North American truck companies save $2 billion per year using retread tires. That’s a great figure, but most fleet operators are more concerned about actual savings for their own business, not the entire industry. If you’re like most commercial fleets, tires are one of the largest items in your operating budget. Getting the lowest cost-per-mile out of each tire directly impacts your bottom line. Here’s how having a good tire asset management program that includes tire retreading can reduce your tire costs.
How Tire Retreading Works
Before we can talk about retread savings, it’s important to understand how tire retreading works. When tires are taken out of service, the tread may be the only part worn down. The casing, the core of the tire, can often be remanufactured with new tread to extend the life of the tire. About 50% of commercial truck tires in current use are retreads. Modern manufacturers design their tires to be retreaded two or three times, so it’s important that your fleet takes advantage of that. Reusing the casing multiple times reduces the number of new tires that you will have to buy, resulting in significant savings.
How Much Do Retread Tires Cost?
Retread tires cost about 50% less than a premium new tire and 20% less than more economical brands. A retread tire can save from 20% to 50% on your tire costs. You may not realize it, but the tread of the tire is actually the least expensive part of the tire to manufacture! The casing is a valuable tire asset. Reusing the casing maximizes the initial investment by extending the tire’s life just by replacing the tread. Retread tires have similar fuel efficiencies as new tires. They perform as well as new tires at a fraction of the cost.
Casing Management
Casings are the most important element for tire retreading. Taking care of the casing so that it can be retreaded is vital to your tire management program. When a tire has a blowout, it will end the life of the casing. So it is paramount to have proper inflation since improper inflation, especially underinflation, damages and destroys casings. Getting a tire out of service before the casing is damaged minimizes the loss. Educate your drivers to pay attention to tread wear and condition of a tire in order to extend the life of each tire.
STTC’s Tire Retreading Process
At STTC, we use new technologies at every stage in the process of retreading to ensure the tire meets safety standards and performs effectively on and off the road. Our retreading compounds meet high-quality controls and are designed to have maximum reliability and wear for driver comfort and to extend casing life. Every retread tire reduces the number of tires in landfills and uses 15 gallons of oil less than manufacturing new tires. In addition to saving money, retread tires support green initiatives. Your casings can be retread to meet the needs of your fleet, whether the truck drives long-haul over-the-road, makes urban deliveries, or is a hybrid that is driven both on- and off-road.
Give us a call now at 610-954-8473 or contact us online to discuss tire retreading. Our professional, experienced team can help your fleet improve your tire efficiency and save more.
