Check tires and wheels during EVERY vehicle inspection

All pre-trip and post trip inspections, as well as any general walk around inspection should always include a tire check.

In short, you should be specifically looking for the following:

• Check tread depth for wear (steer or front axle tires should have 4/32nd and all other tires should have at least 2/32nd inch minimum tread depth)
• Check for tread separation
• Check tire’s air pressure with an air pressure gauge, maintain the pressure according to the manufacturer’s specs (this should be done weekly on field vehicles)
• Check rims for damage and wear
• Look for loose or missing lug nuts
• Watch for debris that could be lodged between the wheels on dual tires
• Watch for damage caused by road hazards (nails, screws, sidewall damage etc)
• Check for mismatched tires (such as mixing bias and radial tires on the same axle)
• Ensure valve stem covers are in place
• Check for dry rot, especially on tires in hot/dry climates or on vehicles that haven’t been driven for an extended period of time

Additional tips for prolonging the life of your tires:

• Avoid hitting pot hole/curbs at high speeds
• Rotate and balance tires regularly – recommendation is to do it along with every or every other oil change
• Keep vehicle’s front end properly aligned

If you have any questions about what we have reviewed over the past few weeks, please notify your supervisor, a field safety coordinator or DOT coordinator to get them answered.