Orders of new truck trailers plummeted 97% between March and April and plunged 99% from previous year levels, according to a new report from ACT Research, which tracks trucking industry trends.

Nebraskaland Tire Co. Inc. updated its point-of-sale system to the Vast system offered by Mam Software Inc.

Modern Tire Dealer will not publish Hotwire on Monday, May 25 due to the Memorial Day holiday.

"None of us in the business today — and probably the last couple of generations — has had any kind of experience” like COVID-19, says Dominic Umek, group business leader at Cleveland, Ohio,-based Conrad’s Tire Express & Total Car Care.

Bridgestone Americas Inc. has expanded its lineup of Firestone brand medium truck tires with the introduction of the Firestone FD692. The SmartWay-verified tire features 400% more biting edges that its predecessor and has earned 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification.

The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in 2008-2016 Chrysler Town & Country vehicles monitors air pressure in the four road tires (excludes the spare). Pressure in the spare tire is not monitored. There are two tire pressure monitoring systems available, a base system and a premium system. The base system does not specify how many tires are low or where they are located. The premium system does so.

It has now been seven years since the latest changes in European tire label legislation came into effect.

In the March 2020 edition of Modern Tire Dealer, Mike Townsend discussed how clearly communicated expectations can create a culture of accountability at your business. In this article, Townsend discusses how to set goals that will generate positive results.

Does any of the following sound familiar to you? “No one is going to put their credit card information on the internet.” “Buying tires online is a hassle. You have to wait a week to even get the tires.” This is what tire buyers ­— and maybe even you — were saying years ago. All of that has changed.

Hankook Tire America Corp. has introduced the SmartCity AU04, an all-position tire designed for bus applications.

Nama Tires Inc. is bringing the Maxmach UHP tire to the U.S. market in 20 sizes.

Registration is now open for the second week of Tire Industry Association Automotive Tire Service webinars. The second-week sessions will take place three times daily from May 26 through May 28 and will focus on tire mounting, demounting and inflation.

Al Howard, who founded Howard Tire in Belmont, Calif., in 1962, died on May 3 at the age of 82. Under his leadership, Howard Tire grew to seven locations in the San Francisco, Calif., area, and also included one of the largest wholesale tire operations in northern California during the 1980's and early 1990's.

“I tend to be a contrarian when it comes to the concept of pent-up demand after an economic shock,” says Richard Smallwood, CEO and president of Sumitomo Rubber North America.

Vogue Tyre and Rubber Co. is offering consumers a $75 spring rebate for the purchase of four Vogue Signature V Black tires.

The Tire Industry Association says it is not surprised that the United Steelworkers union has filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions targeting passenger and light truck tires made in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Nokian Tyres Inc. has hired Christy McDaniel to lead the company's supply chain efforts in the Americas region. The head of supply chain is a new position for the tiremaker, which is working toward its goal of doubling sales in the region by 2023.

Monro Inc. will release its fiscal 2020 fourth quarter and full-year earnings on Thursday, May 28. The company will host a conference call and audio webcast that day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

As a business owner, you understand the importance of managing and protecting your tangible assets, such as your property, inventory, equipment and employees.

OTR tire dealers should start planning for the future now, Bruce Besancon, vice president of OTR tire sales for Yokohama Tire Corp., said during the keynote presentation at the recent Tire Industry Association Off-the-Road Tire Conference.

As the calendar turns toward the warmer months, consumers are more likely to experience problems with the air conditioning systems in their vehicles. Before the busy season hits, let’s review some best practices.

As the economy begins to reopen Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president of American Kenda Rubber Co. Ltd.’s automotive division, says “we will start seeing recovery from the current situation by the end of May,” followed by more activity as consumers regain confidence.

Triangle Tire USA has rolled out the TRT01S, an all-steel specialty trailer tire for recreational and small work-related trailers.

In a matter of a couple of weeks – due to the COVID-19 crisis – independent tire dealers have had to become not only experts in operating a successful business but also experts in addressing matters like the CARES Act, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and medical/health guidance, Small Business Administration loan opportunities, unemployment regulations and related staffing matters.

Toyo Tire Corp. posted a year-over-year global net sales decline of 8.9% during the first quarter of 2020. Its operating income in 1Q 2020 fell 31.8% from 1Q 2019 levels.

As a commercial-focused tire dealer, only 20% of Twin Valley Tire Inc.’s business is tied to passenger and light truck tires and automotive service needs. And yet, when trying to protect employees from COVID-19, Jamie Laroche says cutting one key service helped limit customer-employee interaction.

Bridgestone Corp. recorded a 11% year-over-year drop in global revenue and a 39% year-over-year decline in operating profit during the first quarter of 2020.

With more than 140 distribution centers throughout North America, American Tire Distributors Inc. has a bird's-eye view of supply, from the tire manufacturers’ side, and demand, from the dealer perspective. The company likes what it’s currently seeing.

NAMA Tires Inc. has added a mud-terrain tire to its Maxxploit light truck tire line.

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has extended the deadline to submit candidates for new board positions to Friday, May 22, at 5 p.m. EDT.

Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd. experienced a 12.6% year-over-year decline in sales during the first quarter of 2020 and a drop in operating profit of 11.2%, 1Q 2020 verus 1Q 2019.

The organizers of the China International Tire Expo (CITEXPO) have moved the event to Aug. 16-18, 2021. It was originally scheduled for Aug. 17-19, 2020.

Leaders of both the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show and Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) say their 2020 events will go on as scheduled.

Continental AG posted first quarter net sales of 9.8 billion euros, a 10.9% year-over-year decline. Adjusted EBIT fell to 432 million euros during 1Q 2020, about half of what Continental reported for 1Q 2019.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s plants in the United States are expected to "return to reasonably good utilization rates as we exit the second quarter," Cooper President and CEO Brad Hughes said during the company's first quarter investor call.

Are ultra-high performance tire sales immune to the COVID-19-fueled economic downturn? Butler Tire & Wheels' retail store in Atlanta, Ga., might have an answer.

Titan International Inc. achieved net sales of $341.5 million during the first quarter versus $410.4 million during the same period last year. The company experienced a net loss during 1Q 2020 of $25.5 million versus income of $1.2 million during 1Q 2019.

Kumho Tire Co. Inc.'s plant in Macon, Ga., has resumed production.

You don’t often hear of a new tire company touting its main product as a “super-economy brand.” Yet that’s how tire industry veteran Steve Hutchinson describes his organization's flagship line.

Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) is the new partner of Tractor of the Year, the most prestigious award bestowed upon European tractors.

Through the first quarter and even early April, business at Bauer Built Inc. held up “relatively decent,” but that doesn’t mean CEO and Board Chairman Jerry Bauer is breathing a sigh of relief just yet.

Qingdao Nama Industrial Co. Ltd. says it will invest $10 million in "southeast Asia tire projects" in 2020.

Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday when we were kicking off 2020 with a strong wind at our backs? The stock market was setting records, unemployment was low, and the economy was humming.

For tire dealers in rural America, it’s not uncommon for a community’s economy to revolve around the largest business in town. But what happens when that ‘business’ is a university, and nearly everything comes to a standstill?

There is a popular Disney movie called “Aladdin”, which contains a song titled “A Whole New World.”  This song is about seeing and experiencing wondrous new places and adventures that were not even imaginable before. 

Tire Industry Association member benefits partner Federated Insurance has announced a COVID-19 Client Relief Credit program to provide customers with premium reductions.

Continental AG expects to post consolidated sales of 9.8 billion euros for the first quarter of 2020 versus sales of 11 billion euros recorded during the same period in 2019.

The Avalanche TT is the latest addition to the Hercules winter tire line. It will be available in 23 sizes, ranging from 16 to 22 inches.

Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. will reopen its consumer tire plant in White, Ga., on May 3.

More than three years after launching its e-commerce platform in the U.S., Michelin North America Inc. is shutting it down. The tiremaker is suspending all direct-to-consumer passenger and light truck tire sales on April 30.