the dial. Dual-foot or angled chucks exist because the inner dual's valve hides behind the outer tire. A straight chuck that cannot reach is a gauge you will only use on the easy tires, which is how the inner one gets ignored.
Check cold, before you have driven the heat into the carcass. A hot reading is higher and it is not the number on the chart. We are not giving you a correction factor. Wait, or use the fleet's own hot-tire rule if they have published one.
What fails in a lot
- A chuck that leaks so badly you bleed the tire while you are "just checking."
- A gauge left on the catwalk. It becomes damage, or it is gone.
- Trusting the valve stem cap as a system. Caps keep dirt out. They are not a measurement.
- Skipping the inner dual because it is annoying. That is the tire that surprises people.
A stick gauge you can read in the dark with a glove on beats a tiny digital screen you cannot see at 5 a.m. Digital gauges are fine if you can read them and if you keep a battery in them. The listing should say the range. If it does not, skip it.
Pressure is also a pre-trip item, not a gadget hobby. If the carrier issues the gauge, use theirs and learn its range before you buy a second one to live in the door.
On a phone, this table moves sideways. The first column stays put.
| Gauge | Useful when | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Short car pencil | Passenger-car tires | Many top out near 60 psi and cannot read a truck tire the chart puts near 100 |
| Dual-head truck gauge | Inner and outer duals | The head has to reach the inner valve. The scale still has to pass the fleet chart |
Along the way
Conclusion
The gauge has to reach the inner dual and the scale has to cover the chart. The number itself comes from the fleet, not from a buying guide.
FAQ
What pressure should the steer tires be?
The one on your fleet chart for this load. This site will not invent it.
Can I use the gauge from my car?
Only if its scale actually covers the truck tire. A pencil that stops near 60 psi does not.
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