BOWIE, MD. AND GREENVILLE, S.C. (May 6, 2009) - The Tire Industry Association (TIA) and Michelin Americas Truck Tires (MATT) have partnered to create a new training video for truck fleets. The 20-minute video titled "Wheel End Safety" is intended to provide maintenance personnel and drivers with installation and inspection guidelines to improve wheel-end performance and safety. It addresses a number of related topics, but the primary focus is to help fleets prevent wheel-off accidents and wheel-end fires. The video is available as a free download on TIA's website, www.tireindustry.org and on Michelin's website, www.michelintruck.com.
"As part of our ongoing efforts to educate the tire and transportation industries, TIA is proud to partner with Michelin on this important fleet safety video," remarked Roy Littlefield, TIA executive vice president. "In addition to wheel-off and wheel-end fire prevention, "Wheel End Safety" also addresses the dangers of welding on rims and includes dramatic footage that clearly demonstrates the risks to this dangerous practice. Our hope is that fleets will use this video to educate drivers, maintenance personnel and tire service providers on the steps they can take to make the highways safer for themselves and all motorists."
In order to illustrate the danger of a wheel-off incident, TIA worked with Michelin engineers to construct a controlled test at Michelin's Laurens Proving Grounds in South Carolina, where the tire and wheel assemblies could be filmed after they separated from a trailer. After several successful attempts, a parked car was placed in the path so multiple cameras could record the footage. The resulting impact is certain to grab the attention of viewers and demonstrate the seriousness of wheel-off accidents.
"This video dramatically demonstrates the importance of operating trucks and other commercial vehicles as safely as possible," said Doug Jones, customer engineering support manager at Michelin North America. "By taking a few extra minutes to shore up wheel-end maintenance, fleet technicians can help minimize the number of dangerous wheel-off events."
About TIA
TIA is an international association representing all segments of the tire industry, including those that manufacture, repair, recycle, sell, service or use new or retreaded tires, and also those suppliers or individuals who furnish equipment, material or services to the industry. The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has a history that spans more than 80 years and includes several name changes. Originally known as the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association (NTDRA), the organization gave birth over the years to the American Retreaders Association (ARA) and the Tire Association of North America (TANA). ARA changed its name to the International Tire & Rubber Association (ITRA) and merged with TANA in 2002 to form the current Tire Industry Association (TIA), which now represents every interest in the tire industry.
About Michelin
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelintruck.com) employs more than 22,600 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 17 locations.
