As another year comes to an end, it seems only natural to reflect on the last 12 months. Reflection on past mistakes, like constructive criticism, is always good, in my opinion. At the very least, it allows past mistakes to become life lessons.
Tags: ARA, Bob Ulrich, Ed Wagner, Editorial, Jerry White
With apologies to Bob Barker and Drew Carey, the Price is Wrong, not Right. I’m referring to consumer tire prices, which have been increasing rapidly, and regularly, for the last four years.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Editorial, tire prices
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Don’t expect any new players in the replacement truck and bus tire market anytime soon. The United States government doesn’t seem to want them.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, CAFE standards, Editorial, EPA, Going green
Is there anything that separates a Tire Dealer of the Year from the average dealer? Just what is it that makes him or her so special?
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Editorial, MTD TIre Dealer of the Year, Tire Dealer of the Year
A letter sent to me recently from Mike Hughes about mom-and-pop stores made me take notice, and will certainly stir up some debate.
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Did you know that our government has been working on a consumer tire rolling resistance label for almost 20 years?! In 1993, the White House Conference on Global Climate Change discussed tire labeling and asked the Department of Transportation to do something about it.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Editorial, Tire aging, Tire labeling
Germano Julio Badi requested to add you as a connection on Linked-In,” read the e-mail request. The name sounded familiar, and he wanted to add me to his professional network.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Editorial, LinkedIn
There are times when the claim “investigative reporting” is an oxymoron. One of those times was March 14, 2011, when KDKA, a CBS television affiliate out of Pittsburgh, Pa., aired an educational news story titled, “5 Ways to Save Money on Tires.”
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Eighty-five percent of tire purchasers are directly influenced by you.” Those 11 words packed as much punch as anything else said at the 2011 Goodyear Dealer Conference in January.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Brand awareness, Editorial
The Tire Rack is an independent tire dealership. Its business model may be different from yours, but the owners have complete control over it.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Editorial, The Tire Rack
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Hire slow, fire fast. That business advice is as true now as when it was first conceived.
Believe it or not, I have been editor of Modern Tire Dealer for 10 years! Between my editorials and Web blogs, you probably know more about me than you ever dreamed, or feared, possible.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Editorial
There is ongoing debate about what effect the one-year-old, 35% tariff on Chinese consumer tire imports has had on the economy in general and pricing in particular. At first glance, the United States-China Business Council Inc. (USCBC) suggests it was an overreaction to the considerable growth in Chinese imports, especially “low-end” tires.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Chinese tires, Editorial, Tariff
No bus shall be operated with regrooved, recapped or retreaded tires on the front wheels.” Other than the redundancy of including “retreaded” and “recapped” in the same sentence, Title 49, Part 393.75 (d) of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations is quite clear.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, Editorial, retreaded tires, retreads, Steer tires
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Numbers, by themselves, don’t lie. They can be misleading, however, if not put in the proper context.
China is a communist country, with one ruling party. At the same time, it seems to be embracing capitalism to the best of its manufacturing ability.
Tags: Bob Ulrich, China, Editorial
John F. Kennedy was president of the United States. The National Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association was preparing for its 40th annual convention. I turned three years old.
What in the world is the Global Tire Expo — powered by TIA? We know it will be held with the Specialty Equipment Market Association, or SEMA, Show during Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week in Las Vegas, Nev., in November.
The recession last year helped curtail demand. As a result, tire manufacturers reduced their inventories to historically low levels.
One was imposed on consumer tire imports from China. The other soon may be imposed on passenger tires imported from Thailand. Not surprisingly, the United Steelworkers union supports both.
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