The basics
What it is
A tire that is low is a tire that is overloaded.
A tire truck comes to your yard or the job and does the work there. Flat repair, mounting and dismounting, swapping a steer or drive tire, rotations where they make sense, pressure checks, valve stems, and wheel torque. Emergency calls too.
On work trucks the tires carry unusual loads. A bucket truck or a digger derrick puts a lot of weight on the front axle, and the load changes with the body, the tools and the fuel. The federal inspection rule treats weight over the tire's load limit as a defect, and says that includes a tire overloaded because it is low on air. So pressure is not a comfort setting. It is the load rating.
Load and inflation come from the tire maker's data and the Tire and Rim Association tables, set from what the axle really carries, not from a guess. A trip to the scale is the best way to know.
Who it is for
Who needs it
If the tire shop is an hour away, the tire shop should come to you.
- Bucket truck and digger derrick fleets
- Dump, box and flatbed trucks
- Tractor-trailer units
- Crews on gravel, mud and jobsite nails
- Fleets with drivers who cannot leave the site
- Rental yards between customers
- Anybody with a flat on the shoulder
Light trucks and pickups are fine too. Tell us the tire size and the axle.
What the crew looks at
What gets checked
Federal limits, then our own checks.
| Position | Tread depth that fails | Other defects that fail |
|---|---|---|
| Steer axle of a power unit | Less than 4/32 inch at any point on a major groove | Exposed ply or belt through tread or sidewall, separation, cut to the ply, flat or leaking, boot or blowout patch or other ply repair, regrooved (with the urban and suburban exception), tube-type radial without radial stem marking, bias and radial mixed on one axle, not for highway use |
| All other tires | Less than 2/32 inch at any point on a major groove | Overloaded (including from low pressure), flat or leaking, exposed ply or belt, separation, cut to the ply, touching another part of the vehicle, marked not for highway use |
These are the failing limits in Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 396, not recommended replacement points. Most fleets pull tires well before that. Speed-restricted tires are only allowed where the carrier has designated them.
Tire and rim
- Cuts, bulges, separation, exposed cord, uneven wear
- Valve stem, cap and core; tube-type radial stem marking
- Rim condition: cracks, elongated bolt holes, lock or side ring seating
- Dual spacing, and a tire touching its mate or the vehicle
Pressure and load
- Pressure set cold to the maker's load and inflation data for the load on that axle
- Axle weight against the GAWR and the tire's rated load, single or dual, from the sidewall
- Matched size, type and tire diameter across duals and across an axle
Wheel fasteners
- Fasteners clean, none loose, missing or cracked
- Torque to the wheel maker's spec, in sequence
- Re-torque after the first stretch of driving. Fleet guidelines commonly say within the first 50 to 100 miles, and the wheel maker's word comes first
Intervals
How often
Mostly guidance. The failing limits are rules.
- Every day: the driverWalk around, look at the tires, kick or thump the duals, and write up what is wrong. The driver's report has to cover tires and wheels and rims (49 CFR 396.11).
- Pressure: regularly, coldThe rules we work from do not set a pressure check interval. Many fleets check at every service and at every pre-trip. Check before the truck moves, and fix a slow leak before it becomes a flat.
- Tread and wear: at every serviceMeasure in 32nds by position. An uneven pattern points to alignment, a mismatch or a bad bearing, not the tire.
- Wheel torque: after mounting, then againA re-torque after the first miles on a new mount, commonly 50 to 100, per the wheel maker.
- Before the DOT annualTires and wheels are on the list. Fix the borderline ones first.
The rulebook
Standards the work follows
Law sets the floor. The tire maker sets the pressure.
- 49 CFR 393.75Tire requirements for commercial motor vehicles, including tread depth and regrooved tires.
- Appendix A to Part 396, items 10 and 11The tire, wheel and rim defects that fail the federal annual inspection.
- 49 CFR 396.11 and 396.13The driver's report lists tires, wheels and rims, and the driver checks the last report before driving.
- Tire and Rim Association load and inflation tablesThe reference tire makers use for the pressure that matches a given load.
- Tire and wheel maker's dataLoad rating by single or dual, pressure, torque values and mounting instructions. It decides the work.
- OSHA 1910.177Servicing multi-piece and single-piece rim wheels: restraining devices, training, and safe procedures. It applies to the employer whose crew does the work.
- CVSA out-of-service criteriaThe roadside standard for tires. A tire can fail at the scale before it fails the annual.
The route
How a job goes with Convoy
We send the right equipment for the size, and we keep the record.
Tell us the unit
Tire size, axle position, load range, what the truck carries, where it is sitting.
We schedule the work
We get the right tire and a mobile technician to the truck. For an emergency we say so and move fast.
Work in place
Remove, repair or replace. Pressure set cold. Torque in sequence. Old tire disposed of the right way.
Record and re-check
A receipt with measurements, and a reminder to re-torque. Pressure and tread dates go on your list.
The paperwork
What you get back
The numbers, by position.
- Unit number, date, location
- Positions serviced, and tire size, make, and the DOT tire identification number for new tires
- Tread depth by position, in 32nds, before and after
- Pressure set, and the temperature note: set cold
- Wheel torque applied, and the re-torque reminder
- Repair type, where a tire was repaired, and why it was repaired and not replaced
- What was found on the wheels and rims
- The disposition of the old tires
- Your list updated for the next check
Keep the tire records with the unit. They back up the DOT annual and help with recalls.
Straight answers
Questions we get
Quick ones.
Can a punctured tire just be plugged?
Most tire makers do not accept a plug by itself as a repair, and the federal list fails a steer-axle tire with a boot, a blowout patch or any ply repair. Follow the tire maker's repair guidance, and replace when it says so.
What pressure should I run?
The pressure that matches the load on that axle, from the tire maker's data, and never over the limit of the tire, the wheel or the vehicle. Weigh the truck. A bucket truck's front axle often carries more than people guess.
Why does mixing bias and radial matter?
Mixing them on the same axle is a listed failure in Appendix A. Keep one type per axle.
Why re-torque?
Wheel fasteners can settle after a fresh mount. The usual guidance is to re-check after the first 50 to 100 miles. Follow the wheel maker.
What about retreads?
The federal list bars retreads on a bus, but a work truck is a different case. The tire maker's guidance and your own policy decide. Ask us which brands and sizes we can get.
Need mobile tires? Get a quote.
Tell us what you run and where it sits. We come back with a price and a plan. A rough list is fine.