For most fleets, tires represent the third largest item in their operating budget, right after labor and fuel costs. Fleet managers have found they can reduce their tire costs by at least 50 percent by a retread of their casings at least twice. Retreads are the replacement tires of choice for most truckers. Of the 32.2 million replacement tires purchased by fleets last year, 18.7 million were retreads and only about 13.5 million were new replacement tires. Retreads are also environmentally friendly.
Tires are basically petro-chemical products.
It takes 22 gallons of oil to manufacture one new truck tire. Most of the oil is found in the casing, which is reused in the retread process. As a result, it takes only 7 gallons of oil to produce a retread truck tire. Retread companies, like trucking companies, have experienced considerable consolidation. Today, the most successful retread companies are those with the highest quality products, delivering the best possible return on investment to the fleets.