Walt Weller, senior vice president of CMA/Double Coin, was one of a few select tire industry executives asked by Modern Tire Dealer magazine to provide insights into the state of the commercial tire market. Here are his comments which were included in a June story in the tire trade publication entitled “Tough Road To Travel.”

The sun is shining, birds are chirping and the smell of neighbors cooking burgers on the grill is wafting into your yard. If you are a tire dealer or trucking fleet, however, you should be turning your attention to this coming winter!

The last-mile delivery trend that accelerated during the Covid pandemic will continue to grow at an exponential rate. In fact, experts say last-mile delivery is projected to be a $90 billion industry by 2025.

Love's Travel Stops, which carries a full line of Double Coin commercial truck tires, has opened seven Travel Stops in recent weeks in seven states with Speedco tire and mechanical services on site, including tire, lube and light mechanical services on a 24/7 basis.

With diesel prices and other trucking fleet costs through the roof, fleet managers are searching for savings and operating efficiencies. If you have shied away from retreads for whatever reason, maybe it’s time to rethink. Retreads are a sustainable way for fleets to optimize productivity while cutting down on cost per mile.

Diesel is the workhorse of the US economy, and right now retail diesel prices are surging to all-time highs - over $5 per gallon in some areas -- surpassing the peak set in 2008. 

Diesel fuel is nearing its highest price in a decade. Strong demand and a slow rebound in worldwide oil production have pushed prices higher, as have concerns that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could trigger international sanctions on Russia’s oil exports. Russia may then feel compelled to inflict pain on the global economy by cutting oil exports.

Winter is here with a vengeance, and winter driving adds another level of danger to an already tough job. Here’s some tips to help keep commercial truck drivers out of harm’s way this winter:

The trucking industry moved 10.23 billion tons of freight in 2020, generating $732.3 billion in revenue, according to the latest edition of American Trucking Associations’ American Trucking Trends 2021. It is truly "our nation's lifeline," and CMA/Double Coin is honored to be part of it!

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) has identified 10 actions to help fleets achieve 10+ mpg in over the highway operations.