Letters: Heat Waves & Tires, Transportation’s Vote

These Letters to the Editor appear in the Sept. 10 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

Heat Waves and Tires

The Aug. 6 issue of Transport Topics had an article headlined “Heat Wave Causing More Tire Failures, Adds Strain on Drivers, Fleet Execs Say” (p. 6). If there ever was a reason to maintain proper air pressure in tires, whether they are retreads or virgin tires — because there is no difference — it is hot weather.

The best thing a trucker can do, whether for a fleet of one truck or 1,000 trucks, is to check air pressure diligently at the very least weekly and preferably more often in hot weather.

Heat is a tire’s enemy, and that is another important reason to keep the proper amount of air in them and to lighten up on the fuel pedal in hot weather.

Other good things to consider are tire pressure monitoring systems and automatic tire inflation systems because they are not really a cost for a fleet but rather a good investment since they can more than pay for themselves in time — especially in hot weather.

Harvey Brodsky

Managing Director

Retread Tire Association

Pacific Grove, Calif. 

Transportation’s Vote

Dear Trucking Company Owner:

The transportation community should be a powerful voting bloc. And yet, we often are not taken very seriously as such. The rash of overbearing, draconian regulations that have come out of Washington the past few years is indicative of the lack of regard given our opinions or our votes.

There is a simple reason for this: We’re too busy working to keep America moving to get to the polling place to vote in the middle of a workweek.

I would wager that driver voting percentages are historically very low. That is why I am urging every company owner to develop a plan to educate, assist and encourage each of his or her drivers to consider participating in absentee balloting and/or early voting so they can be heard on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Helping your drivers participate in the political process will benefit your company, their jobs and the welfare of our entire industry. You, as a company owner, can make a huge difference in this year’s election with such a proactive plan.

Just a thought — start working on it today.

David Owen

President

National Association of Small Trucking Companies

Hendersonville, Tenn.