We are on the threshold of the annual summer heat season and the associated road failures that it will bring. I want to take this opportunity to elevate what must surely be in the minds of all fleet managers so that you begin now to pay special attention to the several critical maintenance systems and components that could lead to costly road failures and unwanted affects on your delivery times.

As the largest division of my company deals with these issues each and every year, I can speak to these them first hand. In the interest of keeping my blog entries brief, I have broken down the issues into their various components. This week I'm going to focus on tires.

Each of the comments below should be well known to you, but just in case you've forgotten some, here they are again:

TIRES

• Obviously tire maintenance should be included within your priority focus. As most of you know, the highest percentage of tire failures are the result of less than adequate air pressure management. I can tell you from my background in fleet management that paying the proper attention to air pressure management is labor intensive, but it will pay immediate dividends. I categorize this as an investment rather than an expense. To minimize road failures, highly emphasized and regular yard checks, particularly on the outbound sector, are the most beneficial method of determining how well you are doing with your air system programs. Outbound inspection lanes are the best method, but if you are not in a position to have this type of service, regular yard checks also work well.

• Whether you run retreads or new tires, radius and diameter matching is also a major contributor to tire failures on dual axles. This is also a strategic process with associated labor, but again one I view as an investment.

• All tire manufacturers have proven programs to assist you in your tire management requirements; I suggest that if you don't have a qualified in-house program in place you contact your local tires dealer(s) or your national account representative to help you design a program that's tailored for your operation.

• Many carriers run retreads on tractor drive axles, dolly axles, and trailer applications. I am a proponent of this practice. Critical factors with retreads include casing age, casing quality, casing inspection, pre-retread repair, and most importantly, the retread process itself. The integrity of the retreading process and parameters you've set up in conjunction with your retreader are determining factors that affect the life of the retread. Stay close to your retreaders and make absolutely sure the collective recommendation for casing integrity is adhered to by your employees as well as the retreader's employees.

• Last but not least, count on your drivers to help you manage your tire maintenance program in every way that is feasibly possible. I know this is a tough one, but it will be well worth it. Case in point, it's already been proven that an increased emphasis on driving techniques improves fuel economy and is instrumental in increasing MPG. The same is true with tire life and additional driver training will have a measurable cost savings affect on your tire costs. Again, this is another training process that your tire manufacturer(s) can help you design and implement.

I will continue this blog in May with other systems and components that also require special attention during the summer months.