Truck makers may be in a slump, but more tires than ever rolled off assembly lines and onto highways last year.

A record number of tires were shipped last year, the tire industry reported last week, thanks in part to demand created by the recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires, says the Washington-based Rubber Manufacturers Association.
According to the association, more than 321 million car and truck tires were shipped last year, up 1.4 percent from the record 316.6 million shipped in 1999.
That includes replacements that Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone/Firestone provided for its customers after an August recall.
The association expects that 2001 shipments will drop because of the softening U.S. economy and cuts in vehicle production.