Ag tire sensors and RFID tags

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Carrying on a family legacy

drove through the traffic light. Britt says the video helped the company.

“We got the video to our insurance company. They contacted the claimant vehicle as soon as possible, told them we’re accepting liability” and wanted to get their vehicle repaired in a timely fashion.

“That claimant driver didn’t sit at home, seeing those attorney commercials saying ‘How much money can I get you?’ They didn’t become litigious, so that kept the claim cost down.

“On top of that, doing the investigation into this driver — instead of making assumptions about this driver and what he was distracted by — we were able to see what he was distracted by. It was a mental lapse.

“We took that information, compared it to any of his previous employment issues — which this driver had none — and we were able to stick with our standard progressive discipline policy. It did have some punitive action against the employee, but it didn’t result in his termination.

“He keeps a job with great benefits and good pay. We keep an employee that hasn’t had any issues in the past. Our distribution network doesn’t suffer operational lag.

“Yes, we’re out on the equipment side and of course, our deductible, but that is a very small amount compared to a situation where we didn’t have the information and maybe made a wrong decision about termination.”

In short, Britt says video provides “the full picture” and allows Colony Tire “to make better decisions.”

CAMERAS HIGHLIGHT TEACHING MOMENTS

Meridian, Iowa-based Commercial Tire Inc. is a newer user of dash cams. The company started adding cameras to its vehicle fleet earlier this year and completed installation in July.

Casey McGrew, Commercial Tire’s safety manager, is now tweaking the system on the back end. And even in the short time the company’s cameras have been live, McGrew says the business has seen many videos of near-miss incidents “that would have never been reported or brought to our attention.”

But the “alert on the camera allowed for conversations with our techs and our drivers.”

McGrew says those near-misses and incidents caught on tape are providing an opening for training and policy reviews. It’s also an opportunity to remind employees of a basic message related to distracted driving, he says.

“You’re in a company rig. You’ve got the company logo on the side of the truck. There’s just such a huge risk and a liability. It’s not worth being distracted in any way, shape or form.”

Cameras aren’t an automatic problem-solver on their own, he admits. However, they go hand-in-hand with company policies. And McGrew says they have highlighted the need for accurate, up-to-date and enforceable rules.

This dash cam footage shows Adam Britt, Colony Tire’s director of risk management, reacting after a truck pulled out in front of his vehicle earlier this year near Suffolk, Va.

Photo: Colony Tire “It’s eye opening to see that as a company you have these expectations and policies — to be hands-free, zero texting and driving — and then you start seeing what’s happening in the cab of the truck,” says McGrew. “You see there are opportunities for growth. And you see when we need to be addressing something we know is happening. We can take the proactive approach.” Commercial Tire has actually dialed back its cell phone policy a bit. The company used to outlaw all phone use when driving, but has updated the policy to allow hands-free devices. McGrew says employees are still expected to concentrate on the road, but the revised policy now allows for the company’s sales teams to keep working while traveling. “ We had to weigh the benefits and risks, so we decided as long as the (device) is hands-free, then we’re able to utilize that.” One concern among commercial tire dealers is how the use of dash cams might affect its drivers, and specifically, if adding cameras will prompt employees to leave. With about 300 vehicles and 700 employees, McGrew says Commercial Tire “did not lose one employee from a camera being installed in a pickup or semi truck. We were up-front with how it’s managed.” As a whole, managers don’t have access to the cameras. The company wants to protect employees’ privacy and didn’t want silly or embarrassing video clips to show up in the shop. The system doesn’t record audio. “I would say it’s been overall really well-received,” says McGrew. Employees have learned that “just because an alert happens, doesn’t mean I’m getting in trouble.” McGrew has even found that cameras tamp down his own worries when he hears about an incident. In one memorable situation, “I was able to pull video of (the incident) right away. I was able to see it was not our fault — that a car hydroplaned in a rainstorm and we hit them, but they came into our lane.” In another instance, the company’s vice president of operations had a truck and trailer jackknife and flip on the road in front of him. He called and asked McGrew to pull the video. The dealership even shared it with police. McGrew says use of video complements what he calls Commercial Tire’s “evolving safety culture. We’re taking opportunities and utilizing technology to ensure that we’re ahead of the game and proactive in our approach toward the safety of our employees, the customer and the public.”

KNOWING THE FARMER BEHIND THE FARM

TRAIL TIRE GETS ACQUAINTED WITH CUSTOMERS BEFORE SELLING

By Maddie Gehring

Trail Tire, which is located in Dundee, Ohio, credits a lot of its booming ag tire sales to the community it serves.

Joel Martin, manager of ag/ commercial sales and tire service for Trail Tire, also says being exible with customers and partners is a big part of the company’s success.

Founded in 2012 by Dirk Vissen Jr., Trail Tire serves customers throughout central Ohio with around 25 employees, three service trucks and ve bays.

Martin says Trail Tire has seen an increase in its ag tire sales every year since the company has been in business.

He predicts the ag tire market will continue to grow in 2023.

“Demand is not letting up and I think it’s partly to do with this area,” says Martin. “We do a lot of ag tires.”

And the company’s truck tire sales have been robust.

Customers “are always driving on the road with their tractors or pickups. ey are constantly wearing their tires out.”

Martin says about 60% of the dealership’s income is made through tire sales and around 40% comes from tire service, (Trail Tire also sells OTR, passenger and light truck tires.)

In addition, the company o ers brake, suspension and oil work. ere are “very few things” Trail Tire doesn’t do, says Martin.

SERVICE BASED ON LOCATION

Trail Tire has three service trucks that are on-call Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Martin says the dealership has no plans to expand those hours.

“We don’t do much on-site with highway or roadside assistance because in this particular area, we are 20 minutes from the closest interstate,” says Martin. “It’s just not as big of a need.” However, there is a big need for in- eld ag tire service.

Trail Tire uses its mobile ag tire service trucks to assist customers where they are. It’s not unusual for service trucks to travel more than an hourand-a-half to two hours to a job site.

Service trucks usually cover a three-hour radius from Trail Tire’s headquarters, but technicians will make a longer trek if the customer is willing to pay for their time. e dealership charges by the hour.

KNOWING THE CUSTOMER To help customers make the best purchase of ag tires, Martin says it is important for Trail Tire’s salespeople to learn about them.

“We keep over 10 brands of ag tires stocked at our location because we know we are going to be dealing with farmers,” says Martin.

“When farmers need a tire or tire repair, they need it now or they cannot get their job done. If they call asking for a speci c tire brand or size and we don’t have it right away, they are going to look somewhere else.” e main ag brands that Trail Tire sells are GreenX, which is made by Global Rubber Industries Pvt. Ltd.; Vredestein, which is o ered by Apollo Tyres Ltd; BKT and Firestone.

Martin says it’s also important to know the size of customers’ farms. e average size of the farms that Trail Tire services is around 100 acres.

Knowing the scope of customers’ operations allows Trail Tire’s salespeople to provide di erent options in di erent price ranges.

“For larger farmers with bigger equipment and more land, they usually are more speci c with what they want.

“Certain people are adamant about sticking to their current brands.”

Joel Martin, manager of ag/commercial sales and tire service for Trail Tire in Dundee, Ohio, says knowing the size of customers’ operations allows the dealership’s salespeople to provide different tire options in different price ranges.

Photo: MTD

UP AND COMING

Martin says a bene t of being in a farmingheavy community is that Trail Tire’s owners can save money on advertising since the dealership’s customers do it for them. “Farmers have so many connections with each other. “If we started working for a new customer and ask how they heard of us, it’s most likely because we serviced another farmer who told him about us.” Trail Tire will continue to invest in its growth. e dealership currently works out of a building in Dundee. In June 2022, it broke ground on a service center right across the street from its main building. When completed, the new facility will handle all mechanical work for customers. Trail Tire’s main building will focus solely on selling tires. e addition will bring Trail Tire up to 12 service bays and will add ve new employees.

AG TIRE SENSORS AND RFID TAGS

AN OVERVIEW OF FEATURES AND BENEFITS

Modern Tire Dealer has partnered with AG Tire Talk to provide answers to insightful questions that farm tire dealers have about farm tire technology. is is the next installment in our ongoing series, which is designed to help farm tire dealers better connect with their customers. A trending question, followed by answers, will appear in our Commercial Tire Dealer section every other month. For complete answers, click on www.agtiretalk.com.

Photo: Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America

QUESTION: Do you foresee tire sensors and RFID tags growing in popularity on ag tires, what benefits will the farmer/operator receive and why should tire dealers prepare for these next-generation product offerings?

DAVE PAULK, manager, field technical

services, BKT USA: With tire pressure inflation systems starting to be used by tractor and equipment manufacturers, it’s only a matter of time before tire sensors and/or RFID tags become more prevalent. Tire sensor technology has been used on over-the-road trucks, trailers, cars and pickups and RFID tags have been used on OTR tires and over-the-road trucks/trailers for some time now.

Ag tractors are being used more on the highways in many different applications that require higher speeds. Many are larger with higher horsepower pulling heavier equipment and are running faster.

Tire sensors can be built into the tire or added to the inside of the tire via the aftermarket. Running air pressures too low for the load and high heat are killers of tires. Low air pressure can cause excessive heat build-up in a tire and destroy the tire’s casing.

Sensors are programmed to a minimum air pressure and/or high heat setting and generally are good for alerting the operator to changes in either. This information is sent to a console in the