Why have a tire management policy for your fleet?

Transport fleets have several stages in their routine, and it is important to have visibility and control over each one. To achieve this, documents such as a tire management policy are needed to define obligations and responsibilities in this area.

A tire management policy is a manual developed to instruct employees about tasks within the fleet, each person's responsibilities, how to act in certain situations and other information.

Read on to learn:

• What a tire management policy is;
• Why a tire management policy matters for fleets;
• What information to include in a tire management policy.

What is a tire management policy?

Similar to a fleet policy, a tire management policy is a document that establishes rules and activities for how this process should work in the day-to-day running of transport operations.

It does not even need to be a standalone file: it can be a chapter specifically covering tire management within the fleet policy document.

This policy is also a way of organizing the responsibilities of employees who perform tasks related to the fleet's tires.

What is the purpose of this tire-specific policy?

Just as a fleet policy describes proper vehicle care to improve durability and preservation, a tire management policy describes the best care for the operation's tires, aiming to extend their useful life and reduce fleet costs.

In general, a tire management policy serves to:

• Define activities and who is responsible for each one in tire management processes;
• Describe the goals of tire management;
• Define the tire management performance indicators that matter most to the company;
• Describe risks and solutions related to the fleet's tires.

Why is a tire management policy important?

This is an important document because it defines the proper care of the fleet's tires and how activities should take place.

Besides instructing drivers and other employees about their actions and activities, a tire management policy also serves as a way to protect the manager if tires are handled improperly.

That is why this document should be presented and made available to all fleet employees involved in the process.

Its importance also becomes clear when this tire care starts to deliver the expected results of good management: lower costs, greater tire durability, less frequent vehicle maintenance and lower fuel consumption.

What kind of information should a tire management policy include?

When to change tires

Tire replacement forecasts are based on keeping track of tread wear, so there is no very precise point for this to happen. However, you can describe some rules in the policy, such as:

• Tire replacement must be approved by the fleet manager;
• Tires should only be replaced with new models after an issue has been identified during tire inspection;
• Before changing tires, the information behind this decision must be recorded, and photos of the replaced tires must be included in the fleet's system.

The ideal time for tire disposal

In tire management, understanding why tires are discarded is essential, because this information allows you to take the most appropriate action to avoid further early disposals for the same reasons.

Just as there is no fixed date for replacing a tire, there is also no way to calculate when it will be discarded.

However, you can assess early disposals and understand what should change in routine tire care processes to increase asset durability.

This is what your tire management policy should make clear.

Rules and schedule for tire inspection

Fleet tire care takes place at different times, some activities more often than others. The manager is responsible for understanding when each activity should take place and showing this clearly in the fleet document.

Including a schedule that shows tasks and when they happen in a very visual way is an excellent alternative for avoiding confusion and misunderstandings.

Tire legislation that must be followed

It is important for everyone to be aware of their legal obligations and the consequences in each case. In addition, noncompliance with tire legislation (or other legislation) should be covered in your management and organization of internal processes.

If a driver receives fines or suspensions, there will also be consequences within the company. These issues can also be established in advance in your policy.

All these tips are important, but you can learn even more in our e-book “How to manage tires well” — the download is completely free (in Portuguese).