Blazing Summer Temperatures Cause Tire Trouble for Truck Drivers

Article originally posted at Overdrive Online – Truck Driver News

Sometimes the easiest thing to do can become something extremely costly when ignored. Truck tires fall into this category, without a doubt.

South Carolina Trucking Association VP G.M. Scott Murrary said the summer’s record temperatures have caused tire-related problems to rise a noticeable amount. “Truck fleets or operators with good, well rounded tire management programs have seen their tire-related problems rise 5 to 8 percent this year,” Murray said.

Tires are the third-highest cost for truck operators. Still, the “cheapest product many times does not produce the lowest overall cost,” he said. “Truck tire pressure monitoring systems and proper inflation pressure are helping reduce tire problems and, certainly, frequent tire checks are needed to deal with the increased heat.”

Oklahoma has had a hike in blowouts and tire debris because of high temperatures this summer and last, said Terri Angier, a spokeswoman for Oklahoma Department of Transportation

“This has translated into our crews having to clear and remove this tire debris from the roadways more frequently, but hasn’t resulted in any increase in accidents due to the debris that ODOT is aware of since the highway patrol handles the accidents,” Angier said. “However, we would probably be made aware if there was a pattern of this.”

Frequent tire checks should be conducted year round. A tire that’s underinflated throughout the winter will become a blown tire in the summer.

Read more about how you can avoid losing tires and getting fined for having unsafe tires on your truck at Overdrive Online.

More about Health & Safety issues for truck drivers from CDL Life.