Last year the Tire Industry Association released a new training service for the earthmover and off road markets. The service is better known as Basic Earthmover Tire Service and aims at encouraging technician education in earthmover tire assembly and retreading. Due to their sheer size repairing and replacing earthmover tires is a difficult process. The service is delivered in a series of 15 modules and at the end of the course successful trainees are awarded a TIA certificate of completion.

The working capacity of an earthmover tire is usually calculated using a system known as Ton mile per hour. The system calculates the working capacity based on how much load the tire is made to handle and the average speed for the day. Excessive loads or speeds can cause tire failure due to heat degradation. However it has been suggested that the formula breaks down when tires are loaded 20% above their capacity or on hauls of more than 20 miles. Rock cuts are major tire killers . Poor operator behavior can further contribute to premature tire failure if the operator is not aware of the road structure.

Several manufactures have come up with earthmover tire management systems. The most notable ones are MEMS, the Michelin Earthmover Management System and TotalTyreLogic by OTR tires. TotalTyreLogic, better known as the “cradle to grave” system uses a central database and a GPS system to provide customers with information such as site surveys and onsite inspections for continuous monitoring of tire wear and tear. MEMS is a real-time, four-component system that provides critical information such as internal air pressure and tire temperature while vehicles are in service. The system features enhancement tools that alert the customers when tires are operating outside of their designated specifications. Advantages of such systems include reduced costs, increased safety and increased productivity.