Fuel efficiency and a quiet, comfortable ride might not be the first things that come to mind when thinking about light truck tires. But the tiremakers designing original equipment LT tires indicate those are key considerations at work in the next generation of products.

Scott Clark will lead Michelin North America Inc. as chairman and president beginning Jan. 1, 2018. Joanie Martin has been named to the new role of chief administrative officer.

This year, in order to meet consumers’ changing needs, we will offer another way to purchase Goodyear consumer tires, and this is... online.” With those words, Andy Traicoff, vice president of consumer sales and customer development for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., set in motion what was thought to be a paradigm shift in the tire industry.

Michelin North America Inc. is targeting a fast-rising segment of the truck tire industry with its new Michelin X Multi D, a regional drive-position tire designed for trucks and fleets making shorter, more regional urban hauls.

Of the 19 tire manufacturers who responded to our questions, 11 have introduced new M/T tires since 2015. And at least three more new M/T tires are expected to be unveiled in the next 24 months. Nick Gutierrez, sales manager for Sentury Tire Americas, refers to it as a “flash flood.”

Selling tires online to consumers remains a hot topic in our industry, especially if tire manufacturers are doing the selling.

Prior to the public announcement it was going to sell BFGoodrich tires online, Michelin North America Inc. informed its dealers of the news. After Mary McLaughlin, owner of Independent Tire & Auto Inc. in North Andover, Mass., read the email, she had strong feelings about Michelin’s strategy. She shared both the email and her response to Michelin with us.