$5,000 Per Set: Why Fleets Won't Quit Low-Rolling-Resistance Tires

A set of low-rolling-resistance tires saves a fleet $3,000 to $5,000 in fuel over its life, according to Daryl Bear, chief operating officer of MVT Solutions. That number, not any regulation, explains why trucking fleets keep buying LRR tires even after the Trump administration rolled back heavy-duty greenhouse gas emissions rules earlier this year.

The repealed standards applied to equipment manufacturers, not fleets. Manufacturers had leaned on LRR tires as one route to federal compliance. The business case for the tires themselves survived the repeal intact.

Robert Braswell, executive director of American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council, points at the pump. "With $6- to $7-a-gallon diesel, I don't think a whole lot of people are thinking about changing their specs away from LRR tires because of any changes in greenhouse gas rules," he said. Fuel savings more than cover the tires' higher purchase price, he added, provided the fleet runs a good maintenance program.

The service-life gap between LRR and conventional tires is narrowing, thanks to better compounds and designs. Long-term adoption keeps rising; Braswell hasn't heard of a short-term surge.

What does this change for fleets?

Not the math. Bear puts it bluntly: "If you're not running tires that qualify as LRR, then you're throwing money down the drain, without question." LRR tires can also deliver excellent tread life and traction, he said, though fleets on rougher terrain should still prize long-lasting rubber. His advice on process: management, not shop leaders, should make tire purchasing decisions — shops naturally favor whatever needs the least maintenance.

MVT Solutions has run more than 1,300 tests using sensor-equipped trucks with data acquisition tools borrowed from motorsports, including work for 15 fleets on the Transport Topics Top 100 For-Hire Carriers list.

Parent company Mesilla Valley Transportation, No. 61 on the TT100, builds its fuel strategy around LRR tires. CEO Royal Jones said his over-the-road drivers average 9.28 miles per gallon, and the tires' thinner tread creates less drag and demands less horsepower. He estimates LRR rubber improves economy by half a mile per gallon. For context: a tenth of a mile per gallon is worth 26,000–28,000 gallons a month across his fleet.

"It's only more expensive to purchase," Jones said. "It's not more expensive to run. That's where people really get lost on." The fleet also retreads tires five times and matches dual tires precisely — a slightly larger tire drags its mate, and different brands of the same nominal size will mismatch, so technicians measure every tire.

Less stress on equipment cuts maintenance costs too. An engineer told Jones an engine effectively lives 150,000 gallons of fuel; burn those gallons more efficiently and the engine travels more miles before it's done.

The spec sheet, fleet by fleet

• Nussbaum averages 9.2 mpg. It adopted LRR wide-base singles about 15 years ago after testing showed a three- to four-tenths of a mpg gain over duals. It buys 26/32nds-inch tread, pulls tires at 6/32nds, and logs about 18,000 miles per 32nd of wear on drive tires. "The low-rolling-resistant, Smartway-certified, wide-base tires that have 26/32nds have just been our go-to tire for the last decade or so," said fleet services director James Grier.
• ABF Freight (ArcBest, No. 14 on the TT100) weighs life expectancy, tread wear, acquisition cost, fuel economy and driver confidence. President Matt Godfrey: total cost of ownership drives every equipment decision, and regulatory changes aren't touching tire specs.
• NFI (No. 17) sticks to its cost-per-mile strategy regardless of diesel swings, though VP of fleet services Charles Musgrove said sharp price spikes "accelerate the adoption of high-efficiency tire technologies."

The trade-offs haven't vanished: LRR tires carry less tread and cost more upfront because of the engineering needed to prevent blowouts. "The TCO will rule over anything else," said Mike Roeth of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

Application drives selection

Drew Wall, developmental engineer at Yokohama Tire, said manufacturers keep expanding LRR lines with optimized treads and shallower depths. "Their proven fuel-saving benefits continue to drive demand regardless of regulatory requirements," he said, with large fleets leading and smaller operators following.

Hankook's Yong Jin agreed the priorities split by duty: fuel efficiency for longhaul, tread life and consistent wear for regional and high-scrub work, durable casings for fleets that retread. Manufacturers are refining compounds and casing construction by application and wheel position. "Ultimately, the key measure is a lower total cost per mile, as a larger fuel-economy gain does not necessarily mean a better return," Jin said.

With diesel expected to stay pricey and tread technology closing the durability gap, LRR adoption looks set to keep grinding upward — with or without Washington's help.