The 2024 Off-the-Road Tire Conference, hosted by the Tire Industry Association (TIA), celebrated its 69th year at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, NV. The conference hosted speakers from the OTR tire industry and covered training topics, discussed sustainability initiatives, OTR service safety, economic outlooks and other trends.
The event also included a trade show displaying manufacturers and suppliers who showcased their latest products and networked with peers. A golf tournament, bowling tournament and hike at the Red Rock National Park added to the networking opportunities during the second day of the event.
Take a look below at some highlights:
Dick Gust, TIA’s chief executive officer, kicked things off by welcoming hundreds of OTR industry representatives to Red Rock Casino.
John Sheerin, director of end-of-life tire programs at USTMA, joined Dick Gust on stage to announce the Tire Recycling Foundation initiative from TIA and USTMA.
Keith Jarman, TIA president and AME International president, unveiled plans to honor industry pioneer Marvin Bozarth by establishing the Marvin Bozarth ETS Technician of the Year award.
Al Klinge, managing director and vice president of Klinge, gave his first of three safety tips. This one was on selective attention.
Kevin Rohlwing, TIA chief technical officer, introduced the panel for the tire chain selection and maintenance session.
The tire chain selection and maintenance panel included (left to right) Al Atkinson, North America product manager for the TPC division of Pewag Chain; Brian Cohn, president of OTRUSA.com; and Fatih Sedele, CEO of Las Zirh Tire Chains.
Piggybacking off of the tire chain selection and maintenance panel, Matt White, director of off-road tire service, held a live service demonstration where he and the team showed the process of putting tire chains on equipment.
During the live service demonstration, the team showcased cribbing to secure heavy loads while working under equipment.
The team showed how to put chains on a Komatsu service truck.
Following the live service demonstration, (left to right) Jeff Faubion, compliance specialist of Bridgestone Americas; Roy Galyer, training manager of Klinge; and Russ Devens, director of safety and risk management of McCarthy Tire Service, discussed OTR service accident analysis from the previous year.
Following the first day’s sessions, the OTR Conference held a kickoff gathering that featured tabletop displays, like this one from AME International.
BKT
Bridgestone Off-the-Road
Continental
Maxam Tire
Michelin
Tech Tire Repair
Trelleborg
Yokohama
Director of Operations from the Bridgestone Commercial Dealer Network Debra Hamlin introduced the second day’s speakers.
Roy Littlefield IV, vice president of government affairs at TIA, kicked the second day off by giving a legislative update on the OTR tire industry.
Al Klinge came back on stage to share his second safety tip of the event based on experience vs. training in the industry.
Ciaran Little, VP, Americas and Asia Pacific information division at Smithers, spoke about the current and future economic outlook for OTR tires.
To wrap up Day Two, David Stevens, managing director at Tire Retreading and Repair Information Bureau (TRIB), hosted five panelists to speak about OTR retreading. Pictured are (left to right) James John, president of Shrader Retreading; Michael Berra, president of Community Tire Retreading; Rusty Hatten, operations/sales of H&H Industries; Darryl Moore, director remanufacturing and sustainability at Kal Tire; Mike Jacobsen, VP of manufacturing at Purcell Tire.
Magna Tires sponsored a late-night mix & mingle event following the second day’s leisure activities.
Al Klinge gives his third safety tip of the conference about whether AI will impact tires.
Carlos Sepulveda, off-the-road training manager for Bridgestone, discussed Bridgestone’s safety initiatives, its E8 commitment and Bridgestone’s energy solutions, including iTrack, a mining TPMS solution.
Marilyn Sherman, founder of UpFront Presentations, gave a motivational speech on being in the “front row” of your own life.
Mark Kamp, author, speaker and entrepreneur, got the crowd rocking and discussed the importance of big ideas.
Rudy Ruettiger, author, motivational speaker and subject of the 1993 film Rudy, spoke about dreaming big in your life and never quitting.
Daniel Zeledon, president of Tesco-Italmatic, discussed OTR tire repair and retreading using advanced AI technology.
TBC Corporation appointed Bill Schafer to the role of chief operating officer for TBC Brands and TBC International. Schafer will report directly to TBC Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Don Byrd, and will oversee all TBC Brands and TBC International sales initiatives, including customer service, commercial tire sales, equipment and non-tire sales, and operations, according to TBC.
![John Sheerin, director of end-of-life tire programs at USTMA]](https://s19532.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/John-Sheerin-1400.jpg)
