Obama, Congress Learn About Retreaded Tires

By Ryan Gray

When it comes to the stimulus, there are a host of entities that could stand to benefit. Considering rubber is made from crude petroleum, it's unlikely federal money will be allocated to the tire industry anytime soon. But if the Tire Retread Information Bureau (TRIB) has its way, perhaps the greener side of tires may realize additional positive PR. Today, the organization sent an open letter to President Obama and members of Congress that calls attention to the environmental, cost and safety benefits of retreaded tires.

Federal mandate already requires retreaded tires on certain government vehicles. And many municipalities choose retreads for their fleet vehicles, including school districts. While retreads are only allowed on the rear wheels of school buses, many transportation departments across the nation choose these tires because they are much cheaper than buying new. And they are just as safe with a much smaller carbon footprint.

But retreaded tires have gotten a bad wrap, according to Harvey Brodsky, TRIB's managing director. His organization spends much of each day refuting what it calls bad press, when retreaded tires are blamed for so-called "road alligators," or those bits of tire debris that you see littering highways. But not so, as NHTSA recently found in its December 2008 Commercial Vehicle Tire Debris Study. Brodsky's letter to President Obama and Congress is clearly designed to make all of these points clear.

And if there's another stimulus, as many have forecasted, might the tire retread industry be the latest to get its own slice of the pie?