Net Gain: Conway Offsets Fuel Losses With Super Wides
With the acquisition of Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) behind it, Con-way Inc. has set out to take advantage of the expertise and capabilities of both companies. Today, the combination of the resources of CFI and Con-way Truckload has expanded the North American operation and provided new opportunities to provide customers with more comprehensive services. It
Squeezing Out Every Dime of Fuel Efficiency
As fuel prices reach record high levels, and there is little or no sign of relief on the horizon, fleet managers and tire dealers continue to utilize all the tools at their disposal to manage and lower truck fleet fuel consumption. One area of keen focus is on tires – specifically the latest fuel-saving technologies
Scraps: Host of Opportunities, Problems
Every two years, the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) publishes a report titled “Scrap Tire Markets in the United States” (www.rma.org./scrap_tires), widely respected for its comprehensive data collection and analysis. Approximately 300 million tires reach scrap status annually in the U.S., equating to one tire for each person. More than 88% of these are light-duty tires,
Wheel Refinishing Comes of Age
Putting a new face on used steel truck wheels and rims has never been easy. New wheel manufacturers have the luxury of working with clean, virgin steel in an automated assembly line where large quantities of specialized chemicals, dipping tanks and primer/topcoat paint applications are controlled and repeatable. Wheel refinishers, on the other hand, deal
Zipper Rupture Bulletin Issued
Think about the thousands of truck tire debris pieces alongside many major roadways, almost every one responsible for an unscheduled (and expensive) service stop. It has been well documented that many of these failed tires share several common traits they were underinflated and fitted to an inner dual tire position. Consider that, for every one
‘Psst…Keep an Eye on Your Tires’
“Before you get too carried away, check with the real world.” Those words were directed at me – an enthusiastic, young engineer – by my older, more experienced boss early in my career. His words were particularly applicable, because I was working for a large tire company. As they were then – and still are
Listen, The Snow is Falling
With temperatures continuing to dip and clouds beginning to form, it won’t be long ’til Old Man Winter’s wrath of rain, sleet, and snow begins to pelt roadways. Combine nature’s moisture with cold temperatures and there are many things to consider when getting ready for winter driving, especially in the colder regions of the country.
Progress or Trade-Offs?
Are we making any progress? It’s always an interesting question. When it comes to tires, the industry and fleets tend to focus on different goals. Fuel economy, maximizing intervals between scheduled maintenance, extending tire removal mileages, increasing driver satisfaction, maintenance outsourcing and a host of issues may compete for top billing. Tire selections are especially
Studying Scraps: Scrap Tire Analysis May Reveal New Ways to Reduce Costs
Scrap Tire Analysis May Reveal New Ways to Reduce Costs With the thought of stepping away from the trees to view the beauty of the entire forest, consider where the most fertile source of information related not only to your tire program, but many other fleet performance and cost driven variables, can be found. Once
It’s All About Relationships
“So, what’s new?” A common pitfall is to answer that question only in terms of individual products or services and not to appreciate fully the synergies that flow from component interactions that are becoming more common. For many years, truck manufacturing was accurately viewed as an assembly operation rather than an integrated engineering endeavor. Surely,
Beyond the Obvious: Dealer Opportunities for Commercial Growth are Often Hidden
Few good fleet managers question the traditional benefits of a well-thought out and executed tire/wheel program. Reliability, safety, selection of quality products and service providers, and resulting low tire cost-per-mile are what they want, and they know that a top shelf program will do that. So what happens, aside from periodic reviews and fine-tuning, after
An In-Depth Look at Tread Depth
If some amount of a concept or product is good, then more of it should be better, right? Not necessarily. One of the trends in radial truck tires, namely deeper tread depths, is a good example. The primary goal of deeper treads is to extend take-off mileages, which obviously keeps the truck out of the