Managing fleet tires: 12 points managers should know

Managing tires is a fundamental part of fleet management and transport operations. It is an activity that ensures fleet safety, savings and productivity.

This is because tires, besides their main function of supporting the moving vehicle, affect other aspects, such as fuel economy and vehicle structure. That is why managing fleet tires needs to be a function that spans different departments and strategies.

See the most valuable tips for managing tires in your operation:

• Tire inventory makes demand predictable;
• Assessing individual performance saves money when buying new tires;
• Identifying ideal tire pressure ensures a longer useful life;
• Understanding tire wear levels helps strategies to prevent premature loss;
• Implementing tire rotation extends asset durability;
• Managing tires contributes to fuel savings;
• Smart data use improves tire management;
• Managing tires effectively directly affects operating costs;
• Strategic partnerships with suppliers and partners help the fleet save money;
• Keeping up with trends helps you make informed decisions;
• Complying with legislation and regulations contributes to safe operations and helps avoid penalties;
• Tire performance indicators lead to better problem identification and resolution.

Tire inventory makes demand predictable

Performing a tire inventory is essential for an accurate view of the quantity and condition of tires in your fleet. This record will give you information about tires in use, new ones and those that have been retreaded.

This ensures a forecast of future asset demand and helps plan tire purchases and maintenance.

The inventory also gives you a better view of tire health, average useful life and whether replacement is needed in the short term.

Assessing individual performance saves money when buying new tires

Individual performance analysis for each tire make and model is a guide to optimizing purchases. This performance can be measured by calculating tire CPK, where a lower value indicates higher efficiency.

It is important to assess each tire individually and consider different variables, such as the route traveled, the driver responsible and other specific operating conditions.

This generates a broad understanding of how the tire works, determining whether it performs the same at different times during use.

Otherwise, you need to invest in different makes and models, using them according to the situations in which they proved most suitable in your fleet operations.

Identifying ideal tire pressure ensures a longer useful life

Determining and maintaining proper tire pressure is essential for managing tires efficiently. Using incorrect pressures can lead to uneven wear and unwanted tire damage.

Ideal pressure, on the other hand, allows the tire to maintain a suitable contact surface with the road, minimizing wear and the likelihood of cuts and bulges.

In addition, casing integrity will be preserved, allowing future retreading — which results in an increase in the tires’ useful life.

Understanding tire wear levels helps strategies to prevent premature loss

By measuring tread depth during tire inspection, it is possible to categorize wear as low, medium or excessive.

This assessment allows you to implement preventive strategies, such as planned fleet tire replacement, not only avoiding fines but also ensuring vehicle safety and savings.

Implementing tire rotation extends asset durability

Tire rotation consists of changing tire positions on the same vehicle. The configuration may vary, but an example would be moving the front right tire to the rear left position.

This practice helps preserve tires, ensuring more even wear across all the vehicle’s tires.

When planning your fleet’s tire control, it is important to define a schedule for all these tasks, from pressure inspections to rotation.

Managing tires contributes to fuel savings

Inadequate tire pressure increases engine effort, leading to more fuel being burned.

When this is not the case, another problem can affect efficient fuel consumption: rubber wear. Worn tires compromise braking and acceleration, impairing vehicle efficiency and performance.

Both scenarios negatively influence the fleet’s fuel consumption.

Smart data use improves tire management

Collecting tire data, especially pressure and tread depth, is essential to understand how tires work and accurately calculate their replacement forecast and cost per kilometer.

In addition, it is important to integrate data from other departments, such as fleet maintenance and fuel management. This is because tires are directly related to problems emerging in these areas.

Thus, keeping track of these external results also makes it possible to identify the actions needed in tire management.

Managing tires effectively directly affects operating costs

Given the relationship between tires and other vehicle parts, their management influences maintenance and fuel consumption.

Proper management results in reduced operating costs, as it maintains even tire wear and ensures greater efficiency throughout their useful life.

Strategic partnerships with suppliers and partners help the fleet save money

Establishing connections with suppliers offering competitive tire prices and discounts is a way to ensure savings.

In addition, having partners for services such as retreading is a smart strategy that contributes both to fleet savings and to fleet asset durability.

Keeping up with trends helps you make well-founded decisions

Technological progress is not limited to management systems; it includes the tools used in day-to-day operations, such as probes for collecting pressure and tread depth readings.

Furthermore, technologies are also involved in the tire manufacturing process itself. New materials and processes, such as those for puncture-resistant tires, are emerging and evolving every day.

Always keeping up with tire management trends is an efficient way to adopt the best practices and innovations for your fleet.

Complying with legislation and regulations contributes to safe operations and helps avoid penalties

Knowledge of tire legislation is essential to having a safer fleet and avoiding fines.

In Brazil, the “bald tire fine,” for example, imposes a serious penalty and can lead to the vehicle being impounded. Keeping tires compliant therefore helps avoid traffic fines and, more importantly, have safe, accident-free operations.

Tire performance indicators lead to better problem identification and resolution

Performance indicators are crucial for understanding the results of tire management actions. They help you understand not only management efficiency but also identify specific failures at different stages of the process.

These insights allow you to manage tires with much more focused and effective decisions.

Continue learning more about managing tires and the steps for your management routine in a Fleet Tire Management Map. Get yours! (in Portuguese)