Retread tires are often used by transit, trucking and airlines, but motorcoach operators traditionally have been hesitant because of concerns that recycled tires don’t hold up as well as new tires.
Adam Hall, Field Sales Manager, Mileage Sales, for Bridgestone America’s tire operations, said those concerns often are based on a misunderstanding of how retreading technology has evolved.
Bridgestone offers retreads as a part of its mileage lease program.
“We always talk about the retreading, because it is part of the mileage lease program. In Fleet Care, we keep possession of the casing itself,” Hall said. “The customer is able to save money because they only have to pay for the casing if they damage it. They don’t have to pay for the whole tire or pay to have the scrap casing removed.”
Tire retread quality is higher
Hall says there are other misconceptions about retread tires.
“There are concerns about whether retreads are safe, and it goes back to many years ago when retreads involved different procedures,” he said. “Some resulted in tires falling apart on the road. Technology has changed. There is also better regulation now to keep bad apples out of the industry.”
Earlier this year, Hall organized a rare opportunity for BusWorld attendees to visit Pomp’s Tire Service, a retreading facility in Allen Park, Michigan, less than an hour’s drive from Detroit, where the conference was held. He worked with the Bridgestone Commercial Dealer Network (BCDN) to set up the tour. The network served as the connection between his team in Fleet Care and the franchise dealers and Pomp’s Tire Service.
Hall wanted to give those in the bus and motorcoach industry an opportunity to see the retreading process firsthand and ask questions. More than 50 people signed up.
“I wanted to work with some of the associations to educate the customers and the operators about retread tires,” Hall said.
Last year, he was appointed to the Bus Industry Safety Council (BISC), which is part of the American Bus Association. He also worked with the group to organize the tour.
“I was able to kind of be involved in the BISC planning sessions, and it really worked out when we were in Detroit to go a tour of the tire shop,” Hall said.
He added that the tour “opened a lot of people’s eyes because they got to see and touch the tires and learn more.”
A long-lasting product
Some of the facts Hall likes to share are that 80% of commercial airplanes use retreaded tires, and that retreads are often used on gigantic dump trucks.
“Retreads are created through a heat-cure process. It’s basically a really tight skin that is vacuum sealed. Not only is the curing happening, but it’s done under pressure so it minimizes tire stress and fatigue,” Hall said.
He noted there’s a record of a casing being retreaded 11 times.
“They are able to manufacture the retread at an even harder surface – that way you get more miles out of a retread than you do a native-type manufactured tire,” Hall said. “Everybody was really surprised about some of the facts that we were able to show them.”
Hall hopes to provide future tours when association gatherings are held near tire or retreading plants.
“Our tour went really well,” he said. “There are a lot of really good questions. It was a working facility that had shut down for a little bit of time for us to be able to take a look at things, so this was a special opportunity. I’m looking forward to putting together some more of those types of tours at association meetings.”
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