Read This Before You Blame Retreads for Rubber on the Road

Read This Before You Blame Retreads for Rubber on the Road  The following letter was written by a former president of TRIB, the Tire Retread Information Bureau, and tells of his recent experience while driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. HERCULES TIRE & RUBBER CO. 1300 Morrical Boulevard - Findlay, Ohio - 419/425-6400 - FAX 419/425-6402 Mr. Harvey Brodsky, TRIB SUBJECT: RUBBER ON THE ROAD Dear Harvey: Recently, while traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I was just about to pass a truck, and his left rear trailer tire let go. What caused the failure, I'm not sure, but the noise nearly caused me to loose control. If you've ever been on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, east of Pittsburgh, there is no median, only a guard rail. Recovering from the initial shock, I found myself behind the truck, still at legal speed. It took me a few minutes to gain my composure, but I noticed the truck made no effort to stop. I began to wonder how long he would run before stopping. There was room on the right shoulder. Driving the next 35 to 40 miles, the driver passed two exits and did not stop. However, after about 20 miles, a piece of tire came loose and eventually was disposed of on the road. I'm sure the driver was not aware of this since he did not reduce his speed. My next thought was whether the other dual would go on the trailer from overload and heat. It was obvious the driver was trying to save a service call when he finally exited near Breezewood, and entered a truck service area, not the restaurant area. Did he know he had lost the tire? The sound would indicate it. Did he realize he contributed to "rubber on the road"? If he didn't, at the time, he did when he replaced the tire. Could he have avoided "rubber on the road"? Yes, but it would have cost him a service call or down time. Was it a retread that failed? I'm not sure, but our industry undoubtedly took the blame for what was probably a maintenance problem, and an operators decision to reduce costs. Very truly yours, THE HERCULES TIRE & RUBBER CO. CRAIG E. ANDERSON  PRESIDENT

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