Last week in this blog, I discussed the SmartWay program and why it's important to both tire manufacturers and dealers. Right now only one state, California, requires trucks to be equipped with SmartWay-approved tires.

Earlier this week, rock-and-roll fans (including this reporter) marked the 61st anniversary of Buddy Holly's death. Between 1957 and 1958, Holly had seven Top 40 hits, cramming more talent and energy into his very brief career than most rockers manage to drum up over the course of decades.

I try not to use this blog as a forum for shameless plugs, but if you're involved in (or just an observer of) the commercial tire market, you should check out the 2009 Top 25 Independent Commercial Tire Dealers list in the October issue of MTD.

Ten years ago, when I was a rookie reporter at Modern Tire Dealer and knew next to nothing about truck tires, my editor sent me to a day-long course at Standard Testing Laboratories (STL) in Massillon, Ohio. For nine hours, my classmates and I sat through presentations about truck tire design, technology and construction.