TIA to update earthmover tire service training

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is working on an update to its Earthmover Tire Service (ETS) training program next year to incorporate the changing needs of the OTR tire industry.

"When we first came up with this program back in 2008, we were pretty much teaching people who had experience, and I think now as that population ages, as we bring in this new generation of technicians, we need to have training that can meet their needs. And that's what our goal is," Kevin Rohlwing, TIA's chief technical officer, announced during the 2023 Off-the Road Tire Conference in Tucson, Feb. 22-25.

The training encompasses best practices in OTR tire and wheel service per TIA and the Klinge Group, helping techs to recognize hazards when dealing with large tires and how to protect themselves from those hazards.

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Most of the safety guidelines and procedures have not changed significantly since the 200-level Basic ETS training and certificate program launched in 2008, but the training needs of the tire and wheel service providers have changed as labor shortages and the average age of technicians increase, Rohlwing said.

The program originally was due to be updated in 2024 with a 2025 release, but TIA decided to ramp up production of the updated version and started filming videos last summer.

TIA plans to film additional footage in 2023 with full production in 2024.

"We're taking safety and training to another level," Rohlwing said.

The needs of the OTR tire and wheel service industry have changed and technicians need a more comprehensive training program that outlines safety procedures and guidelines for servicing OTR tires and rims on all types of service trucks, Rohlwing said.

"It's a different workforce. You have the YouTube generation out there that expects everything to be done automated with computers and technology. The old ways of doing things are exactly that, they're old. I think we need to adapt as an industry and make it easier. If you make it easier and we make it safer, we got a better chance of them doing it."

Roy Galyer, training manager for Klinge Holdings Pty. Ltd., added: "We have to make it as easy and as livable as we can for the next generation of tire guys coming into the industry because they aren't interested in getting dirty. … There's no reason we can't make it easier with better tooling, better training, more respect for the tire guys."

Rohlwing said the comprehensive training is the minimum level of training but its objective is to help technicians avoid guessing when approaching a tire service issue.

"Nobody wants to admit that they don't know what to do. When they are in that situation, they're going to guess. When you guess, you get hurt. And I think that's one of the things that we're really trying to avoid here is that guessing by giving them those guidelines."

Rohlwing said the goal is to create a new standard for OTR tire, wheel and rim service training that reflects the majority of the fitments in service today.

"The industry has changed. The needs have changed, equipment's changed, wheels have changed, tires have changed and we can't take a 2008 program and apply it to what we got today.

"There's only one person who has all the information and that's the tech on the site. Nobody else has all the information, so we got to make that technician as prepared as possible, as educated as possible, so they're making better decisions," Rohlwing said.

The blueprint for the updated version includes:

• Demonstrate proper procedures for servicing 1-piece, 3-piece and 5-piece rim assemblies, vertical and loose, with a crane/sling and tire handler.

Jeff Faubion, TIA's compliance specialist, noted that the training covers various vehicles and equipment which require different skill sets.

• Increased emphasis on lifting and cribbing with different types of material.

Composite cribbing has to be assembled in a certain way to distribute the weight of the vehicle it is supporting.

• Removing, installing, adjusting and repair of tire chains.

Faubion said that the industry is seeing an increased use of tire chains that extend the life of the tires. For the chains to do their job, they have to be installed properly on the tire, which is a labor-intensive job.

"We would be remiss if we didn't put it in there, because some guys are going to come across it," added Galyer.

• OTR tire service after dark.

Rohlwing said the training is offered for the farm tire program and TIA is adding this training to the earthmover program as a lot of tire service happens at night.

Faubion noted that oftentimes the tech is called to a mining or construction site after dark, when the customer has left and he is working by himself.

"You have to do everything step-by-step to make sure everybody goes home safely at the end of every day. If these guys are taking shortcuts at night, they don't know what they're doing. They don't know how to do things right. It's a huge danger when they are working out there by themselves at anytime, but at night it's even more of an issue," he said.

Galyer stressed that managers should establish check-in times for the tech to report on the progress of the on-site job. He said it shouldn't be the tech's spouse who sets off alarm bells when the tech hasn't returned home after a job.

The training videos try to show procedures in a real-world setting, Rohlwing said.

Several tire and equipment suppliers are offering equipment and expertise to the training videos, Rohlwing said, including Stellar Industries which is providing service trucks, Fuller Bros., AME International, Goodyear, Bridgestone Americas Inc. and Southern Tire Mart.