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Local News
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Friday, July 04, 2008, 9:21 AM
State officials support tire company By Matt Shaw | Daily Times Staff Writer RALEIGH -- Attacked again by a legislator, White's Tire Service was endorsed Thursday by the state agencies that use its retreads. The N.C. Department of Transportation depends on the bead-to-bead, pressured-tested retread tires made by the Wilson plant, said Drew Harbinson, director of fleet operations for DOT. "We put up to 110,000 pounds on some tires," Harbinson told a N.C. House committee. "And we use our tires under the worst possible conditions -- running through debris, during storms, on snow and ice ... Our tires are subject to a lot of abuse." The state used to buy its tires from a topcap retreader and those tires failed frequently, leading to a lot of downtime, he said. Every time DOT is forced to fix a flat, it takes several hours and costs around $350 to send the mechanic. DOT has not had that problem with the White's tires, which have had a failure rate of less than half of 1 percent, he said. Many school systems also prefer the bead-to-bead retreads, which have good safety and mileage records, said Derrick Graham of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction's transportation department. The failure rate for a White's retread tires on school buses is reportedly one-sixth of 1 percent. Legislators are now discussing a bill that would change the way the state awards its retread tire contracts. Retreads are primarily used on the rear axles of school buses and on DOT equipment. The bill being considered would require that the price of retreads include all spot repairs. White's Tire has been criticized by legislators for charging for those repairs, although a state-commissioned study released in April found that all retreaders do it. White's Tire is the only major N.C. retreader using the bead-to-bead method which resurfaces the entire tire. Cole told the N.C. House's Judiciary III committee Thursday that he believes that the state could be assuming more liability if it allows the sidewall information to be removed. If a tire fails, its original manufacturer may not be able to be determined, Cole said. "Once those numbers are removed, is it possible to know who made the casing? Yes, possible. Probable? No." But legislators questioned why the state should end its long history with White's. "We'd be eliminating a product from a bid," said Rep. Thom Tillis of Charlotte. "That's not something I want to do." Rep. Phil Haire of Sylva compared the bead-to-bead retread to a toboggan and a topcap retread to a baseball cap. The cap may be cheaper, but "it exposes your ears," he said. Similarly, the bead-to-bead may cost more, but it could be safer, he said. The state's study, done by Smithers Scientific Services, found little difference between the two types of retreads in terms of safety, cost or mileage. White Tire officials have said that once they work on the tire, the company assumes the liability for it. Following the hearing, Bobby White, vice president of White's Tires, said he appreciated the support from the state. The Judiciary III committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday morning on the bill, including Cole's amendments. It could then move onto a vote on the N.C. House floor. Should Cole's amendments become law, White's has said it will have to layoff some of the 150 people it employs in Wilson. The N.C. Senate has already approved a version of the bill that does not include the language on the sidewalls. Should the House accept Cole's changes, a conference committee would need to propose a compromise. mshaw@wilsontimes.com | 265-7878
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