In honor of National Tire Safety Week, Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau Managing Director David Stevens became certified through the Tire Industry Association’s Commercial Tire Service training program.
What follows is a recap of the experience in his own words:
This week has been Tire Safety Week in the U.S. and I thought it was a good time to highlight the recent Commercial Tire Service training program I went through with the Tire Industry Association (TIA) in Baltimore, Md. This 4-day program is designed for experienced tire service employees with at least one year of hands-on experience. The first day of training was focused on attendees (including myself) that have less hands-on experience in working with tires. This smaller group of trainees was out in the shop most of the day mounting and demounting tires, working on jacking and lifting, working with various types of wheel systems, and completing tire repairs. I have a whole new appreciation for the hard work involved in working with commercial truck tires. The experts I’ve seen working with tires in retread shops and repair facilities have always made it look like a fast and relatively easy process, but after struggling with tires and wheels over the course of the day I know that’s not the case.
For the next two days of training, the class size grew as more experienced technicians joined us and we quickly alternated between the classroom watching videos covering different subjects, having class discussions, taking pre-tests to gauge our knowledge, and going back out in the shop to observe and discuss proper procedures for all aspects of tire service. My kids were curious about dad going to school again and over dinner we discussed what I was learning. As I said to them and as I said to TIA after the class, the one overwhelming takeaway I had from the class is this: there are lots of ways to injure or kill yourself working on commercial truck tires. Before the class, I was well aware of the dangers of inflating tires and the importance of using safety cages and staying clear of the blast trajectory, but I didn’t realize how dangerous other parts of tire service were. According to an OSHA study from 2010-14, 55% of tire-related deaths occurred when the vehicle fell on an employee and another 20% of fatalities were related to rollover accidents while someone was working under the vehicle.
The other thing I found surprising was the number of times I heard from attendees, “That’s not the way we do it.” when we were discussing a variety of proper procedures during the class and in the shop. These comments often cam from technicians that had been working in the industry for decades. So, even if you have technicians in your shop with years of experience, I would encourage them to get their TIA certification to protect themselves and your company.
The course is well-organized and the materials provided are top-notch, whether it’s the professionally produced videos, the well-structured training guide, and the various reference materials that are included in the package. If your company is not taking advantage of these resources, you should be. As TIA’s motto states: “Tire Safety Starts Here” and your employees’ safety should start with TIA.
The 18 Modules that make up the Certified CTS Program that TRIB attended include:
Module 1: Introduction
Addresses the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and provides information related to workplace safety, proper lifting procedures, heat stroke and hypothermia.
Module 2: Tires
Covers tire construction, sizing and nomenclature, inflation pressure, load capacity and other sidewall information. Application-specific tread designs and rubber compounds are also covered along with other industry guidelines.
Module 3: Rims, Wheels & Hubs
Outlines the difference between rims and wheels including the nomenclature for both assemblies. It also defines offset on standard truck wheels/rims as well as outset and inset for wide base wheels.
Module 4: OSHA Regulations
Includes OSHA Regulation 29 CFR 1910.177 in addition to the OSHA Demount/Mount and Rim Matching Charts.
Module 5: Road Service Safety
Covers the various aspects of emergency road service including vehicle inspection, driver safety, jobsite assessment, and roadside service procedures.
Module 6: Jacking & Lifting, Lock-Out/Tag-Out
Outlines the basic safety guidelines and procedures for lock-out tag-out as well as jacking, lifting and supporting trucks, tractors and trailers.
Module 7: Wheel End Safety
Describes the procedures and potential hazards when inspecting wheel ends as part of regular tire maintenance including wheel-off prevention.
Module 8: RIST
Defines each step of the RIST procedure and how they relate to bolt tension and clamping force when installing rims and wheels.
Module 9: Hub-Pilot Service
Covers the step-by-step service and maintenance procedures for hub-pilot wheel removal, inspection and installation.
Module 10: Stud-Pilot Service
Covers the step-by-step service and maintenance procedures for stud-pilot wheel removal, inspection and installation.
Module 11: Demountable Rim Service
Covers the step-by-step service and maintenance procedures for demountable rim removal, inspection and installation.
Module 12: Single-Piece Demount & Mount
Describes the procedures and guidelines for demounting and mounting tubeless tires on single-piece rims with valve stem and band-mounted TPMS sensors.
Module 13: Single Piece Inflation
Defines the OSHA regulations for inflating single piece assemblies and the inspection procedures for identifying potential zipper ruptures or heat-damaged rims.
Module 14: Multi-Piece Demount & Mount
Describes the demounting and mounting procedures for 2-piece and 3-piece truck tire and rim assemblies.
Module 15: Multi-Piece Inflation
Defines the OSHA regulations for inflating multi-piece assemblies.
Module 16: Balance & Run-Out
Describes the principles of static and dynamic balance as well as lateral and radial run-out and the steps that technicians can take to minimize ride disturbances.
Module 17: Repair
Dedicated to the step-by-step procedures and industry guidelines for installing two-piece puncture repairs and reinforced shoulder repairs in tubeless radial truck tires.
Module 18: Charts & Tables
Covers the load/inflation and tire dimension charts from the Tire and Rim Association.
TIA offers a full range of training programs, including Automotive, Commercial, Earthmover, Farm, and Industrial. You can learn more by clicking here.
