Owner/operators it seems are reconsidering their use of retread tires. Retread use has long been considered one of the smartest spec’ing decisions an owner/operator can make. So why are fewer owner/operators using retreads? Our Equipment Buying Trends Survey this year found that 44% of owner/operators used fewer retreads than new tires over the past three years. That’s a marked increase from the 38% of owner/ operators who told us likewise the previous year. In recent years our research has found that owner/ operators have been increasingly enticed by low-price tires from China and India. One fifth of owner/operators are now telling us they have used these brands, primarily at the trailer position. They are certainly not doing it because they believe in the quality of these tires -they score all of the top five offshore brands less than 2 out of 5 on the quality scale. But one third of owner/operators plan to optimize their tire costs through acquisition price and they do like the low prices offered by the offshores. While only 10% would replace their name brand tire selections with offshore tires, one quarter of owner/ operators report they would turn to offshore tires rather than purchase retreads. In fact, if retreads and offshores were the same price, about 40% of owner/ operators would still choose the offshore for both the drive and the trailer positions. •