Tire disposal: how to reduce fleet losses

Do you need to save more in your transport operation? Tire disposal may be getting in the way of your cost reduction goal.

Losing tires before they reach their expected useful life cannot be normal in your fleet. Besides the cost of buying a new tire, premature loss eliminates opportunities for refurbishment, casing reuse and cost per kilometer control.

So keep reading this post to learn more about:

• Average monthly tire disposal in a fleet;
• The difference between purchasing and retreading costs;
• How much you could save without premature tire disposal.

What is the average monthly tire disposal in a fleet?

Each operation has a different average, as each has its own number of license plates and tires. As an example, we can analyze the case of one of the companies already using Prolog in its operation. 

This operation has around 1,200 tires and 76 license plates and, before starting an efficient fleet tire management routine, it was losing around 11 tires per month. 

This considers only premature tire disposal, without making use of the asset's entire useful life.

Another company, with just over 1,300 vehicles, was losing an average of 6 tires per month, reaching up to 8 premature losses in some periods.

The numbers vary across different scenarios, but the central issue is the same: 

Finding solutions to reduce fleet tire costs by keeping track of each asset's maintenance, pressure, wear, damage and usage history.

What is the difference between purchasing and retreading costs?

Buying a new tire and sending a suitable tire for retreading are decisions with very different cash flow impacts. When calculating tire CPK, it is common to add the purchase amount to repairs and retreading services; losing a casing early therefore matters more than it seems.

Retreading is the process of refurbishing a tire by replacing its tread. In Brazil, suppliers of this service must be registered with Inmetro, Brazil's metrology institute, and refurbishment is subject to mandatory conformity assessment.

In other words, if the fleet loses tires every month and needs to replace them with new ones, it misses an alternative that could extend casing use when the casing is still in good condition. Actual savings depend on tire price, service, region, application and casing condition.

And, considering that pressure, vehicle weight and tire size affect the final cost per kilometer, the decision to buy, repair, refurbish or replace needs to be supported by consistent history and inspections.

We also bring up this comparison because one of the most common reasons for premature tire disposal is, in many cases, retread rejection.

Why does retread rejection happen?

The main reason is casing fatigue or damage that has become excessive, making tire repair no longer worthwhile because it will not regain the conditions needed for good performance on the road, and may even be dangerous to use.

What brings a tire to these stages is a lack of proper management.

When you skip management steps, such as tire inspection and wear level control, you lose information that helps determine deadlines and forecasts for asset replacement.

This allows items to run to their limit, causing irregular wear, bulges or cuts, among other damage also caused by driving with incorrectly inflated tires and leading to retread rejection.

How much could you save without premature tire disposal?

Potential savings depend on fleet size, the number of premature losses, purchase price, refurbishment cost and the ability to preserve casings in good condition. Rather than work with a fixed, outdated average, the more reliable approach is to calculate the impact using the operation's own data.

However, savings go beyond this, as implementing fleet tire management also contributes to reducing maintenance and fuel costs. And this is the answer to the next question:

How can tire disposal be avoided?

For this, you need tire management in your operation. This includes regular tire inspections, paying attention to correct pressure, tread wear and visible damage.

When you notice calibration issues, you can take the necessary corrective action, opening service requests to have the pressure corrected. 

Likewise, if there is accelerated or excessive wear, you can analyze this tire's information history and seek an explanation, such as using lower air pressure than required or using the tire on an unsuitable route.

Most important in preventing premature tire disposal is keeping track of tread depth to decide the right time to retread or replace tires. In Brazil, traffic legislation uses a remaining tread depth below 1.6 mm as the reference for an irregular condition, detected visually by wear indicators; for management, analysis should take place before the tire reaches this limit.

The company that was losing 11 tires per month, for example, achieved a 47.8% reduction in tire disposal after acquiring a tire management system with electronic tire inspection. In Prolog, inspection with an electronic tread probe records each tire's tread depth, supporting the routine of keeping track of tires.

Want to know how much you could be saving too? Calculate your savings using this Prolog calculator.