It can be easy to overlook the little things when it comes to fleet maintenance. Sure, if the engine’s on fire, you’ll notice that, but those small things, like the maintenance checklist items you may have missed, can still come back to bite you. It may not be as big of a bite, but a bite’s a bite, you know?
For today, let’s focus on tires. In talking to commercial tire makers across the industry, we learned some of the little things that can really matter to fleets. Let’s go over a few.
For one, having a policy for runout tires can be very important, as it unfortunately does happen for every fleet.
Tire makers recommend marking runout tires and pairing them up with a suitable tire to be used at the earliest convenience. This will keep the tire from aging out before it has reached the suitable amount of life cycles for that fleet, both the first life and retreads.
You should never operate a vehicle that has low or flat tires, damaged rims or wheels, missing bolts or cracked studs. A tire that has run at 20% or less of its normal operating pressure should be considered run flat. This tire should be removed and dismounted from the wheel for a thorough inspection by a technician before returning it to service.
Never weld or apply heat to a wheel or wheel parts.
When they’re not in use, store tires in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to avoid premature aging. Prevent exposure to ozone sources such as sun, arc-welders and mercury vapor light bulbs, as well as ultraviolet rays and inclement weather. Store tires standing upright on the tread and avoid stacking them if possible.
Avoid lifting tires through the center with a crane hook, which can damage the critical bead area. Instead, lift the tire under the tread by using flat straps.
Deflate the inner and outer tires of a dual fitment before removing any rim fixture from the hub of the vehicle.
Finally, remember that you improve what you measure, which means that keeping good records is one of the most important steps for a strong maintenance program, whether it’s tires or otherwise. With that in mind, all tires taken out of service should be recorded with the removal reason.
Fleet Equipment’s On The Road is sponsored by Rockland Flooring. Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every episode as we dive into the best practices and servicing information to keep your trucks On The Road.
