The Fleet Business Authority
Issue link: http://heavydutytrucking.epubxp.com/i/307131
pressure so it does not result in an on-road failure," Altrichter said. "Also, for the past six or seven years we have been trying to make sure we have the right tire at the right wheel position." At Batesville, Obermeyer is look- ing to get the best possible mileage out of his fuel-efficient tires. "Right now, I'm looking at a few different scenarios such as running only original tires on drives and retreads on the trailers or vice versa," he said. "We are also looking at casing value and whether we're better off retreading or selling off our tires as used." Tomlinson has perhaps the largest challenges to overcome, with South Shore's full load out and empty back scenario. Also, spread-axle trailers just eat tires, he said. "I wish there was some easy, inexpensive way to dump tire pressure when we're empty and then re-inflate to adjust for the load," Tomlinson said. "I'm also trying a new retread that was designed just for spread-axle trailers. It's working well so far. On the tractors, we're aggressive with moni- toring tread depth and wear. I rotate the tires frequently. If I'm not getting 300,000 miles on a set of drive tires, I'm doing something wrong." And finally, two issues that most fleets grapple with regularly, align- ment and drivers. None of the four sample fleets do regular alignments on tractors, but they do watch closely for truck-induced premature wear. Each said they will do an alignment when the situation demands. Crete's Altrichter said his trailers are aligned once a year. "We tried aligning tractors on an annual or semi-annual basis but found that to be counter-pro- ductive," he said. "We watch for wear issues and then get to the root of the problem. There is a value in aligning the trailers annually." "There are two schools of thought on driver involve- ment," noted moderator Cohn. "One says get the driver involved as an early warning system. Other fleets say, 'Forget it, I don't want my drivers touching anything.'" If the fleet responses are in- dicative, most drivers just won't get involved. "We do tire training with our drivers annually and our trucks are equipped with calibrated gauges, but it's still a struggle to get the inspections done," Obermeyer said. "Driv- ers are supposed to check their tires as part of the pre- and post-trip inspec- tion with a gauge. You have to stay on top of them. It's a hard sell." Altrichter said his drivers tend to pay more attention to the tractors than the trailers, so the automatic tire inflation system is hooked into the telematics system to notify fleet man- agers of airing events on trailers. In South Shore's case, drivers are expected to check the tires during pre- and post-trip inspections. "I'm sure that the post-trip inspec- tion never happens, the pre-trip only slightly more often," Tomlinson said. "ATIS helps a lot on the trailers, but we still need our drivers to keep a close eye on things. When I started in trucking, checking tires was part of the job. ■ Tires&Wheels; "If I'm not getting 300,000 miles on a set of drive tires, I'm doing something wrong." – Kevin Tomlinson, South Shore Carriers Frequent and thorough yard checks help with pressure maintenance and tire condition observations. Only 4% of fleets check tires daily, according to the TMC survey. Sign up for the twice-a-month Tires & Wheels e-newsletter at truckinginfo.com/ newsletters 66 HDT • MAY 2014 www.truckinginfo.com t i r e s & w h e e l s _ m a y . i n d d 6 6 4 / 2 9 / 1 4 5 : 0 9 P M 4/29/14 5:09 PM