AKRON, OHIO - A recent blog post by Bob Ulrich, editor of Modern Tire Dealer, discusses the importance of keeping an eye on truck tires when temperatures start to rise. 

B.O.B. Blog post below: 

I was thumbing through the "Ohio Commercial Driver License Handbook" recently and came across an interesting item about driving in very hot weather.

Unless you live in a freezer, you know about the deadly heat wave canvassing our country. The Ohio truck driver handbook addresses that. Here's what it has to say about inspecting tires prior to and during a road trip when the heat is high.

"Check the tire mounting and air pressure. Inspect the tires every two hours or every 100 miles when driving in very hot weather. Air pressure increases with temperature.

"Do not let air out or the pressure will be too low when the tires cool off. If a tire is too hot to touch, remain stopped until the tire cools off. Otherwise, the tire may blow out or catch fire."

(To a lesser extent, the same advice might apply to light vehicle owners driving in this heat. Thoughts?)

In addition to emphasizing the importance of proper tire pressure, the handbook lists other problems to look for when inspecting tires prior to any trip. They include:

* bad wear. "You need at least 4/32-inch tread depth in every major groove on the front tires. You need need 2/32-inch on other tires."

* dual tires that come in contact with each other (hurray for wide-base tires! -- ed.) or parts of the vehicle.

* mismatched sizes or tire construction (radial vs. bias).

* cut or cracked valve stems.

* "regrooved, recapped or retreaded tires on the front wheels of a bus. These are prohibited."

How do you check truck tire pressure? The handbook says either a) use a tire gauge or b) "strike the tire with a mallet or similar device." For tanker truck drivers, however, "the only acceptable way to check tire pressure is to use a tire pressure gauge."

What do you have to say about the "Ohio Commercial Driver License Handbook"?