The Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) has long bristled at the perception that pieces of truck tire visible at the side of highways have come from retread tires.

 

The Pacific Grove, Calif.-based group has thus been heartened by a new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that confirms this roadside debris comes from all types of truck tires, with retreads not represented disproportionally.

 

“If you are certain that tire debris on our highways (also known as ‘rubber on the road’ or ‘road alligators’) is caused by retreads, you need to read the NHTSA Commercial Medium Tire Debris Study just released,” the organization says in a news release.

 

“It is a 214 page document [that] should prove once and for all that the true cause of tire debris on our highways is NOT because of retreads,” TRIB continues. “The study contains a huge amount of important information about the true causes of tire debris, but it makes clear that retreads are not to blame.”

 

The NHTSA report’s summary, found on page 188 of the document, states in part, “The analysis of tire fragments and casings collected in this study has found that the proportion of tire debris from retread tires and OE (original equipment) tires is similar to the estimated proportion of retread and OE tires in service. Indeed, the OE versus retread proportions of the collected tire debris broadly correlated with accepted industry expectations.”

 

With words that serve to hearten the retreading industry, the summary continues, “Additionally, there was no evidence to suggest that the proportion of tire fragments/shreds from retread tires was overrepresented in the debris items collected. Examination of tire fragments and tire casings (where the OE or retread status was known) found that road hazard was the most common cause of tire failure, at 38 percent and 36 percent respectively. These results suggest that the majority of tire debris found on the nation’s highways is not a result of manufacturing/process deficiencies.”

 

Concludes TRIB in its news release, “We knew it all the time, but it’s nice to see that the federal government agrees with us.”

 

More information on the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau can be found on at http://www.retread.org

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