How Tire Data Helps Fleets Reduce Costs and Improve Safety
Commercial truck tires are one of the most expensive maintenance line items for fleets because they take a beating on every haul.
That’s why regular inspections and maintenance are critical. But some fleets still rely on hand gauges and a quick visual check to determine if their tires are in working order. That method leaves room for error.
Enter tire data collection. An automated system fills the information gaps sometimes left by manual assessment, and that can mean the difference between lower operating costs and a runaway budget.
What Is Tire Data in Fleet Management?
Commercial tire data includes tire pressure, temperature, tread depth, position, mileage, cost per mile and retread history. It’s a snapshot of a tire’s health and helps drivers and managers understand where each unit is in its lifecycle. You can collect it from walkaround inspections, technician assessments, tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), service invoices and telematics.
Data Points Worth Tracking
Cold inflation pressure: Tires can lose air slowly without anyone noticing. Check pressure before driving, while tires are cold, for accurate readings you can compare over time.
Tread depth: The depth of your tire tread reflects how much life each unit has left. Monitoring tread wear is essential for maintaining proper traction and braking performance, which directly impacts driver safety.
Irregular wear patterns: Signs of irregular tire wear are often the first warning that something is wrong with your tires or the mechanical components of your truck. Shoulder wear, cupping, scalloping, feathering and flat spots each point to different problems and help you identify what needs fixing.
Casing age: Rubber components can still break down even if the tread remains intact. Paying attention to the age of each tire helps you decide which casings are viable for retreading and which should be retired.
Retread history: Keeping track of which tires have been retreaded reveals how many lives each has lived. That insight allows you to determine whether another retread is still more cost-effective than a new tire.
Repair history: Take note of which tires and brands have undergone repeated repairs or roadside service. Patterns show where preventive maintenance needs to improve.
How a TPMS Fills Gaps Between Inspections
TPMS sensors are attached to valve stems, on the casing’s inner liner or mounted in the wheel end to track the internal temperature and inflation in real time. Because they feed you diagnostics, you can identify slow leaks and minor issues before they turn into costly repairs. Imagine the fuel you could save by catching an underinflated tire within minutes instead of hours down the road. You can use a TPMS alone or integrate it into a fleet telematics system so managers can alert you wherever you are.
How Tire Data Reduces Fleet Costs
Lower fuel spend: Because TPMS monitors tire inflation constantly, you’re less likely to operate on underinflated tires. That keeps rolling resistance, the force your engine works against to turn the tires, and the extra fuel it burns in check.
Longer tread life: Catching inflation problems early prevents the uneven, accelerated wear they cause. Tracking tire positions and wear patterns can also guide your rotation schedule.
More retreadable casings: Collecting tread depth data gives you the insight you need to pull the right tires at the right moment for retreading. You’ll know which casings qualify and reduce the likelihood of rejections.
Fewer emergency road calls: When data keeps your tires in good condition, you’re less likely to face a blowout or other tire-related emergency that requires roadside assistance. You’ll also save money on the associated repairs and downtime that can cut into your revenue.
Smarter purchasing power: Knowing the cost per mile for each tire helps you understand which tire brands and styles work best for your fleet, so you can buy with confidence.
Accurate budget forecasting: Tread wear patterns, repair history and cost per mile show when tires will need replacing and what they’ll cost, so you can budget ahead instead of reacting to failures.
How Tire Data Improves Safety and Compliance
Underinflated tires run hot and are a leading cause of blowouts, which put operators and other drivers at risk on the road. TPMS alerts flag small problems before they become failures. The information you glean from that equipment makes it easy to note operational variations that could make for a dangerous trip.
Tire violations are also among the most common citations found in roadside inspections and can hurt your fleet’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability score and lead to fines. Automated records make it easier to document inspections and fix issues before an inspector finds them.
Turning Tire Data into Action
All the data in the world isn’t valuable unless you act on it. Here are some ways to use tire insights:
- Set action thresholds for tire pressure and tread.
- Make pre-trip pressure checks a habit.
- Establish removal tread depths to optimize retreadability.
- Trace wear patterns back to their cause and schedule mechanical fixes promptly.
- Track road calls, average cost per mile, retread rate and tire duty cycle fleetwide.
- Assign someone to respond to tire alerts.
- Standardize documentation and keep all tire records in one place.
- Partner with a tire service provider for recommendations.
Data-Driven Tire Management at Bauer Built
Collecting tire data is one thing, but knowing how to use it takes expertise. You can count on Bauer Built to evaluate your fleet’s performance and deliver the services to act on what the data shows. From tire maintenance programs to mechanical services, we’ll keep your trucks rolling. Find a location near you to schedule an appointment.
Categories: Bauer Built Blog, Commercial Tire Tips
