Incoming TIA President to Prioritize Training

Russ Devens, incoming president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA), has spent his entire career focused on safety and protecting people from harm. 

Devens hired into Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-based McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. around 11 years ago as a safety manager - his entry into the tire industry. Prior to joining McCarthy Tire Service, he worked in the insurance industry for about a dozen years. Before that, he was a police officer. (“The tire industry is basically my third career,” he says.)

As McCarthy Tire Service’s director of safety and risk management, Devens is laser-focused on making sure that his employer’s technicians make it home safely each night. As TIA president, he will prioritize technician training and safety for all of the association’s members.

MTD: As director of safety and risk management for McCarthy Tire Service, how will your position and experience inform the direction you want TIA to take during your term?

Devens: We're one of the largest commercial tire dealers in the country, but we don’t only do commercial. We do just about everything there is in the tire industry. We do retail. We do industrial tires. We do farm and ag. We do wheel reconditioning. Having that experience will assist me with TIA because I can relate to pretty much every aspect of the tire industry.

MTD: Technician training and safety are huge priorities for TIA. During TIA’s OTR Conference this past February, TIA mentioned updates it has made – and is continuing to make - to various tire technician training programs. Can you recap some of those updates and what the association is planning to do in 2026?

Devens: I’ve been on the board for eight years at TIA. I’ve been chair of the training and education committee for six years. When I came on as the chair of the training and education committee, I worked closely with TIA’s staff to ensure that we had a five-year plan, continually updated every year. We’ve updated Basic ATS, which is Automotive Tire Service. We’ve updated Basic CTS (Commercial Tire Service.) We’ve just about finalized basic Earthmover Tire Service training. And we're going to continue to focus on updating the rest of the programs. When I first came on, most of our training was in analog format and couldn’t be easily changed. Everything is digital format now, so we don’t have to (film) an entire program all over again going forward. Because everything is now digital, we can add, take out ... as technology changes, we can make changes on the fly.

MTD: What are some of the most pressing issues facing the association and in particular, its tire dealer members?

Devens: I would say acquisitions, consolidation. Our numbers continue to grow. We’re still getting new members who have been dealers who never joined (before) or maybe joined, dropped out and came back again.

MTD: Is increasing tire dealer membership in TIA a priority?

Devens: Yes. We always want to continue to grow our membership. When I first came on, our membership was 8,000. Now it’s up to 13,000. (Editor’s note: that 13,000 figure represents total members, including tire dealers, according to Devens.) 

MTD: TIA continues to fight on behalf of tire dealers. Are there certain legislative issues that TIA will focus on in 2026?

Devens: Right to Repair is always a big thing and has been for several years now. That's going to continue to be one of our main focuses on the government side. There’s some new legislation that was introduced as far as protecting roadside service (technicians.) That’s something that's close to my heart. We had a fatality back in 2019. One of my technicians was struck and killed by a drunk driver on the side of the road. We’re going to continue to work to increase penalties for not following move-over laws and things like that.

MTD: Why is it beneficial for tire dealers to get involved with TIA?

Devens: To stay on top of what’s going on, as far as changes in training. The networking aspect is very important, as well. The networking aspect of belonging to TIA is probably one of the biggest things.

MTD: What are some headwinds and opportunities you see within the tire industry coming up next year and how will TIA approach these issues?

Devens: The biggest one is still the economy and tariffs and how that's impacting our members and how that's impacting manufacturers, as far as pricing. I think from the training perspective, we’re in a good place. I want to make sure the people who are going to follow me on (TIA’s) board continue to focus on the mission of TIA.