I’ve spent my fair share of time around truck tire dealers, and I’ll tell you what–-they are one heck of a dedicated group of people. They want you to have the truck tires you need, dedicating their lives to getting you the right rubber for your application-–long-haul, last mile delivery, forestry, fighting crime, whatever. Nowadays, it’s sometimes more of a “take what we can get” truck tire scenario. We all know about the supply issues, and this isn’t going away anytime soon. So how do you plan for your next set of tires in this cruel world?
You swallow the red pill, dive into the Matrix, and study the trends going on behind the scenes that are going to have lasting effects on your next tire purchase – and the next, and the next. And if I were a betting man, I’d say Gary Schroeder, Cooper Tire executive director of global truck & bus tires, makes that red pill part of his morning vitamin intake regimen. A superhero of sorts in the realm of commercial tire data, Schroeder always has his finger on the pulse of the industry, and at this year’s K&M tire dealer conference he gave dealers a rundown of four commercial trends that will affect their businesses in the immediate future, which in turn, will have a direct effect on fleets.
For example, Schroeder told dealers to stock up on 19.5-in. tires to have plenty in stock for the fast-growing last mile delivery segment. So, if you’re running trucks with popular size fitments like 16-, 17.5- and 19.5-in. tires, you might not experience the same supply constraints as your neighbor running 22.5s.
For all of Schroeder’s truck tire trends, visit our sister brand Tire Review for the full story below:
