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TRUCK TIRE BRAND MARKET SHARE UPDATE
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Mike Manges By
AU.S. trucking industry in holding pattern
BUT THERE’S STILL OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMERCIAL TIRE DEALERS
s a barometer of the economy’s overall health, the trucking industry has always served as a “canary in the coal mine,” signaling the approach of either prosperity or foreshadowing economic downturns.
If current trucking industry metrics are any indication, the commercial transportation industry — and by extension, businesses that serve it, like commercial tire dealerships — are in for a bumpy ride during the second half of 2025.
That’s the assessment of Ken Vieth, president of ACT Research, a Columbus, Ind.-based firm that analyzes and forecasts the commercial trucking market.
“The word ‘weak’ is probably as good of a descriptor (of the U.S. trucking industry) as there is right now,” Vieth recently told me.
Uncertainty due to the start-stop cycle of tariffs that the Trump administration first imposed on April 2 has been the primary catalyst of the trucking industry’s slowdown, he said.
“It’s hard to invest in the unknown,” said Ken Vieth, president of ACT Research. “Everybody’s waiting and seeing.”
Photo: 24254058 © Saltcityphotography | Dreamstime.com
“Coming into 2025, for-hire truck load carriers had weak profitability, so that was problematic. But vocational markets were strong and buyers were holding course.
“Back in January 2025, our expectation for (annual) Class 8 builds in 2025, on a North American basis, was 316,000 units. By April, our forecast was down to 255,000 units. Our May forecast (was) 256,000 units.” (That’s a 19% drop in projections.)
By “builds,” Vieth means “all OEMs for all destinations from North American factories,” with the United States and Mexico being the primary points of origin.
“Going back to the beginning of the year, we thought GDP was going to grow by 2.1% in 2025,” said Vieth. “In May, our GDP forecast for the year has been marked down to 1.1%. (I interviewed Vieth in mid-May.)
“We were expecting at the beginning of the year that freight would grow around 2.7% in 2025. Our most current forecast is 1.3% freight growth. The good news is that rates are off the floor that they’ve been on for the past three years. But they’re barely off the floor. We’ve seen a little bit of improvement, but there continues to be no traction in spot rates.”
Carrier profitability is at “generationally low levels,” according to Vieth. “In the first quarter of this year, (aggregate) net profit margins for large, well-run carriers — think Knight, J.B. Hunt, Werner, those folks — fell to a 15-year low, to about 2.7%. You would have to go all the way back to the first quarter of 2010” to see similar numbers. “That’s how bad it is for for-hire carriers,” which, he added, had already been losing share to private fleets like Amazon and Walmart.
“Coming into 2025, the debate here was, ‘How strong will the economy be in 2025?’ as opposed to ‘How weak will the economy be in 2025?’ Along with lowering our expectations for GDP growth, we’ve pushed our expectation for recovery of freight rates from the second half of 2025 to the second half of 2026.
“Uncertainty is not good for any business,” said Vieth. “I (recently) gave a presentation at the National Private Truck Council. Almost as soon as I was done, (the Trump administration announced), ‘We have a deal to pause some of the tariffs from China.’ How do you make investment decisions when the ground you’re walking on is constantly changing?
“It’s hard to come up with many bright spots right now,” Vieth told me. But not all is lost, he said. “If there is a silver lining, the U.S. economy was strong at the end of 2024. Consumers are still in pretty good shape.”
The problem, he pointed out, is that consumer confidence is “eroding,” a trend that could be alleviated “if the (government) would pull back on some of these tariffs. It’s hard to invest in the unknown. Everybody’s waiting and seeing.”
That includes several commercial tire dealers I’ve heard from in recent weeks. One dealer told me that the market “feels volatile.” Another told me “there’s a lot of uncertainty” among his customers. “We’ve seen considerable shrinkage” in the overthe-road trucking segment, one dealer revealed. “Everyone is tightening their belts,” yet another reported.
But all of these dealers see opportunities, as well — from growing their retread sales as fleets seek to squeeze more miles out of their existing tires to expanding their business on the service side. And there’s the chance to “flush out” — as one dealer put it — excess or slow-moving inventory and present even more compelling reasons to shift budget-conscious clients into higher-margin brands and products.
It’s a safe bet that we’ll see slower-than-normal trucking activity in the months to come. But trucks will continue to roll. And they’ll still need high-quality tires and top-notch service, which commercial tire dealerships are in a better position to provide than anyone else. In this time of uncertainty, you can be sure of at least that. ■
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at mmanges@endeavorb2b.com.
ModernTireDealer.com
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Growing in 2025 and beyond
Members of the Independent Tire Dealers Group LLC’s (ITDG) NextGen organization talked shop during a break at ITDG’s recent meeting.
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Despite the uncertainty of the economy, tariffs and supply chain questions that are looming, tire dealers are still growing. That growth is evident not just in retail storefronts. In the last month, we’ve seen a big move in the wholesale world, too. This also means groups that support dealers need to keep pace and that matches plans the Independent Tire Dealers Group LLC has for the future.
1. Photos: ITDG members gather in Arizona
2. K&M to acquire four warehouses from Turbo
3. Big Brand wants 1,000 stores by 2030
4. Goodyear to hike prices
5. Photos: Continental Gold dealers unwind for 20th anniversary
6. Colony Tire’s Charlie Creighton has died
7. A recap of recent price hikes
8. Six TBR tire import takeaways so far in 2025
9. Consumer tire demand drops amid tariff economic worries
10. ITDG looks to expand beyond U.S.
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1 1 1 1
Industry News
Big Brand wants 1,000 stores by 2030
‘WE’RE A ROCKET SHIP,’ SAYS CEO JOE BUSCAGLIA
Big Brand Tire & Service plans to quadruple its store count within the next five years by investing in its people and technology, according to Joe Buscaglia, the company’s CEO.
“We’re a rocket ship,” Buscaglia told MTD during the recent Big Brand Tire & Service President’s Club meeting in San Diego, Calif. More than 200 guests, including Big Brand Tire & Service store and district managers, attended the threeday event.
The Moorpark, Calif.-based dealership, which is owned by private equity firm Percheron Capital, has added more than 230 stores over the last four years, making it one of the fastest-growing tire dealerships in the United States. (Percheron acquired Big Brand Tire & Service in March 2021.)
With 253 locations across eight states, Big Brand Tire & Service is the sixth largest independent tire dealership in the country, climbing from the No. 9 spot on the most recent edition of the MTD 100, published last summer.
Most of the company’s growth has come through acquisitions of other tire dealerships.
Percheron Capital “is doubling down on our growth,” said Buscaglia. “We want to grow to 1,000 stores by 2030.”
LEANING INTO ACQUISITIONS
“We have a highly predictable M&A engine,” said Buscaglia.
Big Brand Tire & Service’s M&A team “is producing more than 30 NDAs (non-disclosure agreements)” with prospects “every month. We’re closing five deals a month, which means roughly 10 stores a month.”
The company finalized the acquisition of eight stores in April, including three outlets in Idaho, a new market for Big Brand Tire & Service, and it closed on an equal number of stores the previous month, Buscaglia told MTD.
He said Big Brand Tire & Service “doesn’t discriminate” between small, one-and-two-store dealerships and larger
“Our original thesis was to grow from 20 to 150 stores in five years,” Joe Buscaglia, CEO of Big Brand Tire & Service, told MTD. “We’ve grown from 20 to 253 in four years.”
Photo: MTD
dealerships when looking to buy. “We do both,” though he noted that “the really attractive ones with 10 to 20 stores have been picked over a lot and some (others) aren’t ready to sell. You have to go where the fish are swimming.”
Regardless of store count, “we know that if (an acquisition) meets a (specific) profile, we can run it and our success rate will be remarkably high.”
Entering into a deal, “we move quickly, we move efficiently and we’re fair in how we deal with people. Everything comes down to people. We truly do care about the legacy they’ve built. So many of these sellers have built a business for 20, 30 or 40 years and mentally they know it’s the right thing to do to move on, but emotionally they’re (thinking), ‘What’s going to happen to my employees? What’s going to happen to my customers? What’s going to happen to the brand name?’ We take care of a brand’s name. We lean in on taking care of the employees that we’re inheriting.
“We (also) spend a good amount of time on — and we’re very thoughtful and purposeful about — rebranding. Take Robertson Tire, a brand that’s been around since 1962.” (Big Brand Tire & Service acquired Robertson Tire in November 2024.)
“While I love the Big Brand name, nobody in Tulsa knows what the heck Big Brand Tire is. But they’ve heard of Robertson Tire, (which has) great brand recognition. The trust element is there. Why would you throw that away?
“That being said, we do think there are advantages” to rebranding “some smaller (dealerships) — the one-and-twostore acquisitions, where we are tucking them into existing markets like southern California,” where the Big Brand Tire & Service name “is well-known. We’ve (also) done a handful of greenfields and will continue to do a handful strategically, here and there. But we’ve traditionally leaned into M&A.”
Buscaglia told MTD he attributes Big Brand Tire & Service’s success to two factors: people and technology. “We have great people who are executing a great plan that we are laser-focused on. And our proprietary technology,” called EDGE, “that we put in (all newly acquired stores) on day one allows our store teams to deliver a great customer experience.”
‘MOVING ACROSS THE U.S.’
Buscaglia said Big Brand Tire & Service is “amazingly strong on the West Coast,” where the dealership was founded in 1969 and enjoys its biggest concentration of stores.
“We’ll continue to fill in those markets to protect our turf ... and continue to expand in adjacent markets to where we are today and then continue to expand further east. I don’t anticipate us being in the northeast corridor in the next couple of years. But strategically, moving across the U.S. is something we’re looking for. We’re now up to 13 stores in Texas. We think throughout all the markets in Texas, (we could have) 100 stores at some point. But we have to be smart and strategic in how we do it. We feel like the markets we’re in still have a lot of potential.
“Our original thesis was to grow from 20 to 150 stores in five years. We’ve grown from 20 to 253 in four years.”
— Mike Manges
Goodyear sells chemical
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co will complete the trifecta of its planned business unit spin-offs after finding a buyer for “the majority of” its chemical business. Gemspring Capital Management LLC will buy the operation for approximately $650 million.
Sentury unveils program
Sentury Tire USA has launched its Hyperdrive Associate Dealer Program designed for Delinte distributors and dealers. The new program gives dealers the opportunity to earn up to $3 per tire.
BKT eyes $2.6 billion
Balkrishna Industries Ltd.’s new, five-year strategic plan calls for the company to achieve $2.6 billion in revenue by 2030. Boosting its off-highway position, expanding its carbon black business and entering new tire categories in the Indian market are all focuses of the plan, which will entail an investment of $400 million.
Unicorn Tire adds D/C
Unicorn Tire Corp. has opened an 83,000-square-foot distribution center in Kutztown, Pa., 75 miles north of Philadelphia. The opening “marks a major step in expanding Unicorn Tire’s operations, further solidifying its nationwide presence,” say Unicorn officials.
Group tracks pricing
Fitment Group has launched a new, web-based tire price trend dashboard, which is available at no cost to industry professionals and interested users. It will provide insights into retail tire pricing trends across the U.S. Users can register on the company’s website.
Tireworks opens store
Tireworks Tire & Service Tire
Pros has added its fifth location in Canyon, Texas — a 12-bay service facility in the Texas Panhandle.
K&M Tire acquires four warehouses from Turbo
K&M Tire Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to buy four distribution centers from Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC.
The distribution centers are located in Cadillac, Mich., Oak Park, Mich.; Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Hammond, Ind.
Turbo, which is backed by private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management LP, acquired the warehouses when it purchased Tire Wholesalers Inc. in 2023.
“This strategic acquisition advances K&M’s vision to become the leading and most trusted provider of tires and services in all of its geographic markets,” K&M Tire and Turbo said in a joint statement.
“Both K&M and Turbo have their roots as family-owned, customer service-focused businesses, with similar values and cultures.
“K&M will partner closely with Turbo as it maintains its focus on growing its proprietary Lexani, Lionhart and Rolling Big Power (RBP) brands, while also continuing to operate its wholesale distribution location in southern California.”
Cheryl Gossard, president of Delphos, Ohio-based K&M Tire, says her company “has had a growing interest in expanding our distribution footprint within the Midwest market. We feel that the Midwest team at Turbo Wholesale Tires fits our company culture and values and will be a wonderful addition to our team.
“We look forward to welcoming the Midwest Turbo employees to the K&M Tire team and servicing the customers in this area, while making them the most important people in our business.”
Both companies confirmed that “operations will continue seamlessly during the transition.”
Kumho plant damaged by fire
Kumho Tire Co. Inc.’s largest tire factory in South Korea was the site of a massive fire, and production at the plant was suspended due to the fire that broke out May 17. The plant has the capacity to produce 12 million tires a year, which accounts for almost 20% of Kumho’s global capacity.
The plant, locateded in Gwangju, produces passenger, TBR and aviation tires, according to Kumho. It is one of eight plants located in four countries. Kumho operates one factory in the United States — in Macon, Ga., where it manufactures passenger tires.
In an investors statement, Kumho said, “We are currently investigating the cirumstances of the accident and the extent of the damage and our company, including executives, is working to minimize losses through prompt accident recovery and restoration.
“The direct and indirect losses due to the above fire are currently being confirmed. At this point, we are making every effort to recover from the accident and determine the cause, and at the same time, we will shorten the recovery period to minimize losses due to disruption in the operation of the process.”
K&M Tire Inc. has acquired four distribution centers, including this one in Oak Park, Mich., from Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC.
Photo: MTD
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Flynn’s Tire expands
Bites Northwest Tire adds store, names new leader
Flynn’s Tire & Auto Service has opened its 31st location — a store in the Akron, Ohio, suburb of Stow. The company opened another Akron-area store two years ago, and in November 2024 relocated a Youngstown, Ohio-area store.
Sun Auto expands
Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc. has acquired Burlington Automotive, a 14-bay shop in northern Washington State. The purchase gives Sun Auto Tire & Service 24 locations in the Northwest.
VIP relocates three stores
VIP Tires & Service has reopened stores in Portland, Augusta and Rockport, Maine. The upgraded outlets replace previous VIP Tires & Service locations and offer better layouts, more space and new equipment.
OK Tire adds supplier
Groupe Touchette and OK Tire Stores Inc. have signed a deal that will see Groupe Touchette supply OK Tire Stores’ 300-plus locations throughout Canada. Groupe Touchette has more than 40 distribution centers in multiple provinces.
More for Mitas plant
Yokohama TWS says it will continue to invest in United States manufacturing through its Mitas ag tire plant in Charles City, Iowa. The plant, which opened in 2012, helps the company respond quickly to the needs of American farmers and OEM partners. Yokohama TWS recently closed its Trelleborg plant in South Carolina.
CTDA,
TIA
go to DC
Representatives from the California Tire Dealers Association (CTDA) and Tire Industry Association (TIA) traveled to Capitol Hill for a series of five meetings to talk about the rights of tire dealers to perform repairs and the rights of consumers to select their repair shop of choice.
Bismarck, N.D.-based Northwest Tire Inc. has a new store — its 28th location — and as of June 1, the company has a new president, Kory Grossman.
The recently opened store is located in Fargo, N.D. It spans 19,000 square feet and features drive-through bays to provide easy access to commercial trucks and farm machinery.
Kory Grossman (left) has been named president of Northwest Tire following the retirement of Dan Pearson (right) at the end of May. Pearson joined the dealership in 1979.
Grossman replaces longtime Northwest Tire President Dan Pearson, who retired at the end of May. Pearson joined Northwest Tire in 1979, starting as a service truck driver and working his way up to the position of president.
Grossman joined Northwest Tire in 1993 and has served as the dealership’s vice president since 2009.
Northwest Tire was founded by Tony Vetter and Al Wald in 1977.
Cassidy Tire names new CEO
Addison, Ill.-based Cassidy Tire & Service has named Bryan Ahern its new CEO.
Rick Ahern, Kristen Ahern, Tom Ahern and Melanie Ahern will continue to serve as managing directors of Cassidy Tire & Service "to support Bryan in bringing his vision for the company to life, as we work together to lead Cassidy Tire & Service into its next phase of growth," according to a statement from the Ahern family, who collectively owns the dealership.
Cassidy Tire & Service recently opened its 18th store, a 15,000-square-foot outlet in Chicago, Ill., that replaced an older shop in the city.
Founded in 1914 by William J. Cassidy, Cassidy Tire & Service is one of the oldest independent tire dealerships in the United States and one of the country's largest tire dealerships, according to MTD research.
"We put a big emphasis on the customer experience and making sure our customers are 100%-satisfied," Rick Ahern recently told MTD.
Hankook could begin U.S. TBR tire production this year
TBryan Ahern is the new CEO of Addison, Ill.based Cassidy Tire & Service. The dealership has 18 locations throughout the Chicago area.
Cassidy Tire & Service
BR tire production at Hankook Tire America Corp.’s Clarksville, Tenn., plant is expected to begin as early as this year, according to Rob Williams, the company’s president.
The plant, which will be Hankook’s first TBR tire manufacturing facility in the U.S., is currently in the second phase of a multi-year, $1.6 billion investment that will also double the factory’s consumer tire production capacity. Initial, daily TBR tire production targets at the plant will total 3,000 units, with “annual, total production of about one million” tires, Williams recently told MTD. “It is a priority for Hankook to invest in the U.S. market as a growth driver, which includes the TBR market.”
Photo: Northwest Tire Inc.
Photo:
“AT RADAR TIRES, WE DON’T RELY ON PRICE TAGS TO PROVE QUALITY. WE PUSH OUR TIRES TO THE LIMIT, TESTING THEM TO OUTPERFORM THE COMPETITIONSO DRIVERS GET PREMIUM PERFORMANCE WITHOUT THE PREMIUM COST.”
STÉPHANE CLEPKENS TEST MANAGER
Industry News
Bites Charlie Creighton, Bob Hepp die
Monro posts results
Monro Inc. recorded a net loss of $21.2 million during its fiscal fourth quarter, which ended on March 29. The loss came on a 4.9% drop in overall sales for the quarter. However, Monro’s comparable store sales showed signs of improvement as the quarter progressed.
Prinx makes new hires
Prinx Chengshan Tire North America has expanded its team with the addition of Mark Chandler as vice president of supply chain, Sunny Yu as logistics specialist and Savannah Powley as director of marketing for the Prinx brand.
Goodyear promotes SVP
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has appointed Gregory Boucharlat senior vice president, Global Commercial. Boucharlat, a 30-year Goodyear veteran, will oversee global coordination of the tiremaker’s commercial tire business.
Ralson names VP
Ralson Tire North America has promoted Mark Roe to vice president of sales. Roe previously served as vice president of sales for the company’s West region.
Polestar picks Conti
Polestar has selected the Continental SportContact 7 to be the original equipment tire on the new, electric Polestar 3. The OE fitment is a 21-inch tire designed to carry heavier loads.
TireTutor buys AI startup
TireTutor has acquired ImprezzAI, an AI marketing startup, after using the company’s technology over the past year.
Kal Tire opens facility
Kal Tire has opened a distribution center and remanufacturing facility, including a truck tire retreading plant, in Amaranth, Ontario. It will support Kal’s Ontario customers.
Charlie Creighton, the founder and CEO of Colony Tire Corp., has died at the age of 81. In 2007, Creighton was Modern Tire Dealer’s Tire Dealer of the Year. At the time, he quipped, “you must not have received very many entries.”
But Creighton was a hard-working tire dealer who taught himself the trade, sought out opportunities and built a company in Edenton, N.C. that includes 31 locations that serve both the commercial and retail sectors. The company retreads and in the 1990s Creighton also started a wholesale operation, Atlantic Tire Distributors.
Creighton was selling forestry equipment for Caterpillar when at the age of 32, he and a friend, George Wood, decided to go into business together. They bought a small petroleum distributor in Edenton and called it Creywood Oil Co. They bought a second petroleum company in 1979 and in 1980, BP Oil convinced the duo to add Goodyear tires to the mix. They knew nothing about tires.
The men sold their first tire on Christmas Eve 1980. That year, Creighton bought out Wood’s stock in the company and became his own entrepreneur. He set his sights on tires, though Creywood Oil remained in the oil business until 1987. The company changed its name to Colony Tire in 1991.
Even though he had already begun to build his staff, Creighton remained a hands-on leader. He recalled that his duties included “everything and anything — selling, putting on tires, loading trucks, you name it. One of my biggest responsibilities was figuring out how to get enough money to cover the checks I mailed out the previous day.”
Robert George Hepp, who founded University Wholesalers in 1983 and later worked with Nokian Tyres, also has died.
Charlie Creighton, founder of Colony Tire Corp. and a former Tire Dealer of the Year, has died.
Bob Hepp founded University Wholesalers and joined Nokian when the tiremaker bought his business in 2005.
Nokian Tyres
Hepp was born in 1952 in New Britain, Conn. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Hepp began his tire industry career in 1978, managing a Firestone store. Under his direction, University Wholesalers, which was based in Vermont, developed into a $40 million a year business before it was acquired by Nokian in 2005. Following the acquisition, Hepp served as a vice president at Nokian until his retirement.
A friend of Hepp’s wrote that “Bob’s true passion went beyond business. Over the years, he conducted hundreds of seminars for tire dealers — sharing his knowledge, insights and enthusiasm for the industry. These seminars become legendary among those in the business — not just for the depth of information but for Bob’s engaging and approachable teaching style. To many, he wasn’t just a wholesaler. He was a mentor, a trusted partner and a friend.”
“Bob’s legacy can be seen every day in our business,” says Nokian Tyres North America Vice President of Sales Tommi Heinonen. “But more importantly, Bob was a great colleague and friend who was always taking care of the big picture and us, as a team and individuals.”
The tire industry also recently lost a longtime independent tire dealer and a former tire manufacturer president.
Raymond Berry, former owner of Berry Tire Co. in Chicago, Ill., died at the age of 94. Under his leadership, Berry Tire, which was founded by his father, grew to five locations in the Chicago area and employed nearly 100 people. For many years, Berry Tire was Chicago’s largest Goodyear tire distributor.
Paul James , former president of Armstrong Tire Co. and an executive with BFGoodrich, died at the age of 90. James began his tire industry career in 1956 as a chemist at BFGoodrich and was eventually hired by Armstrong Tire, rising through the ranks to become president of Pirelli/Armstrong in the U.S., a position he held until 1992.
Photo: MTD
Photo:
Numbers ThatCount
Relevant statistics from an industry in constant motion
5%
e drop in automotive vehicle production in North America during the rst quarter of 2025
Source: Continental AG
Photo: 350553402 © Mariaphoto3 | Dreamstime.com
28 MILLION
Source: Recall Masters
Number of passenger vehicles, light trucks and vans involved in a vehicle recall in 2024
Photo: 931912566 | shaunl | Getty Images
13.2%
Share of an average dealership’s total sales in service and parts in 2024
Source: National Automobile Dealers Association
Photo: 115265547 © Albertshakirov | Dreamstime.com
38%
Share of general repair shops that reported cost increases in April due to tari s
Source: IMR
27,450
Number of truck tires retreaded daily by the ve largest retreaders in the U.S.
Randy Hazelton Photography
Source: MTD Top 50 Retreaders List
Dorsey Tire Co. Inc.
Photo:
Photo:
Your Marketplace
John Healy By
OUncertainty drives sellout trends
TIRE PRICE HIKES HIT THE MARKET
ur recent discussions with tire dealers suggest sellout trends were negative year-over-year in April 2025, the third straight month showing a decline.
Sellout volumes were down 0.9% in April, better than the 3.6% decline in March. And while the declines continued, we note that April was up against a strong 5.1% comparison from April 2024.
Looking at the regional level, we saw stronger results out of the Northeast and moderate strength in the Midwest, while the Southwest and Northwest regions saw declines. We believe results for the month were impacted by uncertainty related to tariffs, along with a continued environment of deferring unnecessary maintenance and tire replacement.
PRICE HIKES BEGIN
Looking ahead, we recall recent commentary from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., as well as responses from dealers, that indicated price increases had hit the market. Two-thirds of dealers reported seeing price increases in the month of April. We would expect to see the full impact of increases in our next survey results. Those numbers will face a moderately soft comparison of a 1.3% decline from a year ago.
Given volatile industry conditions due to macroeconomic factors, miles driven is another data point that can show the health of the overall market. Those trends over the last month were flat to slightly
negative. Trends were barely positive in March. For April 2025, our Miles Driven Momentum registered a 0.8% year-overyear decrease following a 0.2% increase in March. Early May was off to a strong start, with the first week up by 4%.
RAWS CONTINUE TO DROP
The cost of raw materials needed to build a basic replacement tire fell 7.4% yearover-year in April — and the drop from the previous month was 5.4%. If current prices are held at a constant, we’d expect a 7.5% year-over-year decrease during the second quarter of 2025. That follows a 1.6% year-over-year increase in the first quarter.
Looking at specific inputs to build a tire, natural rubber costs dropped in April by 1.8%. It was the first recorded drop in natural rubber costs since August 2023.
Oil prices fell the most dramatically — by 25% compared to a year ago — while fabric/cordage was down 5%, carbon black fell 3.9% and synthetic rubber was down 0.3% compared to year-ago prices.
We view this year ahead as one with moderating price movements, as well as potential declines, as the index laps some year-over-year increases. We view all of this as a potentially welcome shift toward stability.
DEMAND IS SOFT
Dealers report that consumer demand for passenger and light truck tires was down slightly in April from year-ago figures, in
the range of low-single digits. Twenty percent of our independent tire dealer contacts reported negative demand trends for the month — an improvement from March, where 100% of tire dealers reported a drop in consumer demand.
The worry about tariffs and an overall poor macroeconomic environment were the causes dealers pointed to for that slower traffic. We also note that April was up against a tough comparison from April 2024, when 23% of dealers reported positive retail sellout.
For the 11th time in 12 months, dealers said tier-three tires were the most in-demand in the market. Historically, our surveys have shown tier-two tires to rank highest, but that hasn’t been the case over the last year.
Tier-one tires did make a slight comeback in April, marking the second straight month they were in second place in our demand ranking. Tier-two tires fell into third place for the month.
We believe that the consumer in the market right now is looking for highvalue tires at the lowest cost possible, as wallets are stretched thin and tariffs weigh heavily on sentiments.
With that said, tier-one performing well does not surprise us, as higher-end consumers are still part of the replacement market and they value high performance over a low price point.
Traditionally it’s not uncommon to see volatility in our survey and we would expect to see tier-three tires rank as a top performer in the current environment. But we expect tier-two brands to remain the top performer in the long term as consumers balance price and quality. ■
SOURCE: NORTHCOAST RESEARCH
John Healy is a managing director and research analyst with Northcoast Research Holdings LLC, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Healy covers a variety of subsectors of the automotive industry. If you would like to participate in the monthly dealer discussions, contact him at john.healy@ northcoastresearch.com.
QUALITY ALWAYS WINS
Every tire gets balanced. What are you using? Choose the perfect weight. Choose Perfect.
culture
It all comes down to MANAGING EMPLOYEES REQUIRES SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES, BUT TIRE DEALERS INSIST IT’S THE BIG PICTURE THAT MATTERS
By Madison Gehring and Joy Kopcha
Tire dealers of all sizes, and in every market, are doing their best to nd, hire and manage employees. ere’s no one-size- ts-all solution. No one has discovered a secret underground of fully trained automotive technicians to combat the shortage.
Angel Koon, human resources generalist at Chapel Hill Tire, says constant communication and understanding is what makes Chapel Hill Tire stand out when it comes to managing employees and creating a culture employees want to be a part of. (Pictured are employees who had just participated in the latest Ice Bucket Challenge.)
Chapel Hill Tire
Photo:
But dealers are zeroing in on their own solutions to simplify and fortify their efforts. And sometimes there are seemingly little things that bring relief to the process.
MTD’s reigning Tire Dealer of the Year Beth Barron, CEO of Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service, which is based in Morgan City, La., says her company started having new hires fill out their onboarding paperwork electronically — and at home — before they ever reported for their first day on the job.
It gave new hires abundant time to handle the paperwork and allowed them to jump directly into training and other parts of the onboarding process once they were on site for the first day. It also started employees’ digital personnel records.
“It helped us streamline that process,” says Barron.
And while those details and processes are important, tire dealers say they are more often focusing on the big picture.
THE HUMAN TOUCH
At Chapel Hill Tire, comprehension is key to creating an environment where employees thrive and grow.
Angel Koon, human resources generalist at Chapel Hill Tire, says she interacts with employees every day — and multiple times a day — via in-person conversations, online messages, phone calls or texts.
With 12 locations across North Carolina, Koon says constant communication and understanding are what make Chapel Hill Tire stand out when it comes to managing employees and creating an attractive culture for employees.
“One of the biggest things that I find, not only through the hiring process with candidates, but also when they get into our company, (is) candidates really just want to be treated like humans.
“They want transparency. They want a realistic job preview. We have a familyfriendly schedule we highlight to show they’re not selling their souls to us.”
Koon says it can be easy to forget that the hiring process isn’t just a decision the company is making. It’s a decision for the candidate, as well.
She always asks candidates why they are leaving their current job and position.
“I’m not doing this to give them a chance to talk smack, but what I really want to know is. ‘What’s got you looking for jobs?’
“Why are you leaving? Because if it’s something that we do too, it’s not going to be a good fit and we can tell them honestly, ‘Hey this is something we prioritize in our shop, too, so I don’t know if this is going to be any better for you.’”
If the issue is something that Chapel Hill has already combated, Koon says she can let the candidate know what they have done to counterbalance the situation.
Koon says she always prefaces these questions by telling candidates why she is asking. “If you tell me your pay was a certain number and that’s industry standard and what you would make here, I am going to tell you that straight away.”
She says it doesn’t make sense for someone to join the dealership, only to leave a few months later “when we could’ve nipped it in the bud.”
FOR ANY A LINEUP
Employee management
Asking good questions throughout the interview and hiring process can also ensure new hires are placed in the right locations. Koon says it’s helpful to see that each store and team has its own dynamic.
Just because a candidate lives in a certain area and applies for a position at a certain Chapel Hill location, doesn’t mean they are the best fit for that location, she notes.
“I’d rather them drive 10 extra minutes to be at a store they are going to be happier at and be part of a team that is going to enjoy having them.
“I’m honest with them and say something like, ‘Hey, I know you applied for this position — it’s closer to you and that makes sense — but based on what you’ve told me about what you don’t prefer, are you interested in this (other) store that has an opening, as well?’”
That means Koon must know store managers and their managerial styles. She says that matching the right pieces and personalities “has been a huge piece for us.”
Koon says Chapel Hill Tire is focused on hiring for quality over quantity.
“The trickle-down effect of poor hiring decisions impacts more than just the role you hire for. It affects the whole team. When you have a rotating seat month over month, it’s just not efficient.”
When Chapel Hill Tire is faced with having to fill a role quickly, the dealership first looks at the talent it already has.
“We have 11 other locations we could pull from and we are able to share resources to really help and support the company as a whole — and our team members,” says Koon.
She believes “listening to your team” is one of the simplest ways to reduce turnover.
“People always say communication is key, but it’s really not. You can communicate all you want, but if the other person is not receiving or understanding it, it’s worthless. Comprehension is really the big piece.”
Because of this, Koon says Chapel Hill Tire prioritizes employee feedback. The company often uses that feedback as the base for its new initiatives.
Koon says Chapel Hill Tire employees have daily interactions with their managers and leadership, as well as weekly and monthly check-ins.
Every six months, employees sit down with an human resources director,
A business change made five years ago has become a foundation of the culture at Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service. CEO Beth Barron says closing on Saturdays has become a major differentiator in attracting and retaining good employees.
a director of training and a manager to talk about where the employee is now and where they want to be in their career.
Then they present the steps to help the
employee achieve his or her objectives within the company. This includes training opportunities.
Chapel Hill Tire pays for ASE certification tests A1 through A8 for automotive technicians and allows for multiple tests until the employee passes the exam.
“And the beautiful part is, that it’s not just us saying, ‘You get a dollar more per hour because we like you.’
“It’s Chapel Hill paying for ASE certification tests for technicians, so they can get a dollar more per hour for each certi-
Photo: Jared Navarre | Romph Pou Agency
fication. We ensure that our pay matches industry standards. We just did a salary survey at the end of 2024.”
A TRANSFORMATION FOR THE NEW AGE
For Barron and Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service. employee management comes down to a single word. Actually, it boils down to a single day of the week: Saturday. In 2020, Barron was faced with either adding personnel to transform half-day Saturdays into another full-length, fully-staffed work day at all 18 of the company’s locations — or transitioning to a Monday through Friday schedule.
Saturdays were becoming problematic because there were more complaints due to half-sized work crews. Plus more consumers were apt to sit in a store lobby waiting on their vehicle. It wasn’t a good combination.
Barron decided to test a five-day work model. Week day hours were extended by 30 minutes each day and managers were given one year to prove they could maintain their sales and profitability
without Saturdays. If they failed, every store would transition to six full days, Monday through Saturday.
They didn’t fail and now Barron sees the five-day work week as the biggest tool in her employee management tool belt. It’s been a major differentiator for Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service.
“I think we’re able to hire people because of that and I also think that our employees are happier because of that.
“The big thing is not about managing the employees so much once they get here. It’s about finding good ones and keeping the good ones.
“We have plenty of employment-type of processes inside our company, whether it’s evaluations or counseling and warning and training logs — all those things. There’s nothing earth-shattering about any of that. Everybody should be doing those things, be diligent about improving their employees and holding people accountable. That should be a given.
“But for me, I think not being open on Saturdays has really helped us in the long run.
“The people who are still open six or seven days a week — their fear, of course, is that they’re not serving a customer (and) they’re missing sales,” she says. “It was a much easier decision for me because Saturdays weren’t our best day and we weren’t open all day.”
A year after the switch Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service’s total sales, gross profit and net profit all improved. Plus, Barron says, the tire dealership eliminated a lot of headaches related to overtime.
Now, the five-day work week is part of the culture at Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service, though she knows it’s not a onesize-fits-all solution.
“I just decided I couldn’t compete with my competitors. I wasn’t going to be open as long as Mavis. I wasn’t going to be open as many hours as the (tire manufacturer-owned) stores. I opted to choose a schedule that was better for my employees.” And it’s turned into a great benefit when recruiting and hiring new employes. Barron says the schedule allows Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service to offer more of what employees are looking for in an employer.
Employee management
McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. reinforces its culture through regular training sessions and leadership meetings. The company has created videos and infused them into its onboarding process so new hires hear the company’s priorities directly from McCarthy family members.
“To be able to tell a technician, ‘You’re never going to have to work on a weekend when you come to work for us’ — it makes a difference.
“I just find that nowadays, people who are coming into the workforce, how much money they make is second to how much time they’ll have to live their life outside of work,” she says. “It used to be that we couldn’t kick people out of the shop because they wanted to work as many hours as humanly possible. Now, if we tell somebody, ‘We need you to stay a half hour,’ they look at you like you’ve grown two heads. It’s just a different mentality.”
TELLING THE FAMILY STORY
With a workforce of approximately 1,500 spread across multiple states up and down the East Coast, McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc., which is based in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has reinvented what a new employee’s first day at the tire dealership looks and feels like.
“We believe that culture and (the) work environment are our main keys to attracting and hiring talent these days,” says Mary Kate Henry, human resources manager and a part of the fourth generation of McCarthys to work at the tire dealership.
She says the culture starts at the corporate office and with the McCarthy family.
“We created a new hire onboarding training. On their day one, we start them with a welcome video to McCarthy Tire and it explains who we are, where we’re going (and) where we’ve come from, with our history.”
By introducing new employees to the family’s story, Henry says “their expectations of the culture —who we are in our work environment — is established from day one.”
And spreading that message via video ensures consistency. It’s no longer up to a local manager to tell the McCarthy Tire Service story — which dates back to 1926 — while also covering nitty-gritty details of daily responsibilities. Plus the video offers the benefit of employees hearing about expectations and priorities directly from top leadership.
Gary Lambert Jr., vice president of purchasing and vendor relations and another member of the McCarthy fourth generation, says the “culture has to be right for people to want to come to work here and that starts from the top down. But it’s also at the store local level, where we give flexibility to that manager to run and create the environment for that location to have it be a space (where) people want to come to work.”
The goal is for McCarthy Tire Service employees to say, “I really like what I do. I really like the environment that we work in. It’s rough and tough. It’s dirty, but it’s rewarding.”
Lambert says McCarthy Tire Service offers referral bonuses to encourage
employees to share their experience and spread the word about open positions. “That goes a long way.”
Henry says the referral process works. The paperwork crosses her desk every day and there have been times that a location manager has a staff opening and says there’s no need to advertise it because the manager already has a pool of candidates interested in joining the McCarthy Tire team.
It’s been five years since McCarthy Tire Service unveiled that initial video and Henry notes that every store manager utilizes it as part of the onboarding process.
She takes that as a good sign that managers see the benefits and have “bought into how we want to operate.”
The video that tells the McCarthy story dovetails into other critical, dayone messages about safety and training. The dealership previously used generic safety videos, but has also invested in filming its own to demonstrate the standards and practices McCarthy Tire Service utilizes, whether in a service bay or on a road-side call.
All of these messages are reinforced during other regular meetings throughout the year, as well as during the dealership’s annual leadership meetings.
“There are new laws — new things coming out — (and) we need to tell our managers how to do something best,” says Henry. “We can give them examples and things we see on a daily basis, but then we take their feedback. That’s how we’ve evolved. In order for us to get better, we have to listen to everyone.” ■
Photo: McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc.
Service is still king
LAKEWOOD TIRE PROS OFFERS A STEADY PRESENCE IN A CHANGING COMMUNITY
Mike Manges By
Its customers may be changing, but some things at Lakewood Tire Pros will never go out of style.
Owned by Rich and Kim Birsic, the bustling dealership has been a fixture in Lakewood, Ohio — a city of nearly 49,000 people on the western border of Cleveland — since 1987, when Rich and his father, George Birsic, bought it. (Before that, the location was a Firestone store that dated back to the 1930s.)
On the southern edge of Lake Erie, Lakewood is the third most densely populated city in Ohio and a blue-collar enclave for most of its existence. However,
“You don’t need a hard sell,” says Rich Birsic, center, with wife and Lakewood Tire Pros co-owner, Kim, and their son, Wil, who comanages the dealership. (Wil is the third generation of the Birsic family to work in the business.)
“You just need to earn the customer’s confidence.”
Photo: MTD
The dealership’s distinctive building is a historical landmark in Lakewood, Ohio, a city of nearly 49,000 that’s bordered to the east by Cleveland and the north by Lake Erie.
Photo: MTD
Earn
Be
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Monitor
DEALER RESOURCES
ALER RESOUR
We’re
Retail management
its demographics have changed in recent years thanks to an influx of higher-income residents.
“Lakewood used to be a blue-collar city — middle class, with a lot of families,” says Rich, 58, who started his career as an auto service technician. “It’s now upper middle class. We have $100,000 houses all around us that are selling for $450,000. That brings in a different demographic of customer.”
Years ago, he explains, it was common for customers to come into Lakewood Tire Pros, toss their keys to Rich or George and say, “Do whatever you think the car needs.” (George, who turns 85 next year, retired five years ago. “In his mind, he’s not retired,” Rich jokes.)
Many of the dealership’s newer customers, though more affluent, are “very focused on what it’s going to cost” when buying a new set of tires or having work done on their vehicles. “That seems to be the biggest thing. Even though everyone’s making more money, everything costs more. Sometimes the car is a lower priority.”
“I think it comes down to that first phone call,” says Wil Birsic, who comanages the dealership. “When you pick up that phone, the first words out of your mouth are what’s really going to attract a person.”
Photo: MTD
Lakewood Tire Pros’ newer customers also are less interested in the mechanics of their vehicles, says Rich — a mindset that extends to types and brands of tires. “They’re not as brand-conscious.”
“You have to play detective more” when trying to determine customers’ needs, says Kim, who handles numerous functions within the third-generation business.
Rich says it took a while for Lakewood Tire Pros to adjust to the mentality of its
newer, younger customers, but the dealership has continued to thrive by focusing on customer service.
“I think it comes down to that first phone call,” says Wil, 30, who joined Lakewood Tire Pros as a general service technician in 2015. He now co-manages the dealership with Cleveland tire market veteran Mike Schlegel. “When you pick up that phone, the first words out of your mouth are what’s really going to attract a person.”
“We’re a family-run business and try to treat our customers like family,” says Rich. “We’re dealing with customers I had 38 years ago. Their grandchildren are coming to us.
“Ninety-five percent of our customers are still from Lakewood. But we have a few who will travel to our store from outside the area.”
One longtime customer regularly makes an 80-mile round trip to visit the dealership.
“That’s because of the relationships we’ve forged,” says Rich. “We don’t look to hit a home run” by maximizing ser-
vice tickets. “We plant the seed and they come back.”
Recently, a customer called Rich out of the blue. “He said, ‘I just want you to know — I brought my car in last week.’ I thought to myself, ‘Oh, gosh. What’s next?’ He said, ‘You fixed a problem that a (car) dealership couldn’t fix after four visits. I want to send you guys a pizza.’
“I said, ‘You don’t have to do that. We’re happy with just a good Google review.’ He wound up sending us a couple of pizzas.”
Other customers “bring baked goods in over the holidays,” says Kim. “They show up with sandwich trays for our guys. That’s the kind of customer we have.”
FAMILY ATMOSPHERE
The family atmosphere that the Birsics have created also extends to their employees, who Rich calls “a great group of guys. We do so many different things. We’re a little more lenient (than other employers) with days off. If they have a family problem” and need to take time off, “we get it. We’re not going to hammer them for that.
“We offer health care. We pay for it 100%. They get the top 5% pay rate for our area. We provide lunch for them almost every day. Either I cook or we order out. For their birthdays, they get to pick something special.”
Rich and Kim also maintain friendly relations with their competitors. Lakewood’s tire and auto service market “is made up of small, independent shops,” he says. “We’re in a three-mile-by-fivemile city. Before COVID-19, we had 17 competitors. Now I can count them on less than two hands. We had all kinds of car dealerships here. They’re gone.
“If I had to go out of business, I wouldn’t have a problem” referring customers to most of Lakewood Tire Pros’ competitors, he says. “With the exception of one or two, we’ve been left with quality competitors. None of us badmouth each other. We aren’t fighting each other.”
When asked about Lakewood Tire Pros’ future, Rich says the dealership will continue to do what’s made it successful. “As an independent tire dealer, we always ask, ‘Where can we go next year?’ It may not be leaps and bounds. Re-painting the inside of our building is on the agenda ... updating our showroom. Our building is unique, but expensive to maintain.”
However, the structure, with its distinctive architecture, contributes to “our marketability” and has become a landmark along the busy east-to-west street where Lakewood Tire Pros is located.
Rich and Kim plan to provide more training for their five technicians. “Educating our guys is going to be number one for us,” says Rich, who proudly notes that
Lakewood Tire Pros had its best month ever in January 2025. April turned out to be the second most profitable month in the dealership’s history.
Success, he says, boils down to how you treat people. “You try to make every customer experience the best. You don’t need a hard sell. You just need to earn the customer’s confidence.” ■
For the haul of it.
Prinx Tires produces a broad range of high-quality commercial tires— including steer, all-position, drive, and trailer models.
All at a price point that leaves room for you to make your margin and your customer to meet their budget.
New diagnostic tools
for technicians
TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED SOLUTIONS HELP ELIMINATE GUESSWORK
Kim Klimas By
The days of troubleshooting diagnostic issues with a few simple tools and a gut feeling aren’t just a thing of the past — they’re a distant memory. Today’s diagnostic tools feature everything from artificial intelligence-powered scanners and precision sensors to software so advanced that it practically whispers solutions to technicians.
These technology-enabled tools quicken the pace of determining what’s gone wrong mechanically and preventively notify automotive technicians of impending problems that can be addressed. Here’s a look at what’s new in diagnostic tools.
Autel’s MaxiSYS Ultra S2 Tablet is engineered to provide direct user-technician feedback.
Built on the Autel MaxiSys Ultra, the MaxiSYS Ultra S2 features upgraded hardware and advanced diagnostics, including 512 gigabytes of storage and a “six-in-one” vehicle communication and measurement device with J2534 passthrough programming, a four-channel oscilloscope, multimeter, waveform generator, CAN-Bus tester and a remote expert device, according to Autel officials. Advanced software features like Topology 3.0 provide active module
and network analysis, can pinpoint ECU issues, test signal quality and ensure network integrity, all while working in conjunction with specialized functions like multi-system data fusion and graphical live data analysis.
“We engineered these features with input from our user-technicians and their reception of the tablet and its new capabilities has been extremely positive,” says Allison Whitney, director of corporate communications at Autel. “Other new features include a digital
“Autel has developed platforms and strategies to ensure our usertechnicians can finish every repair with their MaxiSYS Ultra S2 tablet,” says Allison Whitney, director of corporate communications at Autel.
Photo: Autel
Auto service
vehicle inspection application and MAX, a voice-controlled virtual assistant that can perform multiple tasks, including an all-system scan.
“Autel has developed platforms and strategies to ensure our user-technicians can finish every repair with their MaxiSYS Ultra S2 tablet,” she says. “The Remote Expert feature connects technicians with experienced programmers and diagnosticians with OE tools and subscriptions to perform high-level tasks, such as module programming and ADAS calibrations.
“The Ultra S2 offers industry-leading security gateway access for the late model vehicles of Stellantis (Dodge, Chrysler, Ram, Jeep, Fiat, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo), Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen/Audi that utilize this increasingly popular security module. An AutoAuth account is required for all the above, except VW/Audi,” notes Whitney, who adds that the MaxiSYS Ultra S2 is available for North American, Asian and European vehicles.
The Shenzhen Sunite Technology Co. Ltd. offers the CGSULIT TPMS90 TPMS Diagnostic, Active and Programming Tool, which works to activate, program, decode and diagnose universal TPMS sensors, including CGSulit’s TS01 Universal Programmable TPMS Sensor. It also evaluates tire pressure monitor system problems.
The TPMS90 tool offers Wi-Fi and USB updates and provides live data reading for OE sensors, including sensor IDs, temperature, battery state and tire pressure. Tire dealers have access to multiple methods to activate TPMS sensors and can program up to 16 sensors simultaneously and copy sensor IDs via OBD. The tool also allows technicians to easily read sensor data, clear TPMS trouble codes and check key fob functionality.
Also new is the CGSULIT TS01 Universal Programmable TPMS Sensor, which works across nearly all TPMSequipped vehicles from small cars to heavy-duty trucks, fitting more than 98% of on-road vehicles equipped with a tire
pressure system. The TS01 features ID clone-able functionality with no relearn procedure required, plus the added benefit of durable, low-weight, heat-resistant construction with max signal strength and precise and highly accurate tire pressure and temperature monitoring. The TS01 takes seconds to program and comes with an extended five-year battery life and 24-month or 24,000-mile warranty.
The OPUS IVS DrivePro2 is marketed as “an all-in-one solution for any repair shop,” says Frank Dierlam, inside sales manager at Opus IVS. Its platform boasts a wide range of features, including AI-driven Remote Expert Support.
“These are OEM dealer master technicians who are brand specific,” explains Dierlam. “Our technician will walk stepby-step through a diagnostic with you and your team, not only identifying next steps until you have the fix — but also educating the user.”
In addition, technicians can rely on integrated AI in the form of a two-way chat to provide instant repair suggestions while waiting for live support.
The DrivePro2 is a Windows OS tablet with J2534 capability built in.
“You can reprogram vehicles yourself without any additional hardware needed,” says Dierlam, who adds that free J2534 support is provided for the life of the tool. “If you don’t have enough volume for an OEM to do the programming yourself, we can do it for you with the RAP–Remote Assisted Programming service. Just hook
up the tool and walk away. We’ll call you when it’s done.”
The tool is also equipped with Farsight OE Mode, a virtual library of OE software that’s already updated and service ready.
TOPDON USA’s TP58 TPMS Diagnostic Tool whittles down the number of tools needed for service with its all-in-one advanced tire monitoring capabilities, effectively improving efficiency and workflow, according to TOPDON officials.
“The TP58 is an invaluable tool for technicians with expanded diagnostic capabilities across a number of auto manufacturers, including Toyota,” says Chad Schnitz, vice president at TOPDON USA. Compatible with all OEM sensor diagnostics, it covers 90% of OBDII systems, meaning it can be used across the service garage, on just about any vehicle to access sensor IDs, pressure, temperature, battery status and more, he adds.
The TP58 also features an intuitive touchscreen interface, automatic WiFi updates and make, model and year lookup via a VIN barcode scan.
After tire maintenance is complete, sensor IDs are synced with the vehicle’s system using OBII Relearn and TPMS Diagnostic Trouble Codes for recalibration.
In addition, the TP58 offers DOT recording and optional tire tread depth measurement and is equipped with five years of free software updates and ECU unlocking for Toyota and Tesla Bluetooth Low Energy support. ■
The OPUS IVS DrivePro2 is marketed as “an all-in-one solution for any repair shop,” says Frank Dierlam, inside sales manager at Opus IVS.
Photo: OPUS IVS
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Commercial Tire Dealer ®
LONG ROAD AHEAD?
TARIFFS CREATE TURBULENCE IN TBR TIRE MARKET
By Mike Manges
Aer a less-than-robust rst half, TBR tire manufacturers and suppliers are turning their attention to the rest of 2025 and the further uncertainty that tari s and other market forces are expected to create. In this MTD exclusive, they discuss the current state of medium truck tire demand and what replacement sales could look like during the rest of the year. ey also comment on the potential impact of tari s. (Comments were provided in April and May.)
MTD: What’s the state of commercial medium truck tire demand in the U.S.? What are some of the trends you’re seeing?
MARSHALL GILLESPIE, director of commercial tire merchandising, American Tire Distributors Inc./Hercules (ATD): Data from the USTMA (U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association is) showing that the trucking industry could face a
multitude of headwinds this year impacting replacement tire sales — one of them being the continued rise of operational costs. We continue to see demand grow in the value-tier space as eets and owner operators make cost-conscious choices to support their businesses.
GAVIN BROUSSARD, head of sales for commercial tires, Apollo Tyres Ltd.: e market is so and eets are laser-focused on upfront pricing due to cash ow pressure and freight uncertainty. Many dealers are also sitting on high inventory, which has slowed reorder activity. However, eets still expect solid performance and casing value just at a sharper price.
SCOTT HOEFT, president, commercial truck group, Bridgestone Americas Inc.: Commercial truck industry demand was as expected in the rst quarter and slightly negative versus the previous year.
Bridgestone projects the full year to be slightly positive versus 2024, subject to any potential market impacts due to tari s, including freight import reductions or potentially slower or even recessionary impacts in the second half. We are seeing low-tier imports leveling o to historical trends. However, the ight to value is still a key trend in the industry.
AARON MURPHY, senior vice president, CMA/Double Coin: Replacement shipments are down year-over-year, but not a true indiator of sales. One year ago, inventory owed into the U.S. from ailand prior to the anti-dumping ruling. Overall trends are showing a downturn in demand as tonnage is at and the economic landscrape is di cult to understand.
HAESIK LEE, director of TBR marketing, Hankook Tire America Corp.: e replacement market for commercial
TBR tire suppliers say tariffs will create even more uncertainty in the market, further complicating forecasts for the second half of 2025.
AHEAD?
medium truck tires remains steady. While there is growth in certain trucking segments and overall tire sector trends which continue to stimulate the market, the overall market is down as customers delay purchases due to economic uncertainty. We do expect this to impact the tire market in the coming year as well. However, there has been a consistent increase in regional trucking in the U.S., which has a direct correlation with a growing replacement market for medium truck tires for those regional vehicles.
SHAWN DENLEIN, president of sales and marketing, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc.: e TBR market has seen a slight decrease in demand in the rst quarter (of) 2025 — negative 1.8% versus the prior year, especially among non-USTMA members. Ultimately, we will have to wait and see how this trend will affect the market in conjunction
with the Trump administration’s tari announcement. Overall, we cautiously expect TBR market demand to be at similar levels to the previous year.
JIM GARRETT, product marketing manager, Michelin North America Inc.: At this time, Michelin feels that the medium truck market is currently in an uncertain period as the combination of uctuating economic conditions has caused a buildup of inventory in the network and stagnant trucking demands have caused volatility in future outlooks and needs.
KEN COLTRANE, vice president of product development and marketing, Prinx Chengshan Tire North America (PCTNA): Our TBR orders are up compared to last year. If anything, it seems like as with many types of products, not just tires, there is a lot of trading down from the more expensive tiers.
CARLO RICCI, marketing manager, U.S.A. and Canada, Prometeon: Demand for replacement commercial medium truck tires in the U.S. is stable right now, but it’s also more competitive and value-driven than it has been in recent years. Tires are still moving, but customers are being more deliberate. ey are focused on what delivers performance, consistency and
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Horst Tire answers the call .............48 AG Tire Talk: sprayer tires .............. 52
long-term value rather than making decisions based on habit or brand recognition alone. We’re seeing a noticeable shi in the types of applications driving demand. Regional haul and pickup and delivery are gaining more traction as freight continues to rebalance. at has an impact on the tire specs customers are prioritizing.
BRIAN SHEEHEY, senior vice president, Ralson Tire North America: e rst quarter of the year was steady, but not robust. April has lled dealers and eets with signi cant guarded caution and a hesitancy to invest discretionary capital due to the reciprocal tari announcement and the subsequent adjustments and delays that have accompanied them. Without clearer process guidelines, we are all operating on assumptions that may or may not be correct.
JUSTIN LARGE, director of sales, corporate accounts, commercial products, North America, Sailun Tire Americas: As of the second quarter of 2025, demand for replacement commercial medium truck
Commercial Tire Dealer ®
tires in the U.S. is stable with modest growth, following a rebound in 2024 after a soft 2023. (There is) increased demand from construction and regional haul segments as infrastructure spending continues. Fleet operators are becoming more selective, prioritizing total cost of ownership over upfront price. (There is an) ongoing shift to fuel-efficient and retread-friendly tires, especially among larger fleets, (and) inventory normalization, with many distributors now more cautious following oversupply in 2022 to 2023.
NURALI BUNYATOV, vice president, commercial brand management, TBC Corp.: We are observing stable demand for replacement TBR tires, with elevated April volumes compared to last year. The market is awaiting a final decision on reciprocal tariffs, but remains steady overall. We are not observing any major shifts in customer purchasing behavior, aside from an increase in purchases through distribution centers versus factory direct imports.
JOAQUIN GONZALEZ, president, Tire Group International LLC (TGI): I believe first quarter numbers for this segment were up about 1% over the previous year. This indicates to me that 2025 looks to continue the steady 2024 rebound in the segment over a very disappointing 2023, where deliveries were down by over 20%. Some trends that bear watching include the continued growth in the tier-three and tier-four segments. These value-line offerings seem to be on a path to continue to increased market share as fleets, regardless of size, look to find ways to manage operating costs. Another continuing trend is the growth of light commercial vehicle fleets. As these fleets grow to service the needs of companies like Amazon, tire demand will continue to rise due to higher annual miles driven, city road conditions (high-scrub) and lots of stop/start.
PHILLIP KANE, CEO, Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC: Artificial intelligence (AI) is having an indirectly negative impact on our industry. Digital freight platforms/ brokerage automation and AI-driven routing software have greatly reduced slop and inefficiency in trucking, leading to fewer miles driven per ton of freight. These gains will reduce tire wear and in turn industry sales. With the recent explosion of last-mile delivery, we have seen a shift in
TBR tire import snapshot SIX KEY TAKEAWAYS
By Joy Kopcha
A recent look at the number of truck and bus tires imported into the U.S. so far in 2025 shows that globally, total units have dropped. But the trends across the top five TBR tire producing countries aren’t universal.
As of late-April, the U.S. Census Bureau database shows import data for January and February 2025. (There’s typically a two-month lag.) But using two months of data from 2025 and comparing it to numbers from the first two months of each year dating back to the pre-pandemic 2019, there are some interesting trends:
• Overall, global imports of TBR tires into the U.S. are down by 7.9% in 2025 compared to 2024. A total of 3.30 million TBR tires have been shipped to the U.S. so far this year, down from 3.59 million after the first two months of 2024. (Note: that two-month total from 2024 is by far the biggest total in data MTD analyzed dating back to 2019.)
• In 2024, the top five largest exporters of TBR tires into the U.S. were, in order, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Canada and Cambodia. In the first two months of 2025, three of the five were ahead of their 2024 pace. Thailand and Canada’s imports are down year-over-year. Thailand’s TBR imports are down 40.9%, according to the data so far available. TBR tire imports from Canada are down 7.1% compared to 2024 figures.
• Thailand’s imports were down dramatically in the first two months of 2025. But looking at total numbers, Thailand still represents 30% of the total number of TBR tires imported into the U.S. in the first two months of this year.
• The fastest-growing import market, Cambodia, is still growing by leaps and bounds, despite all the talk about tariffs. Year-to-date, Cambodia’s TBR exports to the U.S. have increased by a whopping 275.3%. Keep in mind, in 2022, no medium truck tires were imported into the U.S. from Cambodia. In 2024, the country leapfrogged its way onto the charts as the fifth-largest source of TBR tires for the U.S. market.
• Of last year’s top five TBR tire producing countries, two so far are showing signs of their strongest import years yet. The first is Cambodia. But the January and February totals for Vietnam are also impressive, with a 9.7% increase over 2024 shipments in the same two-month period. In two months in 2025, Vietnam already shipped almost 20% of the total number of tires it shipped to the U.S. in all of 2024.
• It’s not a record start, but Japan’s TBR tire imports were up almost 26.1% in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period a year ago. That rate of growth makes Japan the second-fastest mover among these five leading countries. But Japan’s strongest two-month start to a year was in 2023, when it shipped 431,510 tires into the U.S.
usage from regional TBR tires to smaller fabric- and steel-construction passenger/ LT tires, reducing demand for traditional truck tires. Coupled with the above, due to congestion in urban areas, many shippers have found that intermodal plus last-mile makes more sense than full truckload plus last-mile in dense population centers, leading to less tire wear.
VAHE TCHAGHLASSIAN, vice president of marketing and sales, Wholesale Tire Distributors (WTD): U.S. replacement medium truck tire sales experienced modest growth in the first quarter of 2025, although recent trade tensions and tariffs have created uncertainty in the market.
DEMETRIC MASS, national product
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manager, Galaxy truck tires, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America Inc.: There’s a strong flow of commercial medium truck tires hitting the market, giving customers lots of choices. As a result, buyers are becoming more price-focused and transactional in their purchasing decisions. This has caused top-tier producers to shift their strategy to focus more on OEMs and national accounts, which are typically less price-sensitive than smaller operations. The big brands leaving behind smaller businesses have really opened the door for more value-oriented manufacturers to play in these spaces. In recent years, the gap in quality between the premium players and more affordable options has shrunk and now smaller fleets are seeing first-hand just how well more price-sensitive tires can compete with the market’s top-tier offerings.
DAN FUNKHOUSER, vice president of commercial sales, Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC): First, let’s backtrack a bit. In 2024, the commercial tire market experienced several notable trends and developments. Thanks to e-commerce and the growing need for efficient delivery services, there was a steady increase in demand. Also there were safety and efficiency innovations introduced, such as sensors to monitor air pressure and temperature. In 2024, we saw a major push for more fuel-efficient tires. There was also a consolidation in the fleet and dealer business. This helped strengthen some market positions and product portfolios. As for 2025, I am an eternal optimist. As such, I still have a positive outlook for this year, even though there are major headwinds in the industry. The wild card, as always, will be the economy.
MTD: What will replacement medium truck tire sales be like during the rest of 2025?
GILLESPIE (ATD/Hercules): Trying to forecast the remainder of 2025 today would require a crystal ball that we all wish we had. In the short-term, we will see a surge in medium truck imports throughout the second quarter as importers try to beat the looming reciprocal tariffs scheduled for the third quarter. For now, multiple what-if scenarios could be formed as importers try to plan and execute properly for their customers. Depending on if or when these planned tariffs are implemented, the industry could see supply chain disrup-
“At this point, the commercial replacement market is anyone’s guess for 2025,” says Dan Funkhouser, vice president of commercial sales, Yokohama Tire Corp.
Photo: Yokohama Tire Corp.
Medium truck tire market share by brand Brand Share
been price-driven, pending tariffs could shift focus back to value, performance and supply reliability.
HOEFT (Bridgestone): While the start of the year has been solid, there is still caution for the rest of the year because of potential tariffs and their overall economic impact. The uncertainty is leading to slower fleet spending overall, which could impact tire sales for the remainder of the year. Absent the potential tariff headwinds, the market is on a slow but steady pace of recovery.
MURPHY (CMA/Double Coin): Unknown at this time based on recession fears and shipment slowdowns due to tariffs. Indicators are showing sales will retreat versus 2024.
5.5%
4.0%
3.5% Falken 2.5% Sailun 2.0% Zenna 2.0% Fortune 1.5% Gladiator 1.0% Kumho 1.0%
Prinx 1.0%
Westlake 1.0%
Others 17.5%
*Based on estimated 10 million units as of May 31, 2025
tions in the U.S impacting supply late-2025 into early-2026, along with further price increases into the market
BROUSSARD (Apollo): We expect a gradual rebound in the second half of 2025 as freight stabilizes. While the market has
LEE (Hankook): The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association forecasts a marginal 0.8% increase in replacement truck tire shipments for this coming year. This underscores the ongoing market rebound following more sluggish years immediately following the pandemic. Now, we’re seeing more customers panic-purchasing or trying to get ahead of potential inventory challenges or price increases due to tariffs. As that situation stabilizes, we expect sales to do the same and remain relatively flat for the year.
DENLEIN (Kumho): Demand in the TBR market is directly affected by the volume of cargo freight and construction, infrastructure, etc. Currently, it is difficult to predict what effect the tariff will have on imported products, but many experts predict that it will negatively impact economic recovery. Given this, we need to continue monitoring the situation.
GARRETT (Michelin): First quarter sell-in volumes for domestic manufacturers were up due to exceeding demand. This is likely in preparation for the current uncertainty toward the overall macro-economy in the United States and Canada. The current 2025 outlook is trending in line with a flat market in the second half.
COLTRANE (PCTNA): We expect the market will have moderate growth.
RICCI (Prometeon): We see the rest of 2025 as a real opportunity in the commercial medium truck tire market. The 10% tariff
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on imported tires is forcing the entire industry to adjust, but it’s also creating a clear separation between companies that are positioned to deliver value, and those that aren’t. Prices are moving up across the market and that’s going to make customers much more focused on finding partners who can offer quality, durability and a true cost-per-mile advantage. We are optimistic that tire sales will continue — they have to — but buyers are going to be more selective about who they trust with their business. We expect replacement sales to be stable overall.
SHEEHEY (Ralson): I expect there to be a decrease in sales based on the current economic uncertainty. If/when the tariff picture gets clearer and agreements are made, there may be a short period of pent-up demand bulk purchasing. How much demand will be based on how long it takes to reach country-by-country agreements.
LARGE (Sailun): The outlook for the remainder of 2025 remains cautiously
optimistic, but is heavily dependent on broader economic conditions and new trade policies. Fuel prices and freight activity will be key indicators. Stronger freight means more tire wear and replacement demand. Fleets are focused on cost control, so demand may shift toward value-tier brands or products with proven retreadability and fuel-saving technologies. However, tariff-related cost increases may temper buying decisions in the second half of the year.
BUNYATOV (TBC): Based on pre-buying activity from earlier this year and some macro-economic uncertainty, we anticipate a steady market for replacement commercial medium truck tires for the remainder of 2025.
GONZALEZ (TGI): USTMA forecasts some modest growth — about 1% — in the replacement commercial truck tire segment for 2025. Based on what we saw in the first quarter, I feel that the trend should continue, slow and steady, but on an upwards arc.
TCHAGHLASSIAN (WTD): The initially anticipated growth in replacement commercial medium truck tire sales for 2025 is expected to slow in the latter half of the year due to the impact of tariffs and supply chain challenges. Tire dealers are recognizing that while tariffs are driving price increases, maintaining adequate inventory remains critical to sustaining supply.
•
MASS (Yokohama Off-Highway): While I don’t have a definitive answer — I wish I had a crystal ball — I’m optimistic about the rest of 2025 and foresee the market for commercial medium truck tires remaining strong. E-commerce and the need for efficient delivery services will keep trucks busy getting products to consumers. Whether it’s shipping goods newly arrived from overseas or redistributing products already in the U.S., there’s going to be demand for truck tires. The question is which manufacturers are going to be servicing these busy fleets. A lot of manufacturers will have to make hard decisions on pricing — just how much of the rising costs due to tariffs they will absorb and how much they will pass on to their customers. This challenge presents an opportunity for well-backed producers.
FUNKHOUSER (YTC): At this point, commercial replacement market is anyone’s guess for 2025. Regardless of the market’s condition, Yokohama will continue to be active and visible in the market.
MTD: What impact, if any, will tariffs recently announced by the Trump administration have on the U.S. replacement medium truck tire market?
GILLESPIE (ATD/Hercules): Policy volatility has continued to cause confusion and disruption throughout the industry and importers need to be agile with the understanding that everything could change the following week. The commercial market has already seen the first wave of price increases announced by key brands, which I assume will be a fast follow for the rest of the industry.
BROUSSARD (Apollo): The proposed tariffs will create short-term uncertainty around pricing for some imported tires. While it’s too early to gauge the full impact, we anticipate fleets and dealers will begin evaluating new options. Our priority is
to support our partners with dependable products, a strong value proposition, and partnerships that are built to last.
HOEFT (Bridgestone): It is too early to determine the exact impact of the announced automotive and reciprocal tariffs on our operations. Our priority remains ensuring business continuity while balancing short-term factors with long-term strategies and commitments.
MURPHY (CMA/Double Coin): We feel it will have a significant impact as supply chain fragmentation will occur during the transition. In addition, costs will increase for both imported and domestic products to the dealer and fleet.
LEE (Hankook): As an industry, we are all monitoring the potential impact of the evolving tariffs across all segments.
DENLEIN (Kumho): As mentioned, it is difficult to say what the impact will be on the market. Understandably, there are concerns that it will lead to a market downturn. Since this is an evolving situation, we need to wait and see how matters unfold and determine the best solutions going forward.
GARRETT (Michelin): Consistent with our local-to-local strategy, Michelin manufactures tires close to the markets where they are sold. We are assessing the potential impact of the most recent tariff announcements made by the Trump
administration on April 2. At this stage, it is too early to provide specific details.
COLTRANE (PCTNA): The tariffs on TBR tires are basically the same for everyone. If they stay where they are now, it will be business as usual.
RICCI (Prometeon): The 10% tariff on imported commercial truck tires is already changing the dynamics of the U.S. replacement market. It’s driving up costs across the board, tightening margins and forcing every player in the supply chain — from importers to dealers — to make fast decisions. This isn’t just a pricing issue. It’s a shift in how the market operates.
SHEEHEY (Ralson): The TBR (tire) industry is holding its breath until country-by-country issues are solved. We are in a level of caution not seen since the beginning of the early COVID-19 slowdown. However, the U.S. economy is a resilient engine of growth and patience and planning are key to moving forward
LARGE (Sailun): Although the situation remains very fluid, if the (Trump) administration ultimately proceeds with these changes, the expected impacts will include price increases across all tiers (and) inventory disruptions as some dealers order additional stock ahead of tariff enactments, while others will cancel orders for fear of holding overpriced inventory. Imported tires will continue to play a key role in U.S. supply, as there is not enough
domestic production to meet the country’s full demand.
GONZALEZ (TGI): Right now, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty as to what impact the tariffs will have on the replacement market. Obviously, higher prices on products coming in from overseas could significantly impact (lower) demand. That lowered demand could in turn negatively impact trucking capacity needed to carry freight, which in turn would reduce miles driven.
KANE (Turbo): With the recent tariff determination that TBR tires are, in-effect, an auto part, two things will be true moving forward: the playing field for imported truck tires will remain relatively level and prices of TBR tires are going up. Neither of those things can be bad for our industry.
TCHAGHLASSIAN (WTD): The recently announced tariffs have introduced uncertainty and potential challenges for the U.S. replacement medium truck tire market.
MASS (Yokohama Off-Highway): The tariffs are going to have everyone scrambling, from the manufacturers to the fleets they service. Another potential impact of tariffs is that the long-haul market could start cutting into regional business.
FUNKHOUSER (YTC): As the situation is still fluid, it’s too early to determine the full impacts and we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust accordingly. ■
Horst Tire Service
Answering the call
HORST TIRE SERVICE SEES A PATH TO GROW WITH FARM TIRE SALES AND SERVICE
By
Joy Kopcha
On a quiet road in rural Ohio, Horst Tire Service is tucked in amongst the trees without much fanfare. A small sign pokes into the land at the roadside. Without that sign, people passing by would likely assume the driveway led to a home and oversized garage.
But dozens of vehicles of all sizes are pulling in and out of this driveway throughout the day, just like they have been for nearly 10 years. Sheldon Horst, 35, has owned and managed the business, which his cousin started, since 2018.
In the last six-plus years since Horst took over ownership of the dealership, he says “it’s grown every year. We’re denitely running more stu through. We get new customers every week.”
Horst Tire Service is wholly focused on tires and doesn’t o er any automotive services. But it sells both consumer and commercial tires — making the dealership a jack of all trades, says Horst.
“When you do tires for everything and somebody calls, you answer (the phone), but you have no clue what they might be calling about. It could be a tractor tire or a lawnmower tire. It could be a wheelbarrow tire, a car tire or some odd piece of farm equipment.”
Horst says his business is growing on both the commercial side — especially in agricultural tires — as well as with passenger and light truck tire customers. “ at’s all word of mouth right now ... coworkers and whatnot sending people in.”
On the commercial side, Horst says agriculture tires are leading the way. Horst Tire Service o ers ag tire repair and replacement.
“Not every tire shop o ers agricultural (tires) or that type of commercial (tire). ey might do car tires — consumer stu — but they’re not o ering agricultural. Some might do repair, but you have to bring (the tire) to the shop
“And there’s a lot of hobby farmers. They don’t (operate a) farm, but they might have a few acres and a small tractor that needs tires replaced or xed.”
and then they can do it there. But as far as on-site repairs for those tires, there’s not as many service trucks” in Horst Tire Service’s market area.
Horst Tire Service operates two service trucks that are out tted to handle large, agricultural tires. A third service truck is smaller and can handle roadside service calls for commercial trucks, like tractor/trailers.
But it’s farmers who are core to Horst Tire Service’s success.
e two-bay shop sits in New Waterford, Ohio, a small town of about 1,200 people that’s less than an hour’s drive from the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line. It’s a rural area surrounded by farmland. A good number of those farmers are dairy farmers.
Horst says his customer base also includes grain farmers. Most are small- or mid-sized operations that remain family owned.
Some of those customers are retired farmers who keep equipment on hand to mow a pasture or clear brush.
Others simply prefer to live in the country and have a piece of equipment to help maintain their property.
Horst Tire Service’s dairy farming customers require timely and on-site service.
“When they want something, they need it done right away,” says Horst. “We try to accommodate them.”
at might mean servicing or replacing tires on one of many pieces of equipment — from tractors, planters and tillage tools to skid steers or even a dump truck. “ ere’s a lot of tires on a farm like that.”
POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH
roughout the workday, Horst answers lots of phone calls. He wears a remote headset all day long and is either the rst or second person to answer any incoming call.
He meets customers as they drive up to the shop, pulls vehicles in and out of the service bays and helps his team juggle
Sheldon Horst, second from right, works alongside a team of four technicians. From left, Devon VanPelt, Jordan Weaver, Chris Stewart, and at far right, Evan Ogburn.
Photo: MTD
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tickets and customers all day long. He’s a hands-on owner who is tied to operations from the moment his business opens each morning.
Horst admits that approach doesn’t leave him lots of time to focus on longterm planning. “Right now, it’s just so busy, I’m probably not thinking about that like I should be,” he says.
“There’s definitely an opportunity to grow. It would be nice if we could relocate somewhere along a major road versus adding on here, but the one thing I would like to do at some point is add on to the office to have a bigger office, a bigger waiting room, a bigger showroom.”
For now, he and Devon VanPelt work inside a 12 foot-by-12 foot office that is just large enough for their two desks and a couple of chairs for customers. On nice weather days, customers will opt to sit outside while waiting on tires.
The limited waiting area has led Horst Tire Service to try to schedule every service appointment. “It keeps everything flowing that way,” says Horst.
He and his team work quickly to keep customers moving in and out of the shop five days a week. Commercial customers aren’t always able to schedule tire needs ahead of time. That’s where the service trucks and after-hours calls come in. Horst takes some of those calls himself, so his technicians don’t have to carry that load all on their own.
Horst Tire Service
The constant juggling act is one of Horst’s greatest challenges. Creating and maintaining a service schedule is one thing. Juggling the emergency calls of existing customers and the unpredictable needs of truckers and consumers who have a tire problem while traveling in the area with the dealership’s daily schedule is another issue.
“It could be as simple as a lawnmower tire,” that disrupts the day, says Horst.
He credits his team with always being flexible and willing to adjust as the day goes on. For the customer who plans to mow but instead discovers a flat tire on the mower, getting it repaired or replaced quickly is the key to keeping their own to-do list on track.
Some customers come from as far away as Pittsburgh, Pa., to buy passenger and light truck tires from Horst Tire Service. He’s appreciative of their loyalty.
“They trust us. They know we’re going to take care of them. We’re not perfect, but we treat them like we would want to be treated. We treat them like family.”
Sometimes that treatment includes pointing out things on a customer’s vehicle that might need attention, he says. And since Horst Tire Service only provides tire service, those recommendations often result in sending a customer to another business.
Horst says finding and keeping good help is essential. His goal is to have “workers that care about customers the way I do.”
That’s not always an easy task, he admits. “It’s a very competitive job market. There’s always a bigger business that can pay more than you do.”
TIRE PRICING CHALLENGES
Many factors have affected tire prices since the COVID-19 pandemic, but Horst says customers have been especially sensitive to price increases in the inflationary environment of the past two-plus years.
He says customers understand that tire pricing is beyond Horst Tire Service’s control and that there are other forces at work. But it’s playing into their decision-making process.
He notes that customers are not necessarily looking for the absolute cheapest tire available, but “instead of a top-tier, we’re going to put something (on) from more of the middle (tier).”
The pricing issue is affecting all parts of Horst’s business, from consumer tires
to commercial truck and ag tire purchases. Truck drivers are talking about how their rates have dropped and freight delivery has become more competitive, making profit margins tighter than they once were.
As a result, more of those drivers are interested in mid-range tires or lessexpensive imports. Horst says some — but not all — of those drivers are sensitive to the fact that sometimes lower-priced tires don’t wear like the tires they purchased previously. In some cases, Horst says he’s then able to bump that customer up into a slightly more-expensive tire, because the customer has experienced that the investment is worthwhile.
Horst wishes more of his customers were tire brand-savvy and would ask about specific brands or even specific tires. Instead, “they’re leaving it up to us,” and ask, “What would you put on?”
The one brand many of his customers are familiar with is Firestone, but that’s because Harvey Firestone, the founder of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., was born a few miles down the road in Columbiana.
Bridgestone Americas Inc. still owns and operates the Firestone Farm Tire Test Center, which is located next door to the Firestone family’s farm in Columbiana.
BUSINESS FROM A TRAIN DERAILMENT
On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. As the crow flies, the site of the derailment is five miles from Horst’s dealership.
“We never had to evacuate or shut down,” says Horst, who notes that the evacuation order was limited to a onemile radius of the derailment site.
However, he had both consumer and commercial customers who were affected throughout the ordeal.
And Horst Tire Service did provide tire services for some of the equipment at the site for Norfolk Southern and for some of the contracted clean-up companies. He saved two metal railroad spikes his crew extracted from damaged payloader tires.
Horst says residents and business owners who were most directly affected by the derailment were eligible to receive cash gift cards to cover some of their expenses while they were displaced. Some of those gift cards were used to purchase tires.
But what is most striking to Horst is how the derailment could have been so much worse. ■
Horst Tire Service’s Jordan Weaver installs new tires on the tractor of an independent truck driver’s rig.
Photo: MTD
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AG Tire Talk
Selecting sprayer tires
BUYERS ARE MANAGING ON-ROAD AND IN-FIELD PRIORITIES
Modern Tire Dealer has partnered with AG Tire Talk to provide answers to insightful questions that farm tire dealers have about farm tire technology. This 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.
QUESTIONS: When a producer is buying sprayer flotation tire assemblies, what should they look for to ensure maximum footprint and the least soil compaction? Which wheel width is best and when should a farmer choose R-1, R-1W or a hybrid tread design?
NICK PHILLIPPI, product manager/technical support, North America, Ascenso Tires North America: Self-propelled sprayers have long been a hot topic in the tire industry. They have gotten faster and heavier and are more in use than ever in today’s farming practices. The original setup was narrow tires, but manufacturers had some difficulty getting acceptable performance from these tires.
Now we have wider flotation tire options available. The sprayer tire position has long been considered a benchmark for manufacturers to prove their merit in the high-tier level.
Sprayers have now moved from 600to 1,000- to 1,200-gallon capacities with speeds exceeding 30 mph, with both of these items challenging tire performance. These units do more roading than any other farm field vehicle by percentage and the need for both hard surface wear and the ever-important safe handling are priority.
Over time, there was a move to go to wide flotation for spring and fall burn down and then switch back to narrows for the growing season row use.
The 380/90R46 and 650/65R38 were long the top and almost exclusive fitments and that has now moved to a variety of sizes — in the narrows into 50- and 54-inch rims and flotations with 42- and 46-inch rims.
At the same time, more and more hybrid treads have been developed with a focus on this specific application.
The reality is the sprayer is rarely in mud conditions and the typical R-1 tread may simply not be the best choice.
In cases where the R-1 is doing the job, then there is really no reason to make the change, but in many cases there is a real opportunity to move to hybrid treads to gain in road wear, fuel savings and handling.
Photo: 1135213796 | sircco| Getty Images
AG Tire Talk
OEM options for VF tires
Primary market users Type Narrow fronts Narrow rears Flotation tires
Farmer/Grower or Owner Operator (20%)
Commercial Operator or COOP Services (80%)
+1,200 gallon sprayers
Commercial Operator or COOP Services (98%) +1,400 gallon sprayers
Commercial Operator or COOP Services (98%) +1,600 gallon sprayers
Commercial Operator or COOP Services (98%) +2,000 gallon sprayers
The hybrid, especially those with steel belts, will deliver a much more consistent pattern for weight distribution, will roll more freely for better fuel efficiency and will wear more evenly on hard surfaces while maintaining excellent traction in dry and loose soil conditions.
R-1W, in most cases, would probably not be the best choice, unless the need has a traction priority and the roading is minimal.
DAVE PAULK, manager, field technical services, BKT USA Inc.: Typical tire sizes for sprayers are VF380/90R46 and the VF380/105R50.
In many cases, users will change out the sizes mentioned above for wider tires in the spring, before planting, when spraying for weeds and/or for pre-emergence weeds or fertilizer spreading.
This will give them a wider footprint to minimize soil compaction before planting. The wider tires provide better flotation in a wet spring.
Using cyclic field operation (CFO) tires on sprayers is commonplace, but this application is almost like CFO in reverse.
CFO tires are for combines and grain carts that have cyclic loads during the combining cycle. They start empty and get heavier through the cycle. They empty and start the cycle all over again.
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF480/80R50
VF380/90R50
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF380/90R54
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF480/80R50
VF380/90R54
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF480/80R50
Sprayers start loaded and heavy. They reduce weight through their cycle.
CFO gives load bonuses for heavy loads at field speed without changing air pressures in cyclic operations, generally zero to 10 mph.
With all tires, the load capabilities go up as the speed comes down.
When choosing wider tires, the correct size rims must be used to ensure that the tire fits properly and gives the right amount of deflection for traction and for footprint.
The recommended rim for the tire should be used. When looking at charts, there are often alternate rim sizes, as well. The alternate rim sizes will work, but the recommended rim size is the best to use if possible.
With your help, the user must decide which tire is best for them and if it will fit their sprayer.
Generally, the wider the tire, the better, but sometimes the wider tire may not carry the heavy load and be rated for the speed. The less air pressure they can use to carry the load and the bigger footprint, the better to minimize soil compaction.
GREG GILLAND,
vice president, global agriculture, Maxam Tire North America Inc.: Over the last 20 years, we have seen technological advancements drive solutions into the ag market that were
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF480/80R50
VF380/90R50
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF380/90R54
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF480/80R50
VF380/90R54
VF380/105R50
VF420/95R50
VF480/80R50
620/70R38
620/70R46
800/55R46
VF480/80R50
VF520/85R42
VF650/75R42
VF710/65R46
LSW710/65R46
800/55R46
VF480/80R50
VF710/65R46
LSW710/65R46
VF480/80R50
considered impossible to resolve due to engineering or product limitations at that time. Specifically for self-propelled sprayer platforms, we have seen a significant improvement to tire technology which has allowed:
• The reduction of air pressures to reduce soil compaction, improving crop yields;
• The elimination of reinforced wheels reducing assembly weights; and
• The ability to increase tire speeds or heat resistance due to improved rubber compounding.
All three of these advancements have fundamentally changed sprayer designs, engineering and how they are marketed to both farmers and custom applicators or co-ops.
Radial ag very high-flexion (VF) technology has allowed sprayer tires to decrease air pressures by 40% while increasing roading speeds from plus-25 mph to plus-36 mph using “D” rubber compounds. This allowed air pressures to decrease from 100 psi down to 60 psi while not impacting the load carrying capacity of the sprayer and transitioning back to standard rims, as opposed to reinforced rims for the air pressures needed previously. The resulting reduction in ground compaction impact was evident and
This table summarizes the OEM options for VF tires for narrow and flotation tires, by sprayer tank size.
Photo: Maxam Tire North America Inc.
obvious to all farming operations which improved crop yields and profits.
This single VF technology advancement on tire load and speed capability (heat generation) allowed the OEMs to achieve their objectives to evolve self-propelled sprayer chassis from plus-1,000 gallons to plus-2,000-gallon platforms. It also allowed for improved productivity through greater capacity tanks coupled with larger booms up to 132 feet or 40 meters. Regardless of these advancements, what remains consistent in the crop application business is that market needs dictate how farmers or growers will choose sprayer solutions to meet their profit goals.
On the previous page, there is a summary table reviewing various OEM current VF tire options for narrows or flotation by tank size. As a rule, most of the sprayers below 1,000 gallons tend to be owned and operated by farmers or growers as part of their farms.
DAVID GRADEN, global account manager, agriculture, Michelin North
AG Tire Talk
America Inc.: Choosing to invest in sprayer flotation tires is a big decision. First, you really need to understand what a flotation tire offers your operation and what you want to gain from it.
Typically, producers tend to fit their sprayers with flotation tires because they want to reduce their soil compaction, improve flotation and overall efficiency in less-than-ideal spring soil conditions.
Buyer beware, though. Flotation tires are not all the same!
Let’s take a look at standard radial tires versus VF tires. You can achieve a wider footprint with both options, but the VF option provides a much longer footprint on the ground.
The VF footprint maximizes both flotation and traction, while carrying up to 40% more load than a standard radial tire, or running down to minus-40% air pressure compared to a standard tire of the same size.
If you choose a VF tire with CFO designation, you also gain a much wider range of recommended air pressures at lower speeds, instead of being limited to
the standard 40 mph air pressures, like other VF sprayer tires.
Finally, when you couple the VF CFO flotation sprayer tires with a ... central tire inflation system (CTIS), you can really maximize your flotation, traction and overall efficiency at any speed with the simple push of a button.
Of course, before setting any air pressure levels for customers’ tires, you’ll need to know the loaded weight and speeds at which they will operate their machines.
JAMES CROUCH, Alliance’s national segment manager, agriculture, Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America Inc.: When you think of it, today’s sprayer has more in common — from a tire demand perspective — with a farm pickup than with a tractor. It’s a high-performance road vehicle.
In fact, most custom applicators spend as much time on the road as they do in the field and many farmers who invest in their own sprayers are covering fields in a wide radius that requires a lot of roading.
Tires are the secret weapon behind
sprayers’ ability to carry more, run faster and operate with the sub-inch accuracy that befits the outstanding guidance systems inside the cab.
To make the most of a sprayer, farmers and custom applicators must be able to run as much as possible, including in imperfect conditions when machines are more likely to get stuck and soils are prone to more compaction.
Since sprayers split their time between the road, where speed demands higher inflation pressures, and the field, where improving traction and reducing soil compaction are paramount, investing in a CTIS can be extremely worthwhile. Cutting roading time, improving field performance, and increasing the service life of the tire can speed the payback of an investment in CTIS dramatically.
Another less-recognized advance is the development of hybrid tread patterns. Instead of old-fashioned tractor lugs — the same pattern that’s been used for more than 100 years — modern hybrid treads place industrial-style tread blocks in patterns that reinforce the centerline while curving towards the shoulders for traction.
The result is a tire that is stable and long-lasting on gravel and pavement, while it also delivers outstanding traction in the field on flat ground and side-hills.
That straight-line and lateral traction keeps the sprayer right on target, enhancing the capabilities of GPS-driven equipment.
The bottom line is to treat your sprayer like the high-tech, high-performance road vehicle it is. Equip it with tires and wheels that will help it perform its best.
CHRIS NEIDERT, ag marketing, training and development manager for Trelleborg and Mitas Tires — North America, Yokohama TWS: First of all, let’s use a straight definition of flotation: The tendency of an object to float on the surface. Sinking is just the opposite process of flotation which means the tendency of an object to go deep down to the lower levels of the surface.
Using flotation tires in your sprayer operation is a logical choice when no crop is established that could be damaged when driving over it.
Using a wider tire that will float on the soil will be very beneficial when the
ground is soft during the early spring or the late fall. Not only will the flotation tires reduce compaction, but they will also reduce the possibility of rutting that happens when the ground is soft.
The type of tread pattern that you choose for your flotation sprayer tire is very important — R-1, R-1W, or hybrid tread design.
As far as a sprayer tire application,
we always recommend a R1 tread design. Better suited for high-speed road use as they are rated for 40 mph (D) speed. Our sprayer tire design not only features R-1 lug height, but also more lugs than tractor tires.
This assures faster heat dissipation and longer tire life — more lugs for a smoother ride and enough traction for sprayer applications. ■
Dennis McCarron By
WHandling angry customers or employees HOW TO
DIFFUSE TENSE SITUATIONS AT YOUR DEALERSHIP
hen someone throws an emotional grenade at you, don’t try to catch it. Anger is one of the hardest emotions to deal with, especially in a tire dealership when you are sometimes asking employees to stay late or customers are receiving bad news from you. Anger is a common reaction to surprises and even expected bad news.
Often, an employee or a customer presents anger right out of the gate. With it comes a lot of unknowns for the unlucky sales advisor or manager on the receiving end. Mistrust expressed by a customer who hasn’t even given your dealership a chance to prove it’s trustworthy can be extremely frustrating to deal with and work through. Remember, as I mentioned in a previous MTD column, woodpeckers, as I call people like this, come in all shapes, sizes and functions in a shop. Woodpeckers prevent progress.
Angry woodpeckers, unlike their cousins, the “nice” woodpeckers, put everything and the kitchen sink on the table when provoked. They firmly believe if they squawk enough and loud enough, that will get them what they want. It’s an adult version of a temper tantrum. Why do they do it? The rules of retailing almost always genuflect to beliefs that “the customer is always right” or excuses like “I’m already short-handed” or my favorite, “He’s a good guy/customer/employee, but…”
People use anger because there are rules in retailing and the problems brought up by angry customers are usually solved quickly — just hardly ever correctly. There’s a big probability that anger in retailing on either side ends up in a short-term gain for one side and long-term loss for both sides.
Many people in life try to get along — to a point. Eventually in a tire dealership setting, if management and employees can’t even find common ground, the employee will either choose avoidance by finding a new job — good employees leave first — or find a reason to not help the customer, ever. Angry employees can get away with avoidance tactics for a short while, but eventually the pattern becomes obvious. Avoidance then contributes to more anger.
Angry customers use anger to scare people into decisions — often against good judgement. Pleasing an angry customer usually just quiets them down from making a scene — for now. Both customers and employees who use anger to get their way quickly burn off any goodwill others have given to them or to their cause. Let’s look at some other combinations:
Anger versus anger. Some people fight anger with anger. Imagine two rams butting heads or two boxers just trading punches with no concern for defense. Anger versus anger absolutely never ends in a winner. Professionals in our industry know this. Good customers know this. In today’s modern world, social media has
‘When someone throws an emotional grenade at you, don’t try to catch it.’
built an empire on videos showing anger versus anger. Anger versus anger may make for popular videos, but it will make a company very sick, very quickly.
Anger versus “being nice.” Being nice to angry people makes angry people, believe it or not, angrier. Why? Because anger doesn’t produce a pleasant response. Its desired reciprocal emotion is fear and quick action. Being nice is a false front trying to mask another emotion. If you ever want to see an angry person launch like a rocket into the stratosphere, be nice to them. It won’t solve anything, but can be entertaining under the right circumstances. It can also help you lose customers.
Anger versus neutral. The only proven, successful emotional tactic for long-term success against angry customers or employees is remaining emotionally neutral. I’m not talking about indifference. (Ignore someone else’s anger at your peril.) Neutrality is recognizing the other person is upset, establishing the cause of the emotion and trying to resolve the issue that caused the emotion in the first place. If you try to solve their anger, which you have no control over, you will spin your wheels like a rearwheel-drive car in Alabama mud.
Solve the problem and the anger will dissipate — not magically, but it will reduce itself considerably. On occasion, you’ll get an angry woodpecker who’s on a mission — hellbent on trying to strike fear in everyone. Find agreement somewhere in that flood of emotion and keep repeating the solution to the problem. If this angry bird doesn’t want to let you speak and solve problems — remember, their anger isn’t your problem, it’s their problem — or agree to move forward, then so be it. Retail has rules. It has boundaries, like trees lining a vegetable field. What’s beyond the trees is out of your capability.
Loud, obnoxious woodpeckers — whether customers or employees — can test the patience of the very best of us and some you just can’t satisfy within the rules of business. Let them go. Learn from the fallout. Maybe there were clues before it got out of hand? Many times, especially within the walls of a busy tire dealership, problems are allowed to fester. The very best woodpecker hunters among us recognize those signals. ■
Dennis McCarron is a partner at Cardinal Brokers Inc., one of the leading brokers in the tire and automotive industry (www.cardinalbrokers.com.) To contact McCarron, email him at dennis@cardinalbrokers.com.
THREE PILLARS OF SUCCESS
HOW FCSS, SAILUN TIRE USA, AND THE IRONHEAD TIRE BRAND BUILT A WINNING FORMULA
For Joshua J. Benson, Vice President of Sales at First Choice Sourcing Solutions (FCSS) , the continued growth and success of the Ironhead brand of commercial truck tires is no accident — it’s the result of nearly 20 years of strategic partnership with Sailun Tire USA (STU), built on three key pillars: relationships, product quality, and controlled distribution.
PILLAR ONE: TRUSTED PEOPLE
Joshua reflects on the early days of his relationship with STU. “When Sailun Tire USA began focusing on tire manufacturing in the mid-2000s, Lou Fontana — now President of First Choice Sourcing Solutions — began working closely with their team to source product,” Joshua explained. “I became involved shortly after selling Sailun made product, and since then, Lou. Myself and Mark Hadley, FCSS VP of Operations — have built and maintained a strong relationship with the STU team.”
That partnership laid the groundwork for the 9 year and counting work and collaboration between FCSS and Sailun Tire USA and has continued to thrive. Lou forged a close working relationship with key individuals at STU who are now part of the company’s senior leadership. “We’ve had the privilege of working with them since those early days,” he said. “It’s been incredible to see their growth into leadership roles. That kind of consistency and trust with the people we work with is crucial to our ongoing success.
The enduring relationship with the STU team forms the first of FCSS’s three pillars: trusted people. “Having worked with the same STU core team for nearly 20 years, they have proven we can rely on them. That trust is fundamental to our continued investment in the partnership,” Joshua added.
PILLAR TWO: PRODUCT QUALITY
The second pillar is product quality, and Ironhead has consistently delivered in this area. Managed exclusively by FCSS in U.S.A., Ironhead is known for offering durable, retreadable, and competitively priced commercial truck tires designed for regional, mixed-service, and long-haul applications.
Engineered with advanced technologies, Ironhead tires are built to perform reliably in challenging road conditions. The brand emphasizes strength, longevity, and resistance to wear, ensuring performance across a wide range of environments. This focus on innovation ensures Ironhead stays ahead of industry trends, with features like improved tread designs, enhanced durability, and advanced materials to maximize efficiency. “We just enhanced our Truck Tires with a three-retread, seven-year warranty,” Joshua noted. “That’s something FCSS backs — and it’s built on years of positive results.” STU’s continued investment in manufacturing innovations — such as the EcoPoint3 liquid-phase mixing process — has allowed Ironhead to evolve in both performance and value. “They’ve stayed cutting-edge,” Joshua said. “That’s what makes this partnership work.”
PILLAR THREE: CONTROLLED DISTRIBUTION
The final pillar is controlled distribution — a strategic advantage for FCSS. “We control Ironhead truck tire distribution across the U.S.,” Joshua said. “That allows us to work directly with our partners and ensure that the product is positioned for success. It’s not just available — it’s supported.” This exclusive control allows FCSS to tailor dealer programs, ensure consistent inventory, and help customers build confidence in the Ironhead brand. “It’s a product that our dealers get behind — they believe in it, they stock it, and they sell it,” he added.
A PROVEN FORMULA
Together, the strength of the relationship, the dependability of the product, and the intentional approach to distribution have helped turn Ironhead from a tire line into a recognized leader and trusted name in the commercial truck tire industry. “We’ve partnered with the right people, we’ve seen the innovation, and we’ve built programs around a dependable product,” Joshua said. “Those are the three pillars — and they all tie back into what makes Ironhead, and the partnership, successful.”
For more details on Ironhead’s full line of commercial truck tires and passenger tires, visit Ironhead Tires. To learn about FCSS’s dealer programs and distribution opportunities, visit First Choice Sourcing Solutions. ■
From left to right: Lou Fontana - President of First Choice Sourcing Solutions, Mark Hadley - Vice President of Operations First Choice Sourcing Solutions, and Joshua J. Benson - Vice President of Sales at First Choice Sourcing Solutions
Cole Strandberg By
LAre you running a dealership or just owning a job?
BUILD A SCALABLE, SELLABLE BUSINESS
ast month, I discussed the importance of shifting your mindset from that of an owner to an operator to help ensure the long-term success, scalability and commercial viability of the business that you’ve worked so hard to build. We’ll continue to explore that concept in this column.
As you know better than anyone, most tire dealers wear a dozen hats: salesperson, manager, fire extinguisher-in-chief, etc. It’s how many businesses start. But eventually, that model stops scaling. If every major decision still runs through you, it’s time to ask yourself a hard question: are you running a business or just owning a job?
The best tire dealers don’t just run a shop. They build organizations that can operate, grow and thrive without them. They lead instead of run. And the most successful transitions — from growth to exit — begin when the owner starts pulling themselves out of the day-to-day.
You’ve heard the phrase, “Work on the business — not in it.” This isn’t a new concept. And it’s never been more important. When your business depends entirely on you to make it go, you are the bottleneck. You limit its growth, its value and its potential.
Enter systems like EOS — which stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System — popularized by Gino Wickman’s book, “Traction.” EOS provides a structured, actionable framework for leaders to delegate, document and define roles — creating clear accountability and empowering a leadership team to drive the business forward.
You don’t have to implement EOS exactly as prescribed or at all, but every growth-minded tire dealership should have some kind of structured leadership and accountability system in place. My family’s auto service business implemented EOS with success. I’m a believer in picking one system — any system — and abiding by that methodology. Build with a purpose and ensure every step you take is a step toward your ultimate goal.
One of the most overlooked aspects of building a scalable business is the customer experience. And today, your customers aren’t comparing you to the tire dealership down the street. They’re comparing you to Amazon, DoorDash and Apple — stiff competition, to say the least.
Convenience, communication, transparency and trust are no longer “nice-to-haves.” Today, they’re table stakes. If your team isn’t trained, empowered and expected to deliver an experience that feels modern, easy and reliable, you’ll get left behind — regardless of how strong your technical work may be.
As an owner, your job isn’t to take every call or solve every problem. Your job is to build a business and a team that solves those problems consistently, whether you’re there or not. If you ever intend to sell your business — or simply want the option to — here’s something to remember: buyers don’t want
to buy your job. They want to buy a functioning, transferable operation with systems, talent and leadership in place.
The more your business runs without you, the more valuable it becomes. Why? Because it lowers risk for the buyer, increases scalability and makes integration smoother. A buyer can plug in and go, regardless of what beach you hit once you sail off into retirement. On the flip side, if your business can’t run without you, buyers see red flags.
‘Whether your goal is to sell your business in five years or just work a little less this summer, building a business that doesn’t rely on you is the single greatest gift you can give yourself and your team.’
Here are some tips:
• Start documenting. Write down processes. Even having some basic standard operating procedures in place will go a long way.
• Hire and trust leaders. Bring in people who can take responsibility and let them. Bonus points if you can hire great talent and promote from within.
• Create accountability. Whether you use EOS or another system, define who owns what and how success is measured.
• Schedule your exits. Take time off, delegate projects and see what breaks, then fix it before the stakes get too high.
• Listen like a CEO. Talk to your team, customers and advisors. Your job is no longer to “do” — it’s to improve.
• Learn from those who have gotten where you’d like to go. Do you know of any CEOs out there who have built a dream business and are living your dream life? Talk to them! Peer groups and mentors are a game-changer who can help get you where you want to go much more quickly.
Whether your goal is to sell your business in five years or just work a little less this summer, building a business that doesn’t rely on you is the single greatest gift you can give yourself and your team. After all, a business is worth a whole lot more than a job. ■
Cole Strandberg is a managing director with Focus Investment Banking’s automotive aftermarket team, specializing in mergers, acquisitions and capital raising for multi-location tire dealerships and automotive service businesses. Email him at cole.strandberg@focusbankers.com.
THE SMART CHOICE IN TIRES
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Dealer Development
Randy O’Connor By
LHow to understand the customer’s journey IT STARTS WITH SEEING YOUR DEALERSHIP THROUGH THEIR EYES
et’s say you’re the proud parent of two teenage kids. You and your partner are both grinding away, working full-time to set aside as much money as you can for your children and your retirement. Life’s good, but things are a bit tight, with setting aside as much money as possible for the future. On your way home from work, hoping for a nice family dinner and a bit of time to relax, your check engine light comes on. Your stress instincts kick in, you shout a few choice words, but you head home and stay positive, promising yourself you’ll deal with it in the morning.
The following morning, after going through the usual routines — making lunches, getting the kids off to school and preparing for your own day — you’re back on the road. Maybe you decide to call your trusted local tire dealership to get on its schedule or maybe you wait until you get to the office and search “check engine light near me.” Either way, you’re about to engage in a customer experience that could impact your trust in a business for years to come.
As professionals, it’s crucial we stop seeing our businesses only through our eyes. It’s time we walk, step-by-step, through every aspect of our customer’s journey — from the moment a light comes on to the final pick up of their repaired vehicle — and start using those insights to improve our systems, processes and behavior.
Industry professionals often become desensitized to the emotions customers experience. What’s routine for us — a check engine light, an oil change, a worn-out brake pad — is often stressful, confusing and financially inconvenient for our customers. They’re dealing with unknowns. “What’s wrong? How much will it cost? Will the shop be honest? Will this throw off my entire week?”
‘When a customer feels seen, heard and respected, they return. They tell friends. They leave glowing reviews.’
When we fail to acknowledge this emotional component, we risk missing key touchpoints that can strengthen trust and build loyalty. When we take the time to walk through the customer experience ourselves, we see the pain points, the confusion and the opportunities for improvement. Think about every step your customer takes:
• Problem recognition. This could be a warning light, a strange noise or a sudden tire issue;
• Initial response. Deciding when and how to take action;
• Research and contact. This may include searching for tire dealership reviews, visiting your website and/or calling for information;
• Scheduling. Is your process smooth, convenient and respectful of the customer’s time?
• Drop-off experience. Are customers greeted warmly? Do they feel their concerns are heard?
• Updates and communication. Are you providing timely updates? Do customers understand what’s being done and why?
• Pick up and payment. Is the final explanation clear? Is billing transparent?
• Follow-up. Do you check in with customers after service? Do you discuss warranties, ask for feedback and offer helpful future tips?
Now ask yourself how each one of these steps feels from the customer’s side. Walking the journey with empathy can expose blind spots and help you refine your operations:
• Systems. Is your online scheduling easy to navigate? Do your phone systems direct callers efficiently? Are hold times kept to 30 seconds or less? Is your sales strategy, including your value package for each service, locked in? Can a customer get an estimate without jumping through hoops? How about providing pictures and videos?
• Processes. Are your drop-off and pick-up procedures streamlined? Are you proactively communicating delays or cost changes? Are your wait times reasonable? Does your team have a documented workflow that clearly outlines how you expect your customers to be treated in all situations?
• Behaviors. Are your team members trained in emotional intelligence? Do they listen first, explain clearly and treat customers with care? Do they treat returning clients with the recognition they deserve?
By improving these areas based on real-world customer experiences, you don’t just solve problems — you create advocates. When a customer feels seen, heard and respected, they return. They tell friends. They leave glowing reviews. In today’s ultra-competitive market, customer loyalty is built not just on technical competence, but on how a customer feels throughout the experience. Remember, purchase decisions are emotional decisions. Customers buy when the perceived value is greater than their perceived investment. One poor interaction can send them elsewhere. ■
Tire and auto industry veteran Randy O’Connor is the Owner/Principal of D2D Development Group (Dealer to Dealer Development Group.) He can be reached at randy@d2ddevelopmentgroup.com. For more information, please visit www.d2ddevelopmentgroup.com.
THE MR. TIRE AND BIG 3 TIRE PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP YOU SHAPE THE FUTURE OF YOUR INDEPENDENT TIRE DEALERSHIP WITH THE TOOLS NEEDED TO REACH YOUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL WITHOUT SURRENDERING YOUR IDENTITY.
The art of decision-making A
LEVEL-HEADED LISTENER CAN AVOID EMOTIONAL
CHOICES
Craig Van Batenburg By
Reverend Aaron Payson, who is a Unitarian Universalist minister, makes me reflect and reconsider what it means to be fully human. Each Sunday morning is another opportunity to grow and become a more compassionate person. My wife, Deb, and I attend when we can and have for over 15 years. Last year was a good year for that, as I limited my travel significantly. Aaron has helped our family in many ways by helping me consider decisions that affect those I love.
Attorney David Webber attended one of my company’s classes in the year 2000. The subject of the course was vehicle emissions. David had not gone to law school yet. At that time, he was a pretty good automotive tech driving a Volkswagen diesel that he had converted to run on homemade bio-fuel. In other words, he collected used French fry oil from fast food restaurants to burn as fuel! David installed a bio-diesel kit that would substitute for diesel, once the car was warmed up. At age 39, he sold his part of the auto repair shop he was partnered into and got his law degree. He was my lawyer for about 10 years. He left the firm to offer counsel to a hospital. The business advice David provided was always spot-on.
A minister and a lawyer — this could make the opening line of a politically incorrect joke!
But instead of making fun of David and Aaron, let’s compare what you might do, as a tire store owner or manager, when a decision must be made and you are the final decision maker.
How do we balance our hearts with our heads? Humans have amazing intelligence when compared to other primates. That allows us to stop and ponder what to do next. We also have instincts, like animals — no thought required.
If you’re like me, the worst decisions in business you ever made were emotional. That includes decisions related to the people who work for you. Employees can be frustrating if they are having problems in life outside of work. I started my business at age 26 in 1977. As a young man with only a high school education, I beat the odds.
How was my decision making? I guess good enough, as we are in our 48th year of business. It did get better. How are you doing in this regard?
Create a report card for yourself. In the last 12 months, what did you have to wrestle with? Was it financial, an employee issue, a building problem or a marketing problem? Maybe it was a certain customer, an illness, a relocation or something else?
• What was your best solution to a problem that worked out well — something where everyone was a winner?
• What decision did you regret?
• Who offered you unsolicited advice, which resulted in you getting defensive?
• Who do you listen to when you need business advice?
• What emotional decision cost you some real money?
• How vulnerable can you be when things are not going in the direction your company needs?
‘Create a report card for yourself. In the last 12 months, what did you have to wrestle with?’
As I have navigated my way in the industry, like all of us, I have a story to tell as an owner of a small business. What is your story?
I’ve met others along the way who have made some costly mistakes. Let me share their stories, but I will not use their real names.
Joe, a shop owner who employs six technicians at various levels, bought the online training that my company provides. It is a six-month course in hybrid vehicle technology.
I tried to explain to Joe that everyone learns at a different pace and online learning is not for everyone. He wanted his technicians to study at home.
I suggested he let them start the lessons on the clock at work for 30 minutes each day. No dice. Joe expected them to all stay synchronized by staying on the same lesson. I tried to lower his expectations. Again, no luck. As you may have concluded, Joe lost a tech and brought down morale at his business.
I had a technician/shop owner named Ray, who was a hot head. He attended our 10-day class. The techs he hired were never able to offer suggestions as they never knew when he may bark at them. I’m not sure what was up with Ray.
Joe and Ray both let their emotions get in the way of listening and level-headed, logical thinking.
How does one stay calm when running a thriving business? Remember what the long game is — where you want to go. Measure your response to help everyone get there. Remember, if you are not where you want to be, you just are not there yet. Keep moving forward. You will get there. ■
Craig Van Batenburg is the CEO of Van Batenburg’s Garage Inc., dba Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC), which is based in Worcester, Mass. A 50-year automotive service industry veteran, Van Batenburg provides training for facilities that service — or want to service — electric and hybrid vehicles. For more information, see www.fixhybrid. com or email him at craig@fixhybrid.com.
Focus on Dealers
ITDG looks to expand beyond U.S. GROUP IS FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE
Greg Smith By
“We’re rolling!” Those words summed up Independent Tire Dealers Group LLC (ITDG) President and CEO Jason Rook’s feelings after the group’s recent meeting.
Roughly 122 ITDG members and 45 vendors attended the multi-day event, which took place at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
During the meeting, Rook told members that a key initiative for ITDG is to expand beyond the U.S. “We will start with our neighbors in Canada and
Mexico and then we’re going to move into Latin America.”
The reason for the move, said Rook, is that ITDG “is trying to be respectful of our members’ footprints and the way they go to market.”
He told MTD that ITDG’s members have stayed with the group for a long period of time and “they have to have space and time to really flourish and grow.”
Rook said ITDG will be “getting to the end of our (U.S.) borders in the next three to five years and in order to let those folks continue to grow, we have to spill over those borders.”
Knowing that uncertainty with the economy and tariffs were on the minds of ITDG members entering the conference, Rook addressed these issues at the beginning of the event.
“We’re here to celebrate and reaffirm the commitment we have to independent tire dealers,” he told attendees. “It’s a tough market out there. We have a lot of things to get through this year and we’re going to do it.
“The fact is — and I don’t want to sound like a doomsayer — I know we have tariffs and we have taxes and we have all these things, but we’re independent. Tire dealers get up in the morning and we sell tires. And if there’s a new tariff, we’re going to get up in the morning and we’re going to sell tires. And if there’s a recession coming, we’re going to get up in the morning and we’re going to sell tires.”
Rook said ITDG is focused on the future, with a new MemberLink portal that’s been several years in the making, along with a continued emphasis on its NextGen program, which is developing up-and-coming leaders among the group’s members.
“The portal is going to really revolutionize the way that our members are able to get data from ITDG. It’s going to give them faster, more accurate and easier-to-parse data that they can download.”
Rook told MTD during a sit-down interview that the portal is being implemented in three stages. The first stage is already completed, with the second stage rolling out in July of this year and the last stage to be unveiled at a later date.
A demonstration of the portal during the meeting showed how ITDG members can connect with each other, view their performance against others while still keeping their information confidential
Rook gave ITDG members an overview of the group’s performance and its plans for the future.
Photo: MTD
Chris Barry, vice president of sales for the Independent Tire Dealers Group LLC (ITDG), pictured on far left, and ITDG President and CEO Jason Rook (center) presented the ITDG Dealer of the Year Award to John Daniels of Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based Daniels Tire Service Inc. (right, holding trophy.)
Photo: ITDG
Focus on Dealers
and quickly compare the various programs that vendors are offering the group.
ITDG is also focusing on supporting its NextGen program. Mike Burns, sales director for ITDG, told attendees there are now 42 people from 30 ITDG members across 20 states who are part of NextGen. (Burns oversees the NextGen program.)
The group, according to Burns, is designed to “promote and foster the basic criteria needed to become a future ITDG board of director member.”
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Rook shared an overview of ITDG’s past five years’ performance during the meeting. Total number of shareholders within the group has increased from 120 to 139, with number of locations growing by 57% since 2019, from 758 locations to 1,192 outlets.
Total members of ITDG now stand at 189, up from 158. The group lost 11 members — accounting for 28 locations, as well as six shareholders — during 2024. However, ITDG gained 26 members with 68 locations and added 12 new shareholders.
At the same time, ITDG reduced its number of vendors from 81 to 67, which Rook said was an intentional move. The group wants to grow with fewer vendors. This will, in turn, allow each vendor to grow.
Since 2019, Rook said eligible purchases from ITDG vendors grew from $266
The newly appointed officers of ITDG’s NextGen committee. (Pictured, from left: Mike Burns, ITDG sales director, who oversees the committee; Dennis Feldman, chairman; Keleyah Miller, vice chair; and Justin Pursell, secretary.) Feldman is from Performance Plus Tire in California, Miller is from Mainstreet Tire in Colorado and Pursell is from Bergey’s Commercial Tire, which is based in Pennsylvania.
Photo: MTD
million to $405 million, a 52% increase. He applauded ITDG shareholders since they have increased their average, eligible purchases from vendors from around $2.2 million to $2.9 million per shareholder between 2019 and 2024. Tire purchases made up 73% of that total volume.
Total payout for shareholders has increased since 2019 from $10.9 million to $15.8 million, a 45% gain. The average payout for each ITDG shareholder grew from $83,000 to $102,000.
Rook also mentioned that ITDG is looking to help its members with succession planning by building an infrastructure to help them, while at the same time keeping complete confidentiality.
ITDG hopes to have the new program running later this year.
When asked by MTD how he will measure success for ITDG in 2025, Rook said, “When we meet next year, if we’re another 12.5% to 13% ahead in revenue, then we’ll say we’re on pace.
“Growing revenue is one thing, but the fact is we want most of that revenue growth to come from inside the group. We’re not trying to go outside and sign up a million new members. We’re trying to make sure the companies already in the group are fully able to blossom. We also want to have international members at next year’s meeting.”
Always a highlight of the group’s annual meeting is the presentation of the ITDG Dealer of the Year Award. This year’s winner was John Daniels of Daniels Tire Service Inc., a 15-location dealership that’s based in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
ITDG’s annual meeting will be held next year in Orlando, Fla., at the Hilton Buena Vista Resort. ■
Greg Smith, publisher of Modern Tire Dealer, spoke about tire industry trends during the meeting.
Photo: MTD
Focus on Dealers
Using DVIs to build an image
DIGITAL INSPECTIONS HELP MAKE THE CASE FOR REPAIR
Mike Manges By
“If you’re going to say you offer proper vehicle inspections, you have to put yourself ahead of the game,” says Cindy Ferrell, manager of the Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Service store in Decatur, Ga.
That’s precisely what Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Service is doing by providing digital vehicle inspections (DVIs) at its four locations in Decatur, East Cobb, Avondale and Suwanee, Ga.
Offering DVIs lets customers know that “we can (perform) the same services as car dealerships,” which Ferrell says is important when working with the owners of expensive vehicles.
“We want to make sure we’re presenting ourselves in the same manner as a highend car dealership. DVIs help with that.”
‘CUSTOMERS WANT TO KNOW’
Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Service doesn’t reserve DVIs exclusively for affluent customers. The dealership performs DVIs on all customers’ vehicles.
Farrell says the DVI process begins with communication. “We let (customers) know, ‘Your vehicle is going to receive a DVI,’ so you’re not just sending them a weird text and they think it’s spam. We also set the expectation that we’ll need a certain window of time to complete the inspection.”
Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Service’s technicians then take photos of cars before pulling them into service bays. “If there’s something going on with the body of the vehicle, we no longer just mark that ‘a bumper’s hanging.’ We take a picture of it. Then when we drive the car into the bay, we start a multi-point inspection. It could be a 15-point inspection. It could be a 60-point inspection. We’re going to complete all maintenance-related checks.”
Technicians continue to take photos during the inspection process. When the DVI process is done, service advisors review and edit photos and share the images with customers. Videos are available, too. The idea is to provide customers
“We want to make sure we’re presenting ourselves in the same manner as a high-end car dealership,” says Cindy Ferrell, manager of the Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Service store in Decatur, Ga. Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Service
with transparency so they can make betterinformed decisions.
“Customers want to know,” says Ferrell. “DVIs give (them) a better understanding of what’s actually going on with their vehicle and helps the conversation you’re trying to have. You can type out details. You can send links with videos. It helps make the case (for a repair.) The show-and-tell aspect of our business has always existed. DVI is digital show-and-tell.”
Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Repair’s Decatur store is nestled among several colleges and universities, “so sometimes we’re talking to the parents (of local college) students” who may live in other states. “It’s a whole lot easier to explain to a parent what’s going on with their kids’ car through a DVI than by trying to tell them what’s going on. DVIs eliminate the back and forth,” quickly securing repair approval.
PROPER PROCEDURES
Beyond burnishing Neighborhood Tire Pros & Auto Service’s reputation as a trusted source for auto repair service, as well as boosting the dealership’s profits, the use of DVIs provides internal, procedural benefits, according to Ferrell.
“For example, I can aways go back to the DVI from the last time (a customer) was here and everyone’s on the same page again. It’s also easy for any technician to refer to previous recommendations and repair data.”
Technicians who are used to documenting inspections with paper and pencil can sometimes be “intimidated” by the prospect of performing DVIs, according Ferrell. “They think they’re going to have to do something extra. It’s not extra. It’s doing something you’ve always done — just in a different manner.”
She believes tire dealerships that aren’t offering DVIs “are doing their customers a disservice. They aren’t presenting themselves as the top dealerships they say they are. It’s how you present yourself and your company. And it’s what you want your customers to see.” ■
Focus on Dealers
Personalization and professionalism
GATTO’S TIRES & AUTO SERVICE RELIES ON BOTH TO SUCCEED
Madison Gehring By
Melbourne, Fla.-based Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service is on its third generation of ownership since Mike Gatto first opened the dealership’s doors in 1971.
The company is now in the hands of Mike’s grandson, Mike McHenry, who took over from longtime president, Pam Fitzgerald, McHenry’s mother, around five years ago. (Fitzgerald is also a past president of the Tire Industry Association, having served in 1997.)
Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service has six locations across Florida and is a full-service dealership, offering tires, suspension work, alignments and mechanical repairs and maintenance services like brakes, air conditioning, engine diagnostics and more.
McHenry, who’s always liked cars, told MTD that his grandfather and mother gave him a “positive view of the tire business” when he was growing up, which led to a high school job in the family business.
“In high school, I mostly delivered tires between our stores and to our wholesale accounts. After graduating college, I did work in some other fields. I always knew I would return to the family business at some point. I’ve been here 32 years now.”
PERSONALIZATION
When asked what makes Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service different, McHenry said that his dealership offers a “personalized level of service that only a local family-owned and operated business can provide. At the same time, we provide professionalism, industry expertise, warranties and consistency between locations that would be typical of a national chain.
“The other thing is that we are very good at employee retention. Customers like seeing the same faces when they shop with us.
ADDING SERVICES
McHenry said the number of mechanical services offered at Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service has increased over the years.
When the dealership opened, the majority of the revenue it made was from mechanical service, with almost no “underhood work,” except for oil changes. The company performs zero heavy mechanical or diagnostic work. Currently, the majority of its revenue comes from auto repair, although tire-related services and tire sales are still a large part.
McHenry has also added new technology and training through the years — key to staying current with new vehicle technologies.
“For example, alignments on many newer vehicles require procedures to recalibrate the super cruise or self-driving modes. Also air conditioning refrigerant has changed in the last few years, with different procedures for that.”
THREE PIECES OF ADVICE
“In our industry, I think we are one of the best at this.”
However, finding well-qualified people has been the dealership’s biggest challenge.
McHenry said that for many years, it seemed like young people were getting away from the trades, but he believes this trend may be starting to shift back.
“The good news is if we keep a good employee for a year, they tend to stay. Most of our top techs and management staff have been with us for decades.”
When considering a new team member, McHenry said he looks for proper qualifications, from certifications to past experience. “But beyond that, we want good people ... with a dedication to their customer, their community and our company. It is possible to be peopleand profit-oriented. You can make a nice living in this industry just by offering honest advice and service. Don’t oversell or undersell. I tell our employees, ‘Do what’s right and you won’t have to hide from your customers when you see them in the grocery store.’”
McHenry told MTD that one thing people might not realize about running a smaller tire dealership is that small tire dealerships have all the problems of big businesses, but access to fewer resources — “no extra people to move around as needed, tighter cash flow, fewer advertising dollars and mistakes take a bigger toll.”
He offered three pieces of advice for other independent tire dealerships who are trying to grow or improve their operations.
“One, word of mouth is still a powerful tool in generating business. You still need online, Google ratings, etc. But nothing beats an endorsement of a neighbor or co-worker when they’re asked where they get their car serviced and they mention your business.
“Two, treat your employees well and they will treat your customers well. Be known as the best shop in town to work for and the top people will gravitate to you.”
“Three, it seems counterintuitive, but I have found that a tire (dealership) is least known within a mile or two radius” of its location, he said. “Get out into the local community on foot and meet people at their places of work — doctors’ offices, stores, restaurants, etc. All their employees probably drove to work, which means they have a car! I have gone on many of these local walks over the years and almost always come back with a new customer’s car to service.” ■
Mike McHenry (pictured) took over Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service from his mother, Pam Fitzgerald, about five years ago.
Photo: Gatto’s Tires & Auto Service
NEED A PARTNER THAT CAN KEEP YOU ROLLING?
CHRIS BRACKIN President
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When you partner with AOT, you benefit from our decades of experience, connections, and expertise. Whatever your challenge, we don’t rest until it’s solved. Because we’re about more than tires. We’re about helping people achieve great, big things.
Focus on Industry
Continental marks 20 years of Gold program
TIREMAKER PREVIEWS NEW PRODUCTS, WARRANTY PLAN
Greg Smith By
Continental Tire the Americas LLC recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Gold Retailer program group with dealers.
The event, which included the roll-out of several new tires, took place in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Chris Charity, vice president of sales for Continental, kicked off the multi-day event by telling attendees he remembered being in the start-up meeting for the program two decades ago, discussing with other Continental executives how the Gold Retailer program would go to market and attract “really awesome dealers.
“They kept talking about gold. And I asked, ‘What does that mean?’ It means great opportunities for leading dealers. And that’s where we started 20 years ago — by trying to find a really great program, go out and work with some strong partners and figure out how to grow our business together.”
Of the 700-plus dealers in Continental’s Gold Retailer program, 17% have been part of the program since its inception 20 years ago.
Photo: MTD
Charity said that despite challenges like the Great Recession and the COVID19 pandemic, “we found ways to work together to find solutions and really, really grow this thing mutually. We worked together and really built this into one of the
Chris Charity, vice president of sales for Continental Tire the Americas LLC (pictured, far right), told Gold Retailer meeting attendees that the program has about 2,500 dealers representing around 4,000 rooftops. (Also pictured, from left to right, Brian Beierwaltes, head of marketing for Continental; Bjoern Glaeser, head of product management for Continental; and Debbie Richards, Continental’s head of programs and planning.)
Photo: MTD
premier associate dealer programs across the industry. We’ve experienced a lot of growth — a lot of success over the years. We couldn’t have done that on our own.”
Charity told dealers that the Gold Retailer program would not have lasted without honest feedback from its members. As a testament to the program, he pointed out that 17% of all current Gold dealers have been in the program for all of its 20 years.
Approximately 735 dealers qualified to attend this year’s meeting and 700 were in attendance, including 121 Gold Retailer program group members who were there for the first time.
Charity told MTD that in total, the program has about 2,500 dealers representing around 4,000 rooftops. Continental has signed 500 new dealers to the Gold Retailer program during the past year.
During the meeting, Charity addressed other topics, including the intended spinoff of parent company Continental AG’s automotive and ContiTech divisions. “All of these things that are coming means our business is starting to evolve a little bit and what you should know is over the next year to 18 months, the automotive piece is going to spin off. Something will happen with ContiTech and we will be back to a tire company focused on tires (and) focused on growing the business.
“Not a lot’s going to change. We’ve been doing a really good job on this for the last 20 years with the Gold program and we’re going to continue to do it and I will say, as a company, we will have even more focus around tires.”
PRODUCTS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Ron Sinclair, director of sales for Continental’s distribution channel, outlined key products and programs that the company has provided during the past year. He pointed to the launch of the Continental TrueContact Tour54 and
Focus on Industry
the General Grabber H/T, along with the General Tire Shield+ Advantage Plan, which is a warranty program similar to the company’s Continental Total Confidence Plan.
Sinclair told the assembled dealers, “We rely on you, our Gold dealers — our Gold distributors. We don’t have a company-owned distribution program. We don’t have company-owned stores. So our investment and our focus is back on the Gold program through our Gold distributors. It’s a critical element of our business strategy.”
The company has sharpened its focus on marketing, Brian Beierwaltes, head of marketing for Continental, told dealers. “At the end of the day, we have to make sure that what we’re doing has a return on investment and is helping us and you sell tires and that is core,” he said.
Beierwaltes said Continental is “doubling down on soccer sponsorship.” The company been a part of Major League Soccer (MLS) for 15 years. He said Continental’s contract does not allow for any other tire brand to be part of MLS.
Beierwaltes did tell MTD that the company has dropped its NCAA basketball sponsorship for this year and is dropping its General Tire sponsorship of Major League Fishing, but is keeping its sponsorship of ARCA racing.
Continental is introducing two new tires to its lineup in 2025, Bjoern Glaeser, head of product management for Continental, told dealers. The first new tire is the Continental SecureContact AW, an all-weather touring tire designed for passenger vehicles, CUVs and SUVs.
The tire has an asymmetric tread pattern and will come in 50 sizes, fitting wheels ranging from 15 inches to 20 inches in diameter, with aspect ratio from 40 to 65 and speed ratings of H to W. The H- and V-rated iterations of the tire will come with a 60,000-mile warranty, while the W-rated version of the tire will have a 55,000-mile warranty.
The Continental SecureContact AW features Continental’s ECOplus technology, is EV-compatible and meets 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake requirements. Glaeser said the tire will be available Aug. 1. Also launching on Aug. 1 is the Continental VikingContact 8, a winter touring tire for passenger vehicles, CUVs, SUVs and light trucks. It will be available in 86 sizes fitting wheels from 15 inches
The Continental SecureContact AW, an all-weather touring tire designed for passenger vehicles, CUVs and SUVs, was one of several new tires that Continental Tire the Americas LLC unveiled during its recent Gold Retailer program group meeting.
to 22 inches in diameter, with 40-70 aspect ratios. It features a directional tread pattern and utilizes Continental’s PolarPlus technology. In addition, the tire is EV-compatible, has earned 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification and meets Ice Grip certification requirements.
Continental is adding one new product to its General lineup, a product for law enforcement applications. The Grabber Justice A/T has been designed to fit the Ford Responder on its F-150 platform. It will come in one size: LT265/70R18 113H.
Glaeser told attendees that both the Continental and General tire lineups cover 95% of all current vehicle fitments in the U.S.
In addition, Debbie Richards, head of programs and planning for Continental, announced the launch of a new trade association program that Gold dealers can utilize. Continental is making exclusive offers through Neighborly, she noted, adding that Neighborly is recognized as a preferred vendor for a number of trade associations. Most of the trade associations mentioned utilize light-duty trucks and vans. Richards says these associations represent a total of 270,000 vehicles operating on the road. Next year’s Continental Gold Dealer trip will be held March 16-20 in Costa Mujeres, Mexico. ■
Seven hundred Continental Gold Retailer dealers attended the 2025 meeting.
Photo: MTD
The Continental VikingContact 8, a winter touring tire for passenger vehicles, CUVs, SUVs and light trucks, will be available in 86 sizes.
Photo: MTD
Photo: MTD
Focus on Industry
Available now, the new Hercules TIS RT1 rugged-terrain light truck tire comes in 41 sizes and has a 55,000mile warranty.
Photo: American Tire Distributors Inc.
ATD jumps into R/T market
HERCULES TIS RT1 IS EXPECTED TO FILL NICHE FOR VALUE OFFERING
Madison Gehring By
The rugged-terrain (R/T) segment is not new for tire suppliers. However, American Tire Distributors Inc.’s (ATD) Hercules brand is just dipping its toes into the R/T segment with the introduction of the Hercules TIS RT1.
“You now see a lot of brands that are engaged in this market segment,” says Steven Liu, vice president of product development for ATD’s Hercules brand.
Liu says ATD’s Hercules brand chose to get into R/T segment now because the brand likes to “observe any new product trend for over a period of time from a couple of different areas” like product technology and market adaptation.
He says ATD/Hercules waited and waited until the “timing was ripe.
“We’re seeing that (the R/T segment) has taken on a really steady and nice growth over the last decade and more importantly, we see ... customers are now starting to look for a value brand in this segment.
“And that’s what we bring to the table, so we want to make sure this is
a premium, quality product (at) nice, affordable tier-three value brand pricing. Given everything and all the wind that’s blowing right now, I think there are definitely consumers (who are) looking for a nicer alternative that could save them some money.”
R/T SEGMENT IS GROWING
Liu says customers like the R/T segment because it occupies a space between the all-terrain (A/T) and the mud-terrain (M/T) segments. And R/T technology has gotten better, so fewer performance compromises are required.
“For R/T, the tread, the buttresses, the sidewalls — they’re aggressive, but they’re not too aggressive.
“People (also) want something that is attractive, but they also want comfort, so this is where you need to land in the middle of that.”
9 MILLION UNITS IN THE MARKET
“Industry-wide, the RT market has been booming and growing,” says Liu.
However, he adds, “the industry hasn’t really come together and clearly defined what makes it an R/T tire, so it is difficult to parse out the actual number of RT tires in the industry.
“What we project, internally, is we estimate about nine million R/T tires throughout the market.”
ATD is chasing a “big number” in its goal of first-year sales.
“But we believe after we launch every single size we have to offer in this new lineup and gain brand recognition and consumer confidence, we can get to that number within the first 12 months, post-launch.”
From there, Liu says ATD wants to grow to 500,000 units by the end of year three of the new tire’s roll-out.
When asked if the R/T segment has encroached on any of the other light truck segments, Liu says the A/T segment holds the larger share of the light truck market. However, he can see R/T encroaching on the highway-terrain (H/T) segment.
“What the H/T really provides is the on-road comfort and the mileage, but it doesn’t really provide the durability and off-road traction, if needed,” explains Liu.
The Hercules R/T tire also offers a customizable option.
“What’s really cool about these RT tires are these dual buttresses that you could flip it around and show your personal style, whereas an H/T tire, I have not seen any H/T tire with dual buttresses,” says Liu.
41-SIZE LINEUP
Hercules is following its normal course of action and creating only one product line for the RT segment. The new Hercules TIS RT1 is available now in 41 sizes and the tire has a 55,000-mile warranty.
“Our goal is to grow this RT1 as a premium R/T tire.
“This goes back to our value proposition where it’s tier-two quality at a tierthree price and that is what we want to offer to our end user.
“So we are just focusing on this line like in the same cadence we did with the A/T, where we would tend to have a product lifecycle average of about seven years.
“After seven years we start looking for replacement products because that’s usually when a new breakthrough of technology and a major shift in market demand happens.” ■
Jeep Renegade ■ 2021
TPMS DIAGNOSIS
When diagnosing a tire pressure issue, first check the warning light in the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) during starting. From the OFF position, turn the ignition switch ON and check the TPMS warning light to observe one of the following:
• If after 10 seconds the warning light is on and constant (not flashing), then one or more of the tires has low pressure or another fault exists.
• If after 10 seconds the warning light flashes for 75 seconds, then remains on constantly, a fault exists in the system. Tire pressure values are also displayed in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). If the Radio Frequency Hub (RFH) module does not receive a signal from a sensor, dashes will be displayed in lieu of a pressure value. If a low pressure warning is indicated, check the air pressure in all tires with an accurate pressure gauge. If the pressure in the tire
is low, diagnose and repair the cause of the low pressure. Install the tire, or tires, on the vehicle and allow approximately two minutes for the message or warning light to turn off. If the message or warning light remains on, another fault is present. If a system fault exists, check for the following conditions which may cause a system fault:
• Signal interference due to electronic devices or driving next to facilities emitting the same radio frequencies as the TPMS sensors.
• Accumulation of snow or ice around the wheels or wheel housings.
• Using snow chains.
• Using wheels not equipped with TPMS sensors.
• Incorrectly programmed Sensor ID numbers.
DTCs for TPMS are stored in the RFH. Check for DTCs using diagnostic equipment. If a new sensor is installed, perform
one of the following procedures to program the RFH with the new sensor ID:
• Use the TPM-RKE 9936 analyzer, with the diagnostic equipment, to program the TPMS module with the tire pressure sensor ID.
• Once the vehicle has remained stationary for more than 20 minutes, the RFH should automatically learn the sensor ID when the vehicle is driven for a minimum of 10 minutes while maintaining a continuous speed above 15 mph.
SENSOR REMOVAL
The tire pressure sensor, valve stem and all valve stem components including the cap and valve core can be serviced and replaced individually.
When demounting or mounting the tire on the wheel, follow the tire changer manufacturers instructions while paying attention to avoid damaging the sensor. 1. Raise and support the vehicle. Then remove the tire and wheel assembly and demount the tire from the wheel. Replace the valve stem assembly with each tire change or when the tire is
removed from the wheel. Install a new valve stem and valve stem core if they are removed from the wheel or valve stem.
2. To remove the sensor from the valve stem, press down on the spring clip using a small screwdriver while pulling.
3. Remove the valve stem from the wheel.
SENSOR INSTALLATION
Any time a sensor is to be reinstalled in a wheel, a new valve stem assembly must be installed to ensure air tight sealing.
When installing a new valve stem, do not install it with the sensor attached. If it is a new sensor, separate the valve stem from the sensor first then install the components separately. Replace the valve stem assembly with each tire change or when the tire is removed from the wheel.
When installing a new valve stem, water or water/soap solution should be used for proper installation into the wheel.
1. Wipe the area clean around sensor/valve stem mounting hole in wheel. Make sure surface of wheel is not damaged.
2. Position the valve stem into the wheel mounting hole with the rib at the 12 o’clock position to the wheel, then pull through to seat with a standard valve stem installation tool.
The valve stem has two notches on the locking pin where the sensor can be installed, depending on the thickness of the rim on the wheel. The sensor is properly installed if the sensor is as close as possible to the valve and the locking pin is visible past the spring clip.
3. Install the sensor onto the valve stem by aligning the rib in the sensor to the valve stem. The locking pin will be visible slightly after installed.
4. The first notch is for a wheel with a thick rim. Push down on the spring clip using a small screwdriver and slide the sensor up until it stops against the bottom part of the valve. Gently pull down to verify the spring clip has engaged. The locking pin will be highly visible.
5. The second notch is for a wheel with a thin rim. Push down the spring clip using a small screwdriver and slide the sensor up until it stops against the bottom part of the valve. Gently pull down to verify the spring clip has engaged.
6. Mount tire on wheel and install the assembly on the vehicle and adjust air pressure to that listed on the vehicle placard. Make sure original style valve stem cap is securely installed to keep
moisture out of sensor. Remove the support and lower the vehicle.
7. Perform one of the following to make the system learn the new sensor ID:
• Use the TPM-RKE Analyzer, 9936, with the scan tool to program the RF Hub module with the tire pressure sensor ID.
• Once the vehicle has remained stationary for more than 20 minutes, drive vehicle for a minimum of 20 minutes
while maintaining a continuous speed above 20 mph. During this time, the system will learn the new sensor ID. ■
Information for this column comes from the tire pressure monitoring systems data in ProDemand, Mitchell 1’s auto repair information software for domestic and import vehicles. Headquartered in San Diego, Mitchell 1 has provided quality repair information solutions to the automotive industry since 1918. For more information, visit www.mitchell1.com.
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