When you’re moving more than 26,000 lbs as the gross combination weight of your truck, you will choose to check the quality of your tires regularly. When you talk through over the road (OTR) trucking jobs where you will be driving hundreds of miles for perhaps, 300 days of the year, those tires have a lot of work to support.
Who Checks Your Tires?
The answer is simple; you do and your trucking business does, because your life depends upon it and your trucking company cares more for you than the payload it’s carrying. Insurance claims can affect how a trucking company can work in the future.
Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Inspectors will always take a close look at your tires, but this need not be anything to fear because checking your own tires keeps your truck and business on the road.
Those regular inspections will measure the depth of your tire tread. They will want to check the pressure of each tire and that there is clear space between dual tires. Should your tire deteriorate with bulges or deep cuts in the sidewalls, you will know it’s time to replace the tire to keep you safe on the roads. This also shows the serious attitude required by employers offering OTR trucking jobs.
What Are the Inspectors Looking for?
The inspectors are checking that the tires are in good condition for your safety, the safety of the payload and the safety of other road users. The most common problems are related to the tread, particularly when the tread separates from the casing.
On occasions inspectors can see chords and belts visible when the tread is worn too far.
Any tires that are showing early signs of internal damage, which will display as deformities in the sidewalls like cuts and bulges, should be seen by the driver before the inspectors get the opportunity.
Drivers will be aware that the rules surrounding underinflated tires have been modified during 2016. It is every driver’s responsibility to know, understand and apply these rules to your truck.
Can You Stay On the Road with Poor Tires?
The rules are extremely clear and you should know them when you apply for any OTR trucking jobs. There are exact decisions about the standard of your tire that either allows it to stay on your vehicle or it must be taken out of service to remedy the defect before it can continue back on the road.
You will be wasting valuable time if your truck is off the road and more importantly if you stay on the road with poor tires you may put yourself out of work too quickly.
To find out more about the existing OTR trucking jobs, please talk to H.O. Wolding Trucking Services. Should you favor over the road work, think of it as a lifestyle more than a job.
