The average age of light vehicles in operation in the U.S. has risen to 12.2 years in 2022, marking the fifth straight year the average vehicle age has increased.

Mounting and balancing tires correctly is the heart and soul of what tire dealers and other tire retailers do. And that means it’s absolutely critical the job is done with precision and delicacy.

Today, your salespeople and technicians must be trained to educate the customer and build trust quickly. Why? Because most of the time, difficult customers are created by you and/or your people. And you may not even realize it. 

There will be 3.6 million high school graduates in the United States this year. We don’t need them all. But we do need thousands of them as automotive technicians. The questions are where do we need them, how do we recruit them and how do we train them?  

Last year was the sixth warmest on record. As temperatures continue to hover at high levels, more drivers will use their vehicles’ air conditioning systems - leading to more service opportunities for tire dealers. 

John Marshall, vice president of Grismer Tire Co., doesn’t have political aspirations, but he did recently have a few words for Ohio lawmakers. He says the theft of catalytic converters is so rampant, it’s not a matter of “if” -  but “when” a vehicle owner will be the victim of the crime.

The new TC33 series tire changers from Hunter Engineering Co. have been designed for tire dealerships that have limited space or offer mobile tire service.

Anyline has introduced scanning technology that captures tire size and dimension information from sidewalls and integrates that data into tire dealerships' websites to help simplify the online tire buying process.

Getting auto parts will be the biggest challenge of 2022, say respondents to automotive market research firm IMR Inc.'s latest survey. In February 2022, IMR interviewed 500 auto service facilities and 35.8% said sourcing the parts they need is their top concern. 

You don’t often hear the words “generation gap” today. But that doesn’t mean generation gaps don’t exist. In fact, the tire industry is suffering from a profound generation gap - especially when it comes to tire service jobs. 

Discount Tire is participating in the latest round of investment in San Mateo, Calif.-based intelligent tire management platform provider Revvo Technologies.

First Brands Group has expanded its line of Centric Parts brake components to include rotor coverage for nearly 33 million vehicles in operation.

Hunter Engineering Co.'s  BL Series of bench lathes now includes a new tablet, which provides technicians with easy access to data while in the midst of a service.

Jason Friedrich is focused on developing the company’s processes, especially when it comes to auto service.

Independent tire dealers are preparing for the knock-on impact of escalating gas prices. And some are already feeling the squeeze.

March and April are ideal times to discuss vehicle maintenance with customers - using their summer driving plans as a jumping-off point, says Brett Matschke, owner of Richlonn’s Tire & Service Centers, a dealership that’s based in Muskego, Wis. 

Hunter Engineering Co. says its new SmartSpot technology makes wheel weight placement “precise, accurate and easy.”

Bridgestone Americas Inc. has made a minority investment in tire sensor and data management company Tyrata, which supplies Tyrata IntelliTread drive-over tread depth readers.