Trucking industry is no less than an adventurous trip for truckers. If you enjoy exploring the hidden roads of America, then this is the profession for you. Trucks, trailers or rigs run the world on wheels. Some move on 18 wheels and some can extend till 28 or 30 wheels, as per the requirement and situation. These rubber donuts form a critical link, not more than those of the front steering axle. It’s not that the steer axle does not something unusual, which others don’t (steer the truck). They are only set on board without a redundant tire to compensate for a blowout. Today we would be discussing about the differences shared by Truck Tire and Trailer Tire.

• Tire Basics

Federally speaking, two types of tires are available: steer-axle and drive/tandem. You can install steer tire on driver axle or trailer but not other way round. Owner operators and small fleet owners use tandem (trailers) tires and driver tires interchangeably, but the current trend is changing. It is moving towards specialty tires for trailers and drive applications.

• Re-Treading:

When we speak about truck-trailer tires, they are robust rubber on the road; the tire’s side walls and the body can last for decades if you tend to maintain it perfectly. However, the tread itself will wear out far before then. Truck tires are designed in a manner from the outset to have a removable tread, wherein the retreading specialist can strip away to replace with new stock. Radial Truck tires are the one which tend to face more than five retreading during their service life. As trucks are constantly on road, making deliveries, it is common for retreads to fall apart and shed their new shoes, which is why it is illegal to ever put a re-tread on a steer axle.

• Wear and Tear:

As per the information passed by Federal Motor Carrier Standards, a trailer or drive tire is likely to have as little as 2/32 of an inch of tread before they are replaced or retreated, whereas with steer tires, they should have minimum of 4/32 tread and that is why you’ll be able to see steer tire on a drive or tandem axle with a worn past of 4/32 mark. Many of the truck owners replace the old trailer with worn steer tires, expecting to cover approximately around 200,000 miles before they wear that last 2/32 of inch.

• Lug or Ribbed:

The only major difference between drive and trailer tires is just a matter of personal preferences. Ribbed tread designs, having large “ribs” of rubber running down the center of the tire tread. These ribbed tires are basically designed for street oriented trucks, offering the best, superior ride, expertise in handling wet and dry road traction with excellent flexibility for rotation.

Other types of tires are lug tires, which are essentially used for off-road units, dealing friction with mud, snow and other inclement conditions. Many trucks prefer using lug tires for one of the drive axles to give an edge in traction when needed and ribbed tires everywhere else.

• Single vs. Dual:

The major source of contentment in today’s trucking world is the usage of single super wide tires, replacing traditional duals. These “Super singles” offer a not-insignificant edge in the fuel economy, outright tractions and look really cool to boot. Although these super singles are rapidly becoming popular for drive tires, the transitions are nearly slow (almost non-existent) for trailers.

Here we don’t mean that super wides are not reliable, but as per trailer’s requirement, they may not be the apt one. They need to pass around a lot and eventually repairs at a terminal or facility which is not equipped with sufficient, ready super wides would leave you depressed and work would be halt for a while. This will surely mess your schedule for the day.

Now that we know what differences a trucker and trailer holds, get going truckers. Before you forget, file your form 2290 only at tax2290.com and register your vehicle to simply stay away from DOT inspection. How about making your taxation work little easy? We are sure you would love it! We have recently launched our tax2290.com  Android App for your convenience. Now that you are enjoying your comfort levels, do pay your taxes on time only through our app. Have safe journey truckers!