How Drivers Can Impact Tire Cost and Tire Safety

Tires are one of the biggest investments you will make on your truck, read this week's Safety Bulletin to learn how to train your employees to inspect and maintain healthy tires. Read the full safety bulletin here and subscribe to receive future safety bulletins straight to your mailbox. 

Next to fuel, tires have been and will continue to be the #1 maintenance issue facing fleets today. Drivers can enormously impact your tire expenses and their safety by completing thorough pre and post-trip inspections. During the pre and post-trip assessments, it is essential for drivers to visually inspect tires for any sign of irregular wear, cuts, snags, and punctures and report that information to the maintenance department either directly or through a Daily Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR). But what about checking the tire air pressures during these inspections? It does take time to review the air pressure on 6 to 18 tires, and how does the driver know that the pressure gauge he's using is accurate? After reviewing the air pressures, it is also possible that a valve core can stick, causing the tire to lose air. The driver must know the recommended air pressure for steer, drive, and trailer tires. Many fleets have different specs for air pressure depending on wheel position. Even if the driver completes these checks, what if he (or she) finds the inside dual drive tires are all 10 PSI too low? If the driver is on the road, will they take the vehicle to a truck stop to get air? The driver does not own the vehicle, so why should they care if the tire is 10 PSI underinflated? Educating your drivers upon hire and during employment about tire maintenance and safety can save you money. Most drivers have yet to learn that the tires on a tractor/trailer unit may have cost over $8,000. During new driver orientation and safety meetings, drivers need to hear about tires and how they can influence:

• Safety of operating the CMV.
• Tire removal mileage.
• Fuel economy.
• Retread ability.
• Tire-related roadside service breakdowns.

Drivers must understand that their jobs depend on helping their employer do everything possible to maximize their tire investment. If the driver understands a direct correlation between running tires underinflated and fuel economy, they could save the company close to $1000 per year in fuel alone. There's more that the driver can do: If the driver, in a pre/post trip inspection, can identify a possible vehicle alignment condition based on steer tire irregular wear, that tractor could be aligned, and the tires saved from early removal. And his driving habits also matter - if the driver accelerates slowly and makes smooth turns, tires will last much longer as the tread rubber will not be scrubbed off as quickly. Striking curbs is also a leading cause of prematurely ending a tire's life. Many fleets today recognize the role the driver can play in maximizing their tire budget. Some fleets provide an incentive program for those drivers who can generate the most miles from their tires and can consistently get the best fuel economy by keeping their tires properly inflated ALL the time. A program to educate drivers on these issues can quickly save your company money.

Measuring Tire Tread Depth

Tread depths need to be checked and recorded. DOT has a legal limit of -4/32" for steer tires and 2/32" of rubber for drive and trailer tires. That means that if any spot in the central grooves of a steer tire is found to be 4/32" or less, that tire must be removed from service. However, it can either be recapped or moved to the trailer and run down to 2/32" minimum before entering the recapping process. Drive tires must be removed from service or recapped when any major groove reaches 2/32" of rubber to be safe. The last tip about measuring tread depth: never measure in the decoupling groove, which is found in many steer tire designs to reduce irregular wear. This outside decoupling groove is sometimes known as a PDG groove (Pressure Distribution Groove), and it may be very deep or very shallow–but it is not the same depth as the significant tire grooves.

CVSA Releases Results of Operation Safe Driving Week

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has released the results of its Operation Safe Driver Week traffic-enforcement and safe-driving awareness and educational initiative held July 10 to 16, 2023.

State and provincial officers in the U.S. and Canada issued 4,494 tickets/citations and 5,756 warnings to drivers – commercial motor vehicle and passenger vehicle drivers combined.

A total of 4,592 warnings and 2,634 tickets/citations were given to commercial motor vehicle drivers, and officers issued 1,164 warnings and 1,860 tickets/citations to passenger vehicle drivers.

Speeding, the focus area for this year's Operation Safe Driver Week, was a top infraction for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passengers. Commercial motor vehicle drivers received 1,575 warnings and 715 tickets/citations, and passenger vehicle drivers received 625 warnings and 1,293 citations/tickets for speed-related infractions. Combined, 2,219 warnings and 2,024 citations/tickets were issued for speeding.

CVSA asserts that speeding accounts for nearly one-third of all fatalities on roadways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding-related fatalities increased 8% from 2020 to 2021, with 12,330 people killed in 2021 in speeding-related crashes, representing 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2021. Additionally, Transport Canada states that speeding/driving too fast accounted for 25.3% of all fatal roadway crashes in Canada in 2020.

Senators Introduce Bill to Impose Fees on Electric Vehicles and Batteries

Sen. Deb. Fischer (R-NE) and three cosponsors have introduced S. 2882, a bill to impose fees on electric vehicles and batteries and to dedicate the revenue to the Highway Trust Fund. The fees make up for revenue lost from federal excise taxes on the sale of gasoline or diesel fuel for these vehicles.

The bill would impose a tax of $550 on each battery module with a weight of greater than 1,000 pounds, which is (1) sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer thereof and (2) intended for use in an electric vehicle.

In addition, the bill would impose a tax of S1,000 on each light-duty electric vehicle under 8,500 pounds GVW sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer.

Time to Fall Back! Daylight Savings Time Change in Three Weeks!!

Daylight savings time will "fall back" at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 5.

Ensure all your drivers know that the change to daylight savings will occur. Caution route drivers that the amount of daylight will change according to their stops with the change. An intersection or street can present different challenges to drivers with an hour change in the sun's position. One hour of time difference can present unique adaptations to a driver on a route.

Atlanta Idealease to Hold an Open House and Debut the New Navistar eMV Battery Electric Medium Duty Truck!

If you are interested in attending and test driving this eMV, contact Atlanta Idealease at 770-590-5109

Register Now Online to Attend One of the Four Remaining 2023 Idealease/NPTC Safety Seminars!

Idealease and the National Private Truck Council NPTC will again host safety seminars in 2023.  The one-day seminar this year will focus on data available from trucks today with regard to safety, basic safety and compliance, regulation changes, and CSA. The seminars will be provided to all Idealease customers, potential customers, and NPTC members at no charge.   The seminar provides important information applicable to both novice and experienced transportation professionals.  Seminars currently available for registration have their venues secured.  If you are not able to register for the seminar in your area, check back, as registration availability will be added as the venues are secured.  This information will be updated weekly in this bulletin.  To register for an upcoming seminar in 2023, click on the following link:

http://www.idealease.com/safety-seminar-registration                 

FALL SEMINARS (Sept-Oct)

*The Idealease Safety Bulletin is provided for Idealease locations and their customers and is not to be construed as a complete or exhaustive source of compliance or safety information. The Idealease Safety Bulletin is advisory in nature and does not warrant, guarantee, or otherwise certify compliance with laws, regulations, requirements, or guidelines of any local, state, or Federal agency and/or governing body, or industry standard.