TRIB: Remember to regularly calibrate tire gauges

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TORONTO, Ont. — The Tire Retread Information Bureau (TRIB) is reminding truckers and maintenance managers to regularly calibrate their tire gauges.

The organization insists tire gauges require a lot of care. An engineer from a tire manufacturer recently told TRIB that tire gauges are accurate to plus or minus three PSI right out of the box. Once dropped a few times on concrete, their accuracy worsens.

The engineer also said there is no significant difference in accuracy between the manufacturers of truck tire gauges.

"It is very important for a fleet or an owner/operator to calibrate these stick gauges using a master gauge on a regular basis," he said. "Gauges can go bad any time and of course, it is important to check a range of pressures when you calibrate (ie. 50 PSI, 75 PSI, 100 PSI, 120 PSI)."

He also said "The only way to properly and accurately determine the amount of air in a truck tire is to use a tire gauge on a regular basis. To do otherwise, such as thumping a tire, is to kid yourself. If you believe you can determine the amount of air in your tire by thumping, you might as well thump the hood of your truck to determine how much oil you have in your engine."

To have your tire gauges calibrated, visit a tire dealer or retreader, TRIB urges. Many will perform the service free-of-charge. For more information on tire care, visit www.retread.org..

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