Profit and loss may be the measuring stick of business, but when you're driving a 40-ton rig down a busy interstate, safety is the primary concern. Staying alert and obeying the rules of the road go a long way toward getting you to your destination safely, but ultimately you can only be as safe as your equipment is sound.
A tractor-trailer is made up of thousands of different components from computer chips to cold steel, with each playing a vital role. And what separates these components from the slick asphalt of an S-curve in Arizona or a snow-covered highway in North Dakota? A highly engineered product made of rubber, steel, and air your tires.
Traction, handling and control are all the direct result of the performance of the tires. Tire failure is costly and can be dangerous for the driver and for those who share the road. That's why it's essential to make informed tire-buying decisions.
At Continental General Tire (CGT), safety is the prevailing theme of business. Safety is built into the tires. It's utilized at the point of sale, and it carries on after the sale.
Using 3-D imagery and advanced computer modeling techniques, engineers are able to digitally build tires and subject them to external criteria such as load, inflation and heat input.
The tires are then built in award-winning QS-9000/ISO-9001-certified facilities where strict quality controls govern each step of the building process.
From initial compounding to curing, each stage of development is constantly reviewed and upgraded. The final product then undergoes rigorous inspections, including x-rays to identify any anomalies in the internal structure. The end result is a tire that can be trusted to perform to the highest standards under the toughest conditions.
Safety concerns do not end with production. Selecting the proper tire for a specific application is essential.
Since no two applications are exactly the same, and each manufacturer produces a wide range of tires, tire selection can be very confusing. To assist fleets, CGT has developed a sales force dedicated to service. Each salesperson is trained to identify the specific application and to select the tire that will best perform under the given conditions. With CGT, customers can be confident in purchasing a quality product that is correctly specified.
But there's more. Maintenance is another important safety issue. Inflation pressures should be checked daily, and tires must be routinely inspected for cuts and abrasions and for proper alignment. This is another area in which CGT's fleet sales force excels. In addition to conducting free fleet inspections to identify possible problems before they become safety hazards, they also make recommendations on tire maintenance and tracking.
Once you've purchased a quality-built tire that has been selected correctly and maintained properly, your drivers can do their jobs with confidence. While accidents can't be prevented entirely, drivers can be more relaxed when they know they're covered where it matters the most at the point of contact with the road.
