Labor of Love's: Firm becomes retreader

Love's is pitching its retread program as the "most inspected retread on the road," a reference to its investment in quality, from proper training of its casings inspectors to its use of electronic liner inspections, laser shearography and X-ray inspection of all casings, thermal cure repair procedures and 100-percent post-cure inflation testing. Love's offers a warranty on the casing and retread for the life of the retread.

This attention to quality was essential to overcoming many fleets' resistance to buying retreads from an over-the-road vendor, Mr. Jensen said.

To effect its retread program, Love's set up a separate company, Love's Truck Solutions L.L.C. (LTS), and hired Steve Phillips, a longtime Oliver Rubber executive, to oversee the business, Mr. Jensen said.

The four LTS plants are located within tire distribution centers in Forest Park, Ga.; Grand Prairie, Texas; Kingman, Ariz.; and Plainfield, Ind., Mr. Jensen said, locations that are within 500 miles of nearly all of the company's Truck Tire Care centers.

These locations are roughly 10,000 square feet each, with retreading occupying about 25 percent of the floor space. Each plant is rated at 400 tires a day with two shifts, although they're not running at capacity yet.

Love's did not disclose its investment in setting up the plants.

Mr. Jensen said Love's considered several of the leading retread systems before settling on Oliver as the most flexible for its needs.

Helping to make the program effective and efficient is having effective distribution, Mr. Jensen said, something Love's can accomplish through Gemini Trucking, the company's captive trucking subsidiary. Gemini has 25 tractors and 50 trailers dedicated to tire and retread distribution and casing collection.

Love's Travel Stops opened its first Truck Tire Care centers in 2007-08, signaling its intention to make tires and related service an integral part of its stores' business model. Two years ago, it added a comprehensive tire monitoring service called "Tire Pass" that it installed at more than 200 of its locations.

The company offers Aeolus, BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Firestone, Goodyear, Michelin and Yokohama new tires in addition to the Oliver retreads. Love's advertises "Grade A" retreads on its website for $229.99 to $259.99 depending on size and tread style, and "Grade B" retreads for $199.99 to $219.99.

Mr. Jensen said Love's is using the retread program to phase out sales of used tires throughout the network, stressing to those customers who have bought used tires in the past that the retreads are a superior quality product that will deliver more performance for nearly the same up-front cost.

The casing warranty is critical in this aspect, Mr. Jensen said, who noted the company already has converted roughly three-fourths of its used tire business to retreads.

Regarding the oil change initiative, Love's disclosed at GATS that it expects to have diesel oil changes available at the majority of its 270-plus Love's Truck Tire Care facilities by the beginning of 2018.

The oil change program is an extension of Love's decision in 2016 to start performing light mechanical work, such as wheel-end repairs, suspension repairs, air conditioning systems, exhaust systems and more, at the Love's locations with a tire care center.

"Routine maintenance is vital for our customers," Mr. Jensen said. "Our customers have been pleased with the tire and light mechanical services we've offered, and they've asked for more.