If you think you re seeing more tire debris along roads these days, you may be right. But to the trucking, tire and retread industries, as well as several safety groups, the problem is a serious issue. Most of the tire debris collected by TMC s task force was from retread material.
Safety organizations see retread tire failures as a significant highway hazard.
Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety are among groups that have called for greater government oversight of retreading procedures, including curbs on the number of times tires can go through the process. Not only would such a change increase the cost of retreads, it also could expose manufacturers and users to legal action from damage and other claims. All this is making many in the industry nervous. Heavy-duty truck operators are especially worried. The booming economy means there are more big trucks on the nation s highways, and they are considered the biggest source of the problem.