As part of October’s Tyre Safety Month, TyreSafe is urging operators to carry out regular tyre safety checks to reduce the risks of tyre failure on the road and cut costs.
TyreSafe’s month-long campaign is an opportunity for all tyre companies to join forces and raise awareness of tyre safety. With more than half a million trucks on Britain’s roads, Tructyre is encouraging the transport industry to do its bit for road safety.
Liam Gorman is technical services manager at Tructyre, now part of Michelin’s Euromaster family. “With commercial tyres, it’s all about the frequency and professionalism of the tyre inspection,” he said. “ A quick look now and again doesn’t cut it.
“A regular, professional tyre survey is an exercise in protecting the fleet from risk. It will identify the precise time when a life-extending and safety enhancing service should be deployed. It will protect the fleet from downtime and poor tyre life, it can reduce vehicle emissions and the chance of mission-failure. Most importantly, it will uncover and resolve threats to the safety of the fleet and other road users.
“An inconsistent inspection regime will prematurely consign tyres to be the scrap pile whilst exposing the operation to risks that should be efficiently and economically mitigated.”
The first thing is a visual check of the condition of the tyre and its tread. Is there sufficient tread left for the safe operation of the vehicle in all weather conditions? Is it the right time to remove, retread or regroove? Are there any cuts or splits, cracks or bulges? Is there dangerously asymmetric wear, or are there some small, seemingly inconsequential defects developing that, if left unchecked, can have a big safety or economic impact?
The next item on the list is tyre pressure, something most operators would not expect the driver to check.
Gorman said: “Truck tyres, like any other tyre, only wear correctly and operate safely when inflated to the correct pressure. We talk about incorrect inflation, not just under-inflation. The load, operating conditions, and tyre temperature will vary throughout a day and the tyres need to be in a condition to support a fully loaded or unloaded vehicle in varied operating conditions.”
