wear, and will reduce retreadability.

Every fleet needs a serious tire inflation program and should check tires for air pressure on a regular basis. If a fleet sees primarily line haul service and is running coast-to-coast, the industry practice is to check tire pressures at least once per week. If the tires see a lot of mixed service and travel on unpaved roads, then tire pressure checks should be more frequent.

Technician and driver training is a key component of every successful tire program. “Tires 101” needs to be an ongoing process and not just taught quickly on the first day of a new person’s employment at your dealership. Drivers and techs can and should be the early warning system for any tire issues. If you can identify a specific tire wear issue early on in the process, the problem can usually be fixed with little or no tire damage – be it either a vehicle- or inflation-related problem.

When tire dealers work with fleets to help them make improvements to their tire programs and reduce costs in the long term, the business relationship will last a very long time and will be a win-win for everyone.