Each time we retread the casings it costs only 25 to 30 percent of the price of a new tire. We have also found that we don't sacrifice a bit of tread life by using retreads. On the contrary, when the original tread is worn off, we've found a premium retread will give us up to three times the wear we were getting from the original tread in some applications. Our experience has been that we get as good or better wear from the retread in all applications. Standardization is the second part of Robotham's successful tire program.
Tire maintenance is the final element in the success formula.
Even premium new tires will only provide you with quality retreadable casings if they are properly maintained. In addition to that, our vehicle maintenance people are looking at the tires each day as the vehicles are parked in the yard. When you're talking about a truck and a two-man crew you can be talking about a substantial waste of money if that truck is stopped beside the road for a tire failure. Our fleet is pared down to a minimum number of vehicles for economic reasons. Operational readiness is critical to the utility business.