Truck tyres maybe a boring subject – but whether it be major fleets to single operators, tyres not managed properly will cost them big time!
This picture is a steer tyre on a major bus fleet in Sydney, serviced by a national tyre supplier. The tyre is not a cheap one and the fleet owner would expect to get long mileage to keep overall costs down.
Looking at the photo, it shows a fresh counter-weight fitted at top which was obviously fitted at the last tyre fitting… but bottom right shows an old counter-weight which should have been discarded when the new tyre was fitted.
This is a basic mistake and should not happen. Known as counter balance, it means it opposes or acts against a proper balanced unit. Balancing not only improves tyre wear and reduce irregular wear, it can lower driver fatigue, and reduce wear and tear on the vehicle’s suspension, not to mention the safety aspects of tyres which are soundly riding the road surface.
This is not the first time this neglect has been spotted. Poor service by any tyre fitter, and especially a national fleet provider, creates many side effects and inefficiencies for fleet operators which are hard to pin-point or even measure. Most of the time these go un-noticed and at minimum, the tyre will come off prematurely.