January 2013, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Mike Yap is a plumbing and heating contractor near Buffalo, N.Y. He operates two GMC 3500-series cargo vans and two utility trailers. He buys tires from a local auto supply jobber. He's a price shopper
Tags: Tire Report, light trucks, Tires
December 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
When it comes to commercial tire sales, 2012 could not have been any more contrasting from 2011, says Rick Phillips, Yokohama Tire's director of commercial sales.
Phillips, a 35-year tire industry veteran, discusses what the challenges were within the commercial tire industry in 2012 and how they will affect truck owners in 2013
Tags: Tire Report, Economy, Tires
November 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
We now have conclusive proof that automated tire inflation systems and tire pressure monitoring systems offer quantifiable payback
Tags: Tire Report, Tires
May 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
The medium-duty world is dominated by the rental and leasing sectors and the pickup and delivery sector, at least in terms of the Class 5-7 trucks using 17.5- and 19.5-inch tires. What they want dictates what the tire makers deliver
Tags: Tire Report
February 2012, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
A racehorse would do about as well dragging a plow through a muddy field as a plow horse would do plodding down the back stretch at Churchill Downs.
Tags: Tire Report
August 2011, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Spec'ing tires is a lot like photography. It's a series of trade-offs and compromises. Let's say you're after a night shot of a city skyline. Because it's dark, you have to use a long exposure, which could make the photo blurry
Tags: Tire Report
July 2011, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Need another reason to sweat your tire pressure? How about CSA? It would be hell explaining to your grandkids that you used to run a trucking company until the DOT put you out of business because of poor tire maintenance
Tags: Tire Report
December 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Okay, we know that optimized tire pressure improves tread and casing life (and value too) and can contribute to improved fuel economy.
Tags: Tire Report
December 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Try starting a discussion about balancing truck wheels. You can just watch the eyeballs rolling backward in their sockets
Tags: Tire Report
November 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
An estimated 2,000 tons of lead tire weights are lost from vehicles each year
Tags: Tire Report
August 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Nitrogen is not some magic gas with mystical properties, nor is it some philosopher's stone capable of changing the properties of tire rubber
Tags: Tire Report
August 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Prevailing thinking has it that trailers are a good place to squeeze the last few miles of tread life out of used steer and drive tires prior to retreading or disposing of them
Tags: Tire Report
July 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Have a look at the list of U.S. EPA SmartWay approved low-rolling-resistance, fuel-efficient tires and you'll notice there are no retreads on the list
Tags: Tire Report
June 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Many who have switched from duals to wide-base single tires have an almost evangelical enthusiasm for the things. They report better fuel mileage, longer tread life, better handling and stability, higher payload potential, and reduced maintenance costs
Tags: Tire Report
May 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Talk tires with anyone in the long-haul truckload sector, and fuel economy won't be long percolating to the surface. Every mile they run is pure cost, and any savings are big savings
Tags: Tire Report
April 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
If you're going to have trouble on the road, chances are a tire is at the root of your grief. Tires remain the single most common reason for roadside service calls, no matter who you talk t
Tags: Tire Report
March 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
If you were serious about getting the best odds on a pro basketball bet, you'd research the heck out of the starting lineups, and know in advance that Kobe Bryant's sprained ankle doesn't seem to be much of a liabilit
Tags: Tire Report
February 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Prominent Canadian journalist Allan Fotheringham offered the following bit of advice to aspiring journalists: "If your mother tells you her age, check it out." But the advantages of a little skepticism aren't limited to journalist
Tags: Tire Report
January 2010, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Running two tires of different circumference, diameter, or tread depth in a dual assembly is a sure-fire way to kill two tires for the price of one
Tags: Tire Report
December 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Empty miles can chew up more than your balance sheet. Running empty one way may be good for fuel consumption, but it's hell on tires
Tags: Tire Report
November 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Here's a quick quiz: What's your tire cost per mile? How many miles per 32nd do you get out of a steer or drive tire? How many miles do you expect from a steer tire
Tags: Tire Report
October 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Trying to get drivers actively involved in tire maintenance programs is like pushing rope uphill. If you're lucky, the good ones will kick or thump the tires during a pre-tri
Tags: Tire Report
September 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Unlike their relatively pampered long-haul cousins that run all day long on flat, straight Interstates, tires that earn their keep on city streets get up close and very personal with all manner of road hazards, including curbs, potholes, piercing grave
Tags: Tire Report
August 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
While recruiting and compliance departments grapple with the potential implications of weight-based sleep-apnea testing for drivers, operations and maintenance personnel should be aware that trucks are getting heavier, to
Tags: Tire Report
June 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Meet your new handy-dandy tire filler-upper. We're not talking about a knuckle-dragger named Earl, here, with eyes that gaze off in two different directions and a plug of tobacco in his cheek big enough to choke a horse
Tags: Tire Report
June 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Despite their manifest advantages, retreaded tires continue to struggle with an image problem. It's widely assumed - wrongly - that much of the tire debris seen lying at roadside are the remains of a retreaded tire
Tags: Tire Report
June 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Round and black. That's about the extent of the similarities between today's marvels of engineering and yesteryear's truck tires. I think I'm safe saying we probably take our tires for granted. When they're doing well
Tags: Tire Report
June 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Tom Berg, Senior Equipment Editor
Sooner or later the economy will heat up again and so will demand for fuel - and prices for it. So it's still wise to buy the most fuel-efficient vehicles and operate them wisely
Tags: Tire Report
May 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
Perhaps only computers remain a more confusing purchasing decision than tires. The thought of comparing RAMS and ROMS and Gigs and HDs and DVDs and processors strikes fear into the hearts of all but the hardened geek
Tags: Tire Report
May 2009, TruckingInfo.com - Feature
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor
It's a long way between a downtown back alley and an oil field, but as a tire sees the world, there are more similarities than differences. On-highway tires live the life of Riley compared to the severe-service tires
Tags: Tire Report