Taking Tires for a Test Drive

Tires operate in all kinds of conditions. Be sure your testing reflects the environment in which the tires will serve. Photo: Jim Park

If you want to test drive some new tires before you buy — and who wouldn't — be prepared to invest significant time and energy in the project.

You need patience to produce a successful tire evaluation. Diligent record keeping and careful observation will help, but it can take two years or more to get an accurate picture of how tires will perform in a specific application.

It takes time and miles for tread rubber to scrub away and for any irregular wear problems to appear. All the while, the test tires will be at the mercy of the mechanical condition of the truck, road hazards, ambivalent or unknowing technicians, and the habits of the drivers piloting the test trucks. That's a lot of variables from which to draw hard conclusions about tire performance.

Peggy Fisher, president of Tire Stamp Inc. and expert-at-large on the ATA's Technology & Maintenance Council's S.2 Tire and Wheel Task Force, orchestrated many such tire evaluations during her days as a fleet tire manager with Roadway Express back in the '80s. She managed nearly 200,000 tires on 30,000 pieces of equipment — and tested many thousands of tires.

“Because tire testing for tread wear and durability can take years, the biggest issue in running these tests is keeping maintenance personnel aware that the test is still ongoing,” she says. “This becomes harder to do the larger the fleet and the more people touching the test tires.”

Fisher points to TMC recommended practice 230B as the ideal template for tire durability and tread wear evaluation. One of the TMC's longer RP documents at 20 pages, it's very comprehensive and includes tools for recording data and making evaluations.

Among the ...Read the rest of this story

Earnings Watch: Werner Rises 27%

Trucking and logistics provider Werner Enterprises has reported that its earnings climbed 27% for the second quarter, compared to the same period a year ago.

Werner said it ended Q2 with earnings per diluted share of $0.32 compared to earnings per diluted share of $0.25 for Q2 2016. The company noted that Q2 '16 results included a $3.4 million pre-tax gain, or three cents per diluted share, on the sale of real estate.

“Second quarter 2017 freight demand in our One-Way Truckload fleet improved seasonally throughout the quarter,” Werner said in a statement. “The seasonal improvement was better than normal in some periods of second quarter 2017, compared to seasonally softer than normal freight demand in second quarter 2016. Freight volumes thus far in July 2017 in One-Way Truckload have been seasonally better than normal and stronger than the same period in July 2016.”

Werner reported average revenues per tractor per week increased 4.1% in this year's Q2 compared to the same period a year earlier due to a 2.4% increase in average revenues per total mile and a 1.7% increase in average miles per truck.

“During second and third quarter of 2016, to take advantage of a strengthening Dedicated market, we moved trucks from One-Way Truckload, lessening the need to find freight for trucks in the more challenged one-way truckload market,” the company pointed out “The shifting of trucks to shorter-haul Dedicated from longer-haul One-Way Truckload had a favorable impact on revenue per total mile and an unfavorable impact on miles per truck.”

The company also advised that freight volume metrics have improved, evidenced by a lower empty mile percentage, rising average miles per truck, and higher pricing for transactional spot market shipments. “Assuming this freight volume trend continues, we expect contractual rates to begin to improve over the next few quarters, particularly noting ...Read the rest of this story

Alphabet beats Wall Street estimates; revenue up 21 percent

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Texas Utility Starts Drone Pilot Program

Photo via Pixabay

New Braunfels Utilities (Texas) will use an unmanned aerial system, or drone, to inspect about 500 power poles along five miles of distribution lines, reports San Antonio Express-News. Historically, this job was done by workers in elevated bucket trucks.

The pilot program will cost $35,000 and is expected to take about a week to complete. The drone is equipped with regular and infrared camera. Video from the drone will be analyzed to identify loose connections, leaking oil, rust and deterioration, and any hot spots.

CPS Energy in San Antonio completed a similar pilot, where it inspected 50 towers in 2.5 days, a job that would have taken two to three weeks using bucket trucks.

Related: Drones in Truck Fleets: Beyond Package Delivery

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