A major concern facing truck fleets is maintaining proper inflation pressures. Tires naturally lose inflation over time, which results in several inefficiencies. The contact patch, or the portion of the tire that is in contact with the road surface, becomes distorted and uneven when underinflated. This under inflation produces higher than optimum rolling resistance and heat builds up in the tire, resulting in higher fuel consumption and reduced tire life. To correct these conditions, Bandstra Transportation has initiated a Tire Fleet Check program to monitor the tire pressures for all equipment on a regular basis, ensuring the optimum inflation pressures are maintained.
Bandstra Transportation relies on a quality tire retreading program. Tires are produced using petrochemical products that are unsustainable for our environment. By utilizing retreaded tires in our tire program we can ensure we are taking steps to do our part in becoming a “green” environmentally friendly transportation company. Typical tire manufacturing processes consume approximately 22 gallons of oil in the production of a single new tire, whereas the retreaded tires consume less than 7 gallons of oil to produce the same quality product. We closely monitor tire wear rates to determine which types of tires are best suited for our operations. We have chosen tires that are designed to operate with the lowest rolling resistance and coolest operating temperatures, while still providing acceptable durability.
In the fall season, all of our highway tractor units are equipped with optimum winter drive tires that are chosen for their superior performance in adverse northern winter driving conditions. Even though regulations would allow us to operate with the same tires, our pull points are chosen to provide an extra margin of safety in winter conditions.
