My son recently asked me to explain the word technology. What does it mean? I thought about it for a few seconds and then told him that technology was man’s way of trying to make everything better. It can be applied to everything because it affects all aspects of life. From the food we eat to the vehicles we drive and the entertainment system we choose, technology is trying to make it all better, more efficient, seamless.
The last word, seamless, was carefully selected after I saw an artist’s rendition of a new concept truck that claims to use 30% less fuel. It was a beautiful piece of equipment with an obvious emphasis on aerodynamics to reduce drag. Of course, the perpetual tire guy in me immediately looked at the body panels covering the drive and trailer axles. The section on the tractor looked like a 12- to 15-ft. fiberglass panel, and the trailer section extended for at least 30 ft.
While technology intends to make everything better, it can have the opposite effect for the minority of the population that is charged with fixing it. The modern automobile is the perfect example, as the constant need to redesign and reconfigure to improve fuel economy and rider comfort trumps everything except safety. Simple maintenance tasks require the removal and reposition of countless components packed into the engine to save space. It drives costs up for the consumer because labor is by far the biggest expense when repairs become necessary.
For as long as I can remember, the new-truck and trailer industries have done a great job of keeping the wheel ends standard. The overwhelming majority still uses a standard 10-hole hub-piloted system. That type of consistency makes it easy to maintain a network of companies to service these tire and wheel assemblies whenever and wherever it is necessary.
I can only imagine what a technician in the middle of nowhere will do when they see molded body panels covering the wheels. The big commercial dealers will figure it out and probably charge for the additional labor, not to mention repairs. I know that it’s way too early to start discussing the design requirements for the truck of tomorrow, but the constant need to improve can have unintended consequences.
Wheel covers and tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are just the start for the truck tire technician. There are no standard methods of attachment for wheel covers, so each one is different. I already know of instances where the cover was damaged because the technician didn’t know how to remove it. It’s not his fault; he had never seen it before.
Maintaining the proper inflation pressure has countless benefits, so the economics associated with TPMS are looking better all the time. Once sensors start showing up in large numbers in the field, there will be an increase in the number of damaged components unless we find a way to easily identify these assemblies.
Whoever is responsible for making the decisions related to the future of tires, wheels, and wheel ends needs to think about the tire tech for a few minutes. How is some 20-year-old kid with minimal training going to approach this? How is it going to hold up over thousands of inspections and maintenance intervals? Who is going to fix it when it breaks?
If there is a clear and logical answer to each of those questions, then technology has a good chance to make things better. If some of the answers are unclear, hope and pray the savings will still result in a net gain because the labor and maintenance costs will start rising.
