Tr u c k t i r e s
WILD ROAD SERVICE TALES TECHS LEARN TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED By
Mike Manges
F
rozen lug nuts, bad weather and heavy traffic — these are some of the more mundane surprises that road service technicians can encounter. But once in a while, you come across a situation that’s so odd you remember it many years later, says Clinton Smith, service truck tech for Exit 11 Truck Tire Service, which is based in Richfield, Ohio. “When I was 20 years old, we got a call from a hauler who was delivering rental cars,” he recalls. After unloading, the truck’s driver “ran over a strip of spikes” while exiting the lot — resulting in 18 flat tires. Smith tracked down replacement “Don’t put yourself in harm’s way just to get the job done faster,” says Clinton tires, recruited his brother to help and Smith of Exit 11 Truck Tire Service in Richfield, Ohio. Smith has had his share of drove to the truck’s location. memorable service calls and says nothing is more important than safety. “I asked the driver, ‘So what happened?’ and he said, ‘I don’t know. I heard a bunch of air leaking and thought I had blown an airbag or “I guess the one I remember the most is when they sent me to something.’ He didn’t know what he’d done.” a campground” to replace a tire on an RV. “I called the guy who owned the RV to let him know I was on my It took five hours to get the truck up and running. way. And he said, ‘Just to let you know, this is a clothing-optional “That was a big bill!” Another time, Smith was routed to a truck that had “a rock that campground.’” was stuck between two duals.” Rennicker jokes that he was the best-dressed person there! Severe weather can present its own challenges. “A few years At least that’s what the dispatcher told him. “I was thinking maybe it was a softball-sized rock stuck between ago, I was out in 20-below zero temperatures. That’s pretty brutal.” some tires. We’ve seen that before.” Other memorable calls have involved man-made dangers, “like The rock turned out to be a 150-pound “boulder” that was lodged drivers who don’t move over” to provide proper clearance. between the front and rear axles of the rig’s trailer. “One night I had a semi go past me so closely, it shook my soul. “I had to remove all the tires to get the boulder out,” says Smith. I didn’t see it, but I felt it. It was entirely too close.” “And then I put the tires back on. This happened despite the fact the Rennicker had set up reflective “I was not expecting to see that. The driver had run over a triangles and other safety devices. snowbank and the boulder was hidden inside of it. That’s how it “We preach safety to our service technicians as much as we got wedged up underneath there.” can,” says John Ziegler III, regional sales and operations manager for Ziegler Tire. Some road service jobs have included brushes with fame. “I’ve done a couple of calls for the big motorhomes and buses “We know it’s not the easiest job in the world. It’s tough work. that rock stars drive around in,” including one that belonged to We give them the most training to make sure they go home safely classic rocker Steve Miller. every night.” “He wasn’t on the bus,” says Smith. “But I met Phil Vassar, the Smith agrees that safety is the top priority. country singer, while replacing tires on his bus.” When it comes to calls, “if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t do K.C. Rennicker works out of Ziegler Tire & Supply Co.’s facility it. Whether you have to make a driver limp to an exit or call the in Dover, Ohio. (Ziegler Tire is based in nearby Massillon, Ohio.) highway patrol and ask for a cruiser to sit behind you and close off He has been a road service tech for 15 years. a lane while you work, don’t put yourself in harm’s way just to get “There have been a few” memorable calls, he says. the job done faster.” ■
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MTD October 2021
9/23/21 10:30 AM
