A Fresh Look: Supply Problems and Advancing Technologies Fuel Retreading Growth
Suppose for a moment that you’re the owner of a candy store, and that, for quite some time, you’ve been selling all of the quality candy that you can possibly stock in your limited storage space. And, suppose that your customers seem to be happy campers and that, for once in your career, they aren’t
Clean Living: A Safe, Tidy Tire Operation Will Scrub Your Image Inside and Out
In recent years, I’ve visited a number of trucking companies and had the opportunity to study their tire operations in some detail. Several I’ve seen lately made quite an impression, in that they were very atypical compared to what I have been used to seeing over the years. Specifically, they were organized, uncluttered and very
Easy Does It: Proper Lubrication Can Reduce Mounting Concerns
Selection and application of bead lubricants can be critical to the tire mounting procedure and, ultimately, to radial truck tire casing longevity. After all, a tire is mounted and dismounted multiple times through its original and subsequent retread lives. The basic goal of using a bead lubricant is to reduce friction temporarily between the rubber
Stop and Listen: Your Commercial Customers’ Tires Are Dying to Tell You Something
One of the questions good fleet managers ask and research periodically is: “How can I improve my tire program?” The well-traveled statistic that tires are typically the second-highest non-labor operating expense for on-highway fleets prioritizes tire management for fleets. That fact, especially for mixed-service (on/off road) fleets, puts extra emphasis on tires. The usual, top-ranking
Staggering Difference: Truck Fleets and Racing are Vastly Different, Strangely Similar
Many fleet operators still maintain that truck tires represent the second (to fuel) largest operating expense in their budget. This “truism” seems pretty amazing, considering the tremendous advances made in radial tire technology that have led to longer treadlife (original and retread), improved casing durability and much better resistance to injury. And it is surprising,
Flat-Out Progress?
One of the new technologies introduced recently by a major tire company really has the trucking industry talking – at least in certain vocational segments that have consistent problems with downtime due to tire punctures. In the commercial truck tire market, the problem of punctures peaked as the era of tube-type bias ply tires drew
Aligning Rigs
Several months ago, a trucking industry friend asked me, “How often should I align my trucks?” This is a fair question, to be sure, similar to those asked when establishing proper oil change intervals or setting time and mileage limits for cooling system maintenance. Before giving him a simple time interval, though, it occurred to
Flexible Benefit Plan
The concept of limiting the availability of commercial tire tread designs or model types has always been appealing to most fleets, large and small. However, decades have passed since it has been either practical or economical to apply a single tire type to all wheel positions. Nearly all fleets specify specialized tread designs for different
Shrewd Investing
Most experienced fleet managers and professional tire service providers appreciate the important role tires play in the overall operating cost equation for a trucking business. Much has been written and documented about the benefits of selecting the best tires for specific applications and vehicle configurations and then maintaining those tires to assure long service life.
Don’t Be Shorted
The old axiom of “supply and demand” is a long established and proven part of our free enterprise economy. The principle typically refers to pricing pressures, but there’s another, more basic, issue of product supply. Shortages – or in extreme cases, non-availability – of everyday components needed to replace worn or damaged parts can cripple
Hidden Heat Dangers
Even the most diligent technicians can be misled if component performance has been compromised by problems that are not culled out by normal inspections, not visually apparent or so rare that the offending condition is a first-time experience for the technician. Carefully inspecting used truck parts before placing them back into service is always good
Next Big Thing: Fleets Still Want Retreads But Prefer Greater Cost Efficiencies
Today, retreading is an integral part of most successful commercial tire servicing operations. The synergy gained from combining replacement tire sales with tire/wheel servicing and retreading makes good business sense from the viewpoints of both the fleet customer and the tire dealer. Truck fleet operators, both small and large, have precious little time and few