The life of a truck driver often requires a lot of responsibility, particularly in maintaining their trucks properly. Truck tire maintenance is especially vital because it affects the safety of the driver, others on the road, and the cargo. So if there were a blowout, do professional truck drivers change their own tires?
Professional truck drivers who work for a company do not change their own tires unless they are in a remote area; they call a repair truck to change the tire. Private truck owners either change their own tires or pay a truck repair company to change their tires.
Changing truck tires can be dangerous, which is part of why drivers don’t do it themselves. Let’s look at some of those nuances and differences of changing truck tires.
Do Professional Truck Drivers Change Their Own Tires?
Truck drivers seldom, if ever, change their own tires. Only a small percentage of truck drivers have spare tires, and even fewer have a jack and lug wrench capable of replacing such a giant tire.
However, a truck driver that is leasing a truck or owns their own truck will need to change it themselves or pay someone else to change it for them. If the truck driver works for a company, the company will send a repair truck with all the necessary onboard tools for accommodating the truck tire change.
Most drivers do everything they can to prevent getting a flat or blowing out in the first place, inspecting their tires at least twice a day and replacing them as soon as they show signs of damage or repair. However, accidents do occur, leaving drivers stranded on the side of the road for hours until a repair vehicle can arrive.
Truck drivers that do change their own tires spend a significant amount of time traveling in rural places. There is either no one available to replace their tire for them or the distances they must travel make the wait periods and expenses prohibitive.
Truck drivers have a few tire-changing alternatives. They may either call dispatch to locate the nearest truck stop and inform them that they are traveling there with a flat tire, or they can change the tire on the side of the road themselves.
Semi-trucks feature several tires, allowing the truck driver to reach the nearest truck stop without encountering any roadblocks in many cases. On the highway, truck stations are usually found every 40 miles or so. As a result, truck drivers won’t have to go far to receive assistance with their tires.
How Long Do Truck Tires Last?
The frequency with which tires should be replaced is determined not only by the tires themselves but their use, too. Tires can be considerably worn down by fast turning, heavy braking, and uneven road surfaces.
It’s critical to understand that if one portion of your tire fails, you’ll need to replace it for your safety and the protection of others on the road. Tires should be replaced in pairs, according to experts, because sets with uneven treads might cause your truck to ride rougher and damage the tires.
Tires should never stay on a truck for longer than six years, while a semi-truck tire’s typical lifespan is three to six years if kept in good condition. According to experts, if you go by mileage, you should change your tires every 25,000 to 75,000 miles.
Why Do Truck Tires Blow Out?
A tire blowout occurs when the air pressure in a tire rapidly drops to the point that it “blows” and can cause a driver to lose control of the vehicle in some instances. Although contemporary tires are more trustworthy than ever, and blowouts aren’t as common as they once were, they still happen and can rapidly become disastrous.
Frequently, the blowout occurs because the driver neglected to inflate their truck’s tires properly or failed to replace an overworn tire. A blowout can occur in either of these conditions due to tread separation, which causes the tire to lose air pressure and burst quickly.
Tire blowouts, especially on 18-wheelers, are frightening and challenging to control. Knowing what to do and what not to do in the case of a tire blowout can help you avoid total loss of control and causing harm to others on the road.
They frequently result in devastating truck accidents, particularly when the truck is traveling at a fast speed. You’ve seen the remnants of a tire blowout if you’ve ever driven on the highway or Interstate and observed scattered tires or tire pieces.
It’s also possible that the issue is with the tire itself. Bead failures, sidewall zipper failures, tread separation, and tire-shredding are all possible outcomes of significant faults. Furthermore, extreme heat, big freight loads, potholes, and inclement weather all have a role in whether or not tires blow out.
It is critical for their safety and the safety of other drivers to ensure that your tires are properly maintained, have the correct air pressure, and are in good condition.
Do Company Truck Drivers Change Their Own Tires?
When truck drivers work for a company, the company will usually insist on sending a repair truck to change a blown-out tire; primarily for the driver’s safety, other vehicles on the road, and the truck’s cargo.
However, it may be that the next truck stop is hundreds of miles away, or the truck is stranded in a very remote location, and the waiting time would be eight hours or more. In this case, it may be preferable for the driver to change the tire themselves, although it is usually perilous to do so.
Truck drivers who change their own tires benefit from saving a lot of time; this is vital because most drivers are paid per mile, so the sooner you can start moving, the more money you’ll make.
In addition, a callout to a repair truck can easily cost $300 – $700 or more, depending on the mileage, the labor involved, and repair truck availability. As a result, truck drivers save a lot of money when changing their own truck tires.
Conclusion
Changing truck tires is not as simple as car tires; for this reason, companies prefer to get professionals, while private truckers often do the same.
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