Tires are your only contact with the road. Everything else your vehicle does — braking, steering, accelerating — depends entirely on four rubber contact patches about the size of your hand. A five-minute tire check before your shift is not optional maintenance. It's the kind of thing that keeps drivers alive.
Check Pressure Before Every Shift in Cold Weather
Tire pressure drops roughly 1 PSI for every 10°F decrease in temperature. February means cold nights — a tire that was at spec last Tuesday might be under-inflated this Monday morning.
The right pressure is printed on a sticker inside your driver-side door jam. This is the recommended operating pressure, not the maximum pressure stamped on the tire sidewall. Use a simple pressure gauge (under $10 at any hardware store) and add air until all four tires hit the door jam spec.
Under-inflated tires are wider on the contact patch but hotter and less responsive. They also wear the outer edges faster, meaning you'll be replacing tires sooner. Over-inflated tires give you a harder, bouncier ride and wear the center faster — and in icy conditions, reduced contact is dangerous.
Check Tread Depth: The Coin Test
Tread wears down over time, and once it's gone, wet and icy roads become significantly more dangerous. The quick test: stick a penny into the tire tread with Lincoln's head pointing down. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, the tread is dangerously low — that tire needs replacing.
For winter conditions specifically, the quarter test is a safer standard: if you can see the top of Washington's head on a quarter, your tire is approaching the point where winter traction is compromised.
Visual Checks: What You're Looking For
Walk around all four tires and look for:
- Bulges or bubbles on the sidewall — these are stress failures that can blow without warning. A bulged tire is a ticking clock.
- Cuts or gashes in the sidewall or tread — assess depth. Shallow cosmetic scuffs are fine; anything exposing cord material is not.
- Uneven wear — one side worn more than the other indicates alignment or suspension issues. Drives fine for now; becomes a problem fast.
Check your spare too. A spare that's flat when you need it is worse than no spare.
What to Do If You Find a Problem
Flag it before departure. Don't assume a slightly soft tire will hold for an eight-hour route. A slow leak that costs 10 PSI per hour leaves you on a flat tire by noon. Note the issue in writing, inform dispatch, and do not depart in a vehicle you have safety concerns about.
JWA Logistics expects drivers to catch mechanical issues before they become roadside emergencies. Flagging a tire concern at the depot is a five-minute fix. Flagging it from the side of a highway takes two hours minimum.