A Tennessee state senator has commercial truck retreads in his gunsights.

Douglas Henry has filed a Senate Joint Resolution which would urges the federal government to "explore the feasibility of prohibiting the use of recapped tires on commercial motor vehicles."
Senate Joint Resolution 5 says "it has become a very noticeable hazard on Tennessee's highways and interstate system that truck tires are splitting away from their rims, thereby presenting a safety hazard to Tennesseans and other motorists." Henry's proposed resolution also brings up the Ford/Firestone SUV tire separation problems (although not by name), and the fact that former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater has established the goal of cutting truck-related fatalities by 50 percent over 10 years.
Harvey Brodsky of the Tire Retread Information Bureau says according to one of the group's Tennessee members, the likelihood of this Joint Resolution passing is very slim. However, Brodsky notes, "the consequences would be terrible for the retread and trucking industries in Tennessee, and it might spread like a virus to other states."
In response, TRIB sent Sen. Henry a letter of protest, along with an information packet and several videos about retreaded tires. "Retreaded tires have a long history of providing the trucking industry with a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to higher priced new tires," he wrote. "The safety of retreaded tires has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, and as you read this there are more than 100 million retreaded tires on the highways throughout America and the rest of the world. In fact, it is a safe bet that this letter (sent by Federal Express) is being delivered to you on retreaded tires."