Truck Tire Blowouts are one of the significant causes of Truck accidents in the US. As per NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), Tire blowouts account for more than 12,000 truck accidents annually. Most truck accidents cause injuries, Fatalities, and damage to property.
Truck accidents due to Truck Tire Blowouts can be easily avoided by following the proper maintenance schedule. Transport & Fleet companies must maintain a regular maintenance schedule and ensure that their Semi Trailer Trucks fulfil all safety requirements.
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Avoidable Reasons For Truck Tire Blowouts
Here is the Top 8 Possible Reasons and their control to avoid Truck Tire Blowouts.
1. Overinflated tires:
When tires are overinflated, the heat from the hot sun and friction raises the temperature of the air inside the tire, causing the air to expand further until the rubber stretches beyond its limit and gives way with an explosion.
2. Underinflated tires:
Underinflated tires are put under even more stress, transferring the weight of the load to their internal components and forcing them to flex beyond their limit. At the same time, the heat buildup inside the tires causes the rubber to crack and explode.
3. Overloaded vehicles:
Overloading is a common problem in the trucking industry. Overloading puts added pressure on tires that are already under tremendous pressure, causing even perfect tires to blow out.
4. Wear and tear:
Truck tires operate under tremendous pressure day in and day out. Quite often, they have to run cracked and pothole-filled roads. All these combine to put them through a lot of wear and tear over time. A worn-out tire can easily blow out when the air pressure inside it builds up.
5. Road hazards:
Truckers often face bad road conditions like cracked road surfaces and potholes. On regular operation, this can tear and damage tires. Damaged tires are more prone to blow out under extra weight or heat.
6. Improper maintenance
Tires must be inflated to the correct pressure, meet minimum tread depth standards, and have a similar amount of wear across. A periodic tire inspection is a must, and worn-out tires should be replaced immediately as they are more prone to failure, even under a light load.
7. Bad loading practices
Trailers and cargo must be balanced properly back to front and from right to left. At any given point in time, one should not exceed the maximum load carrying capacity of the tires.
8. Defective products
Like many other products, sometimes defective material comes into the market. It’s up to the customers to stay updated with all safety notices and stop using any tire that is under recall and causes truck tire blowouts.
State and federal laws dictate how often maintenance inspections, including tires, must be performed on trucks. Failure to perform these inspections or to document them appropriately may expose the truck driver, the trucking company, or the cargo owner to liability for any damage to other vehicles on the road.
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We know that issue with even a single tire of a truck can cause a truck tire blowout accident, posing a real danger both to the truck and to other vehicles on the road.
So it’s very important that the truck operator follows all the rules, regulations, and good practices that the transportation industry and federal law have in place to drive safely and prevent accidents.
Related Blog: Maintenance Tips for Semi Truck Trailers