Inspecting the tread and sidewalls for damage is critical. Any sign of cuts, snags, nails,
bolts, other debris, or steel belts exposed due to brake skid should be reported and re- paired or replaced. All of these could lead to down time or safety problems on the road if not corrected. If you see bulges in the sidewall of the tire, don’t probe the bulge with any object. Instead, make sure the tire is further inspected by a qualified tire technician. In addition to a thorough tire inspection, make sure you check out your wheel and lug
nut conditions. Any damaged or bent wheel should be replaced. Also, lug nuts should not show signs of rust. Tis may indicate loose lug nuts. Also look for signs of seals leak- ing on the bearing end caps. ■
It’s important to understand that any
tire that is 20 percent below a fleet’s tar- get air pressure should not be “aired up” but be considered flat and removed for inspection by a qualified tire technician. For example, if the fleet specs say tires should be inflated to 100 psi, anything less than 80 psi is considered a flat. Dual- mounted tires should be within 10 psi of each other. Mounted spare tires should also be checked. At each wheel position, it is important
to inspect the tire’s tread and sidewalls after you have checked air pressure. On the steer axle, run your hand across the tread to feel for feather wear. Rough tread in one direction could only indicate mis- alignment as could irregular wear on the drive axles. Te lowest tread depth of the steer axle
tires cannot be less than 4/32-inches deep, and the drive tires should not be less than 2/32-inches deep. It is also important to know what the fleet’s specified pull points are. Every tire’s tread has a 2/32-inch-tall tread wear indicator in the tread grooves. Tis makes it easy to check a drive tire. If the tread is worn to the height of the indi- cator, it must be replaced.
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