What’s Driving Goodyear’s Push into the Waste Tire Market

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has made a big push into the waste haul tire market in the past year.

It first previewed its new Endurance WHA for waste haul fleets at last year’ WasteExpo. The product became available in the marketplace in the second half of last year. And now it’s been fully rolled out.

Waste360 had the opportunity to ask Goodyear General Manager, Product Marketing Brian Buckham, some questions about the company’s waste haul tires and how Goodyear is working to make its mark on the waste haul tire market.

Waste360: What are some of the demands of sanitation trucks in terms of the tires they use?

Brian Buckham: Whether traveling down busy streets, across dumps or into and out of transfer stations, sanitation trucks roll across severely challenging terrain. Their tires come in contact with numerous, puncture-causing objects that tires in other applications don’t typically encounter. Sanitation trucks also carry heavy loads and start and stop frequently, causing brakes to heat up and tires to exhibit accelerated wear rates.

Because of these dynamics, waste haul fleets want tires that offer curbing and puncture resistance, and most importantly, long miles to removal. In addition, waste haul fleets want to optimize their tire investment and as such, are big users of retreads, which can help them extend the life of their tire casings through multiple life cycles.

Waste360: What specific design applications does the Goodyear Endurance WHA tire have to meet the demands?

Brian Buckham: Part of the Goodyear Total Solution for fleets, the Goodyear Endurance WHA addresses waste haul fleets’ primary tire concern by delivering more miles to removal than any previously offered Goodyear waste haul tire and retread. This is achieved thanks to the combination of a new, scrub-resistant tread compound and a deep, 24/32-inch tread depth tire, with a matching 26/32-inch depth retread.

As an option for fleets that want puncture resistance, Goodyear offers the Endurance WHA with its exclusive DuraSeal Technology, which instantly seals nail-hole punctures of up to ¼-inch in diameter in the repairable tread area. Goodyear is the only tire company that offers a built-in sealant that lasts the life of the casing, which is of considerable benefit to waste haul trucks that roll across debris-strewn surfaces.

The Endurance WHA tire also features four wide, circumferential grooves for all-season traction on wet, dry and snow-covered roads in stop/start applications; a wide footprint to enhance cornering and handling on local streets; sidewall protector shingles to help resist curb scuffing; a steel belt and casing package for enhanced toughness and retreadability; and an optimized shoulder design to help direct pressure away from the tire’s outer tread, which helps promote uniform tread wear.

Waste360: How have waste haulers responded to the design? 

Brian Buckham: Waste haul fleets have responded very enthusiastically to the Endurance WHA and its matching retread as they continue to experience these products’ cost-reducing performance benefits.

Waste360: Tires are a major expense for sanitation fleets. The constant stop and go along solid waste routes in all types of weather, then switching to dump at transfer stations and landfills, causes tires to wear fairly quickly. What advantage does your waste-haul tire have over competition?

Brian Buckham: While we can’t comment on our competitors’ waste haul products, we can confidently say the Endurance WHA is Goodyear’s longest-lasting waste haul tire and retread, and delivers more miles to removal than any previously offered Goodyear waste haul product. And no other tire company offers a built-in tire sealant like Goodyear DuraSeal Technology.

Tires and retreads, of course, are just one part of Goodyear’s Total Solution for fleets. Goodyear’s Total Solution also offers a nationwide network of more than 2,300 tire service locations, including Goodyear Authorized Retreader locations that can help waste haul fleets get the most out of their tire casings. In addition, Goodyear’s Total Solution includes reliable services, such as 24/7 Goodyear-Fleet HQ Emergency Roadside Service, which has helped more than 1.1 million trucks of all shapes, sizes and vocations return to service; and the Goodyear Tire Trac online tire management system, which lets waste haul fleets monitor tire and retread installations, tire performance, inflation history and other tire and retread related metrics. 

Waste360: Talk about Goodyear’s DuraSeal Technology, how it works and what it means for the industry – both waste-haul tire industry and sanitation industry?

Brian Buckham: A Goodyear exclusive, DuraSeal Technology consists of a gel-like substance that is built into a tire’s casing at the time of manufacture, and instantly seals nail-hole punctures of up to ¼-inch in diameter in the repairable area of a tire’s tread. Goodyear DuraSeal Technology can prevent waste haul and other tires from running under-inflated as the result of a puncture, which contributes to premature wear and other problems, like rapid fuel consumption and irregular wear patterns.

And Goodyear DuraSeal Technology’s unmistakable yellow color provides an advantage during the retreading process, since it makes punctures more visible to the technician’s eye during the casing inspection stage. In addition, thanks to its gel-like composition, Goodyear DuraSeal Technology doesn’t have to be removed or re-applied when a casing is ready to be retreaded, which saves time and money. Because it lasts through the life of the casing, Goodyear DuraSeal Technology can help improve a fleet’s uptime over the life of the casing. 

Waste360: What about retreads?

Brian Buckham: Waste haul fleets are major users of retreads, and depend on retreading to help them extend the life of their tire casings, maximizing the ROI of the tire. In fact, some waste haul fleets will retread their Goodyear casings up to four or five times, as long as the casings pass their inspection criteria. Premium retreads always begin with premium casings, and Goodyear waste haul casings have been designed for optimal retreadability through multiple lifecycles. Meanwhile, the Endurance WHA’s retread has been designed to mirror the Endurance WHA tire in terms of wear, traction and fuel efficiency, delivering like-new performance at a lower overall cost. 

Waste360: Who are your customers?

Brian Buckham: We sell to and serve a wide range of waste haul fleets, from privately and publicly owned haulers to municipalities. 

Waste360: What plans do you have for Waste Expo this year? 

Brian Buckham: We’re excited about bringing the Goodyear Total Solution to this year’s Waste Expo show, including our Endurance WHA tire and the Endurance WHA retread. We encourage Waste Expo attendees to discover how the Goodyear Total Solution can help them lower their operating costs by using the special Goodyear Total Solution interactive kiosk inside our booth (#1961).  Attendees who visit our booth and complete a free Goodyear Total Solution Finder/kiosk profile will be eligible to enter a drawing to win a ride on the Goodyear blimp. (Drawing will be held at a later date.)