Truck accidents occur almost every day. The impact of truck accidents is catastrophic. While victims sustain major injuries, the impact can turn fatal in certain cases. Truck accidents occur due to a variety of reasons. Proper safety measures should be implemented in order to ensure that these accidents can be eliminated.
Drivers should be trained properly about the rules and regulations they should follow on the road in order to prevent accidents. Appropriate repair and maintenance of trucks are important to ensure that accidents are reduced. One of the major aspects that should not be overlooked involves the maintenance of the tires.
Tire maintenance not only reduces accidents on the road but also improves the life of the tire and saves money. Let’s take a look at some of the best tire maintenance tips for truck drivers.
Check the Tire Tread
An adequate amount of tread helps in keeping the tires firmly on the road. In other words, proper grip is established when the tires have enough tread. The amount of tread depth on each tire should be at least 4/32 of an inch for steer tires and 2/32 of an inch for tires of other positions. It is important to check the tread depth of the tire to reduce possibilities of accidents. A tire with a low tread depth than the minimum value could blow out when it comes in contact with the debris on the road.
For an accurate measurement, you can consider getting the tread depth measured by using a tread gauge.
Check the Air Pressure Regularly
Did you know that incorrect air pressure of the tire may increase your expenditure on fuel? In addition to that, low air pressure of the tires may result in tire blowout accidents on the road. It may result in a fire hazard as well and a series of other tire-related problems. Over-inflation of tires can turn out to be detrimental to the tire’s health as well. Therefore, it is crucial to keep the tire inflated according to standard specifications.
It is important to check the air pressure of the tires regularly. Air pressure of the tire should be checked when the tire is cold. The best time to check this is after a sleep period or before a trip.
Replace Missing Valve Caps
It can be quite dangerous if the valve caps of the tires go missing. This would indicate that air is escaping from the tires rapidly. As a result, the tires run the risk of getting under-inflated and may cause disastrous accidents like tire blowouts etc.
As soon as you find out the valve caps are missing, you should replace them immediately in order to prevent accidents.
Fix a Flat Tire Immediately
If the truck hits any obstacle or runs over a piece of debris on the road and you feel that the tire may be affected, you should immediately stop the truck and check for any damage to the tires. Certain tire punctures can be fixed easily. However, punctures that are large in size may require tire replacement. The problem should be diagnosed immediately and the right fix should be implemented in order to prevent further damage.
Rotate and Align the Tires
When the tires of a truck are not aligned properly, it could make handling the truck more difficult. Apart from that, uneven wear of the tire can put you at the risk of tire blowouts. Therefore, it is important to rotate and align the tires regularly to eliminate the risks of accidents.
Conduct a Visual Inspection
It is always wise to visually inspect the tires of your truck thoroughly. You should look for any scratch marks, signs of uneven wear and leaks in the tires, damage to the sidewall, any bumps in the tire owing to accumulation of debris and so on. If you locate any problem with the tires, you should immediately get them fixed.
If your truck uses dual tires, it is important to check between them for any particles that have been lodged between them. Washing the tires decelerates aging of tires and prevents wear and tear considerably.
Contributed by: www.texas-truckaccidentlawyer.com
