Solving small fleets' tire dilemma

Bigger fleets have a leg up on the small ones in tire spec’ing. They usually have the resources to study and evaluate tires and they can more conveniently collect data on past experience with various makes and models of tire.

When your scribe still worked as an owner-operator—more than 25 years ago—evaluating tires before purchasing wasn’t an option. It still isn’t, but there are more resources available to owner-ops and small fleets today. Primarily, dealers.

A reputable dealer helped me understand the options and the price points available to me, and after I had given him my tire wish list, he recommended a few options—and explained the trade-offs.

Acknowledging that tires are generally better today than 25 or 30 years ago, you now usually get two out of the three main selling points in a tire: traction, good fuel mileage, and durability.

And while it’s not universally true (it was with me), owner-ops and smaller fleets may not have the big-fleet tire budgets. Consequently, some smaller fleets might focus more on the price of the tires and less on operational considerations, noted Valentino Faraone III, regional vice president and new product development manager at CMA/Double-Coin.

“This is where dealer partners play a critical role,” he suggests. “They are experts on the brands they carry. They listen to the needs expressed by a fleet and make professional recommendations based on their experiences.”

And the other problem some small fleets face is adequate maintenance. If the truck isn’t properly maintained, particularly components and systems that impact tires, such as suspensions, alignment, and steering geometry, a tire may tear up before it wears out. Unfortunately, this can also leave the buyer with a bad impression of the tire or the brand.

So, while pricing will always be a consideration, it shouldn’t necessarily be the primary purchase motivator.

If you’re a small fleet lacking the resources for full-scale tire evaluations, discuss the options with your dealer and consider these strategies. They might provide adequate before-purchase insights.

• Declare a “tire week” at regular intervals, say once per quarter, and track your tires carefully for the period, monitoring fuel consumption and tread wear between intervals. You’ll get a snapshot of the tire you can compare with previous data, including seasonal swings.
• Ask some of your more reliable drivers, ones who run steady routes fairly consistently and can diligently monitor their tires. Inform the drivers what you’re up to and maybe add some incentive to keep them onside during the evaluation.
• Check out what tires your competitors are running. This is fraught with risk because you won’t know what went into their spec’ing decision. Maybe they bought inexpensive tires in an effort to keep costs down. If you’re in a business similar to another large company, take a peek at their tires. There may be clues you can use.