Bridgestone plans retread tire educational tour
Bridgestone announced the launch of an industry campaign aimed to educate small and medium-sized fleets on the benefits of tire retreads. The "Fleets We Depend On" educational tour will showcase who "everyday heroes" - such as fire departments and school bus fleets - rely on retread tires for their operations. The campaign is designed to showcase that retreads are a reliable option for all fleets. The educational tour to 27 stops across the U.S. and Canada, now through the end of July. The campaign will feature branding from Bridgetone's dedicated retread division, Bandag.
The announcement was made during the Technology & Maintenance Council's (TMC) Annual Meeting & Expo in Atlanta, held March 17-20.
"Adoption rate among large fleets is really high already. Looking to reach small to mod sized fleets," says LaTres Jarrett, director of marketing, Bandag, U.S and Canada, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. "A comprehensive tire program that includes retreads is important to the bottom line." She adds that the campaign is designed to inform and incentivize the fleets for using retread tires.
When tire casing is maintained, fleets can get up to 1 million miles out of the tire, adds to Bridgestone's Steve Sutherland, vice president of marketing, commercial group, U.S. and Canada, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
In addition to the educational tour, the campaign will recognize one fleet through a "Fleets We Depend On" industry award. Fleets can be nominated through the Bandag website or during any of the roadside stops for the tour. The winner will be announced in September, and will receive a cash prize of $5,000, plus a matching donation to charity organization of their choice.
The roadside tour will feature multiple stations during it's roadside stops, including: an example cutout of a tire's casing; a station displaying an example of a retread tire versus a new tire side-by-side; an educational station with information from a retread report making a business case for retreading; a testimonial booth where attendees can share their experience working in the trucking industry; an interactive station with videos showing the retread production process; and a quiz station where attendees can test their knowledge on the retread process.
About the Author
Erica Schueller
Media Relations Manager | Navistar
Erica Schueller is the Media Relations Manager for Navistar.
Before joining Navistar, Schueller served as Editorial Director of the Endeavor Commercial Vehicle Group. The commercial vehicle group includes the following brands: American Trucker, Bulk Transporter, Fleet Maintenance, FleetOwner, Refrigerated Transporter, and Trailer/Body Builders brands.
An award-winning journalist, Schueller has reported and written about the vehicle maintenance and repair industry her entire career. She has received accolades for her reporting and editing in the commercial and automotive vehicle fields by the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA), the International Automotive Media Competition (IAMC), the Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards and the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) Azbee Awards.
Schueller has received recognition among her publishing industry peers as a recipient of the 2014 Folio Top Women in Media Rising Stars award, acknowledging her accomplishments of digital content management and assistance with improving the print and digital products in the Vehicle Repair Group. She was also named one Women in Trucking’s 2018 Top Women in Transportation to Watch.
She is an active member of a number of industry groups, including the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), the Auto Care Association's Young Auto Care Networking Group, GenNext, and Women in Trucking.
In December 2018, Schueller graduated at the top of her class from the Waukesha County Technical College's 10-week professional truck driving program, earning her Class A commercial driver's license (CDL).
She has worked in the vehicle repair and maintenance industry since 2008.