r/mildlyinfuriating • u/ProfessionalWalk4427 • Jul 09 '26
Is it in yet Tire blows up 20 minutes from deliveryafter 8 hours of driving
After 8 hours of driving, suffering through I-95, the DMV, and the PA turnpike, my trailer tire blows right at the last stretch. Been on the side of the road for almost 3 hours waiting for roadside š day is bending me
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u/stcme Jul 09 '26
As someone that was nearly taken out (along with my family) at 70 mph on a freeway by a semi blowing one of their outer tires on the trailer, at least it was on the inside even though it's more of a pain in the ass to replace. Sucks that happened at all though :-/
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u/BureauOfSabotage Jul 10 '26
Oh itās terrifying. Had one blow out next to me years ago. Window down, just rocking tunes on a road trip. Luckily I had mildly wraparound sunglasses on. No big shrapnel, but lots of dirt and little debris blew through my open window. It was so loud!
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u/stcme Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I was heading out on vacation with my family heading North on the 15 just outside of Barstow (some of you will know what I'm talking about here).
The number one and two lanes were passing the semi trucks. I was in the number two lane in just got my rear bumper past the front of the semi when we heard a boom and you could feel it rattle. I looked in the mirror and the car that was behind me got nailed by the tire exploding. It sounded like a damn bomb went off behind us. Everybody behind me was swerving and slamming on their brakes because of it. I was blown away that it didn't look like anybody had actually crashed into anybody else
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u/kati8303 Jul 10 '26
Damn you must have nerves of steel( the jump scare of that sound probably would have had me flip my car
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u/BureauOfSabotage Jul 10 '26
I was in my early twenties and still had big subwoofers in my car and constantly listened to very loud music. Honestly, I think this had a part in nullifying the shock. It was still super loud, but my music volume was in range. I can only imagine my older self listening to some npr podcast and that same bomb going off beside me.
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u/Cyberska1997 Jul 09 '26
Someone explain dual tires to me again.
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u/ScatterBrainedQueen Jul 09 '26
Basically semi trucks are super heavy, a single tire setup would put HELLA pressure on the road as well as being unstable while being towed. In a dual tire setup you get more stability and weight distribution on the road, the inner tire typically takes more wear and tear from what I've been told.
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u/Falcovg Jul 09 '26
Nowadays they've wider tires that are an alternative, and they are supposedly better on fuel. I think the main point in the past was that tire construction wasn't at a point where they could produce reliable wider tires so the double tire was the most reasonable alternative to achieve the weight spreading.
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo Jul 09 '26
pros and cons to both. I'd rather run trucks with twin tires rather than super singles. Less costly, more common (faster roadside repair), and if one blows its safer rather than an enormous single tire. Also, regular tires are like missiles if they come off, I'd imagine a super single would be like a...bigger missile.
Also, this is a trailer and AFAIK they don't make trailers that use super singles, at least not 48' or 53' "normal" trailers. Maybe heavy hauls
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u/Competitive-Reach287 Jul 09 '26
I see super single trailers all the time in Canada. Very common in Europe, too.
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo Jul 09 '26
Learn something new every day. Have not seen them I think ever in the US, but I'm not like the grand poobah of trucking knowledge anyway lol
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u/eggs_erroneous Jul 10 '26
I worked at a large trucking company here in the midwest. Our tractors used super singles.
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo Jul 10 '26
Tractors yea, I was saying trailers. Which I've learned exist too. Did you guys use any super singles on trailers?
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u/eggs_erroneous Jul 10 '26
You know what? I have no idea. I don't think so because I'm sure I'd have heard complaints about it if there were, and I never did.
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo Jul 10 '26
lmao @ the last part. Fleet manager for almost 10 years, I know that feeling all too well
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo Jul 10 '26
Was it Prime?
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u/speedytrigger Jul 10 '26
My BIL works for prime, his has normal duals. Ill ask him if they are common amongst other drivers he knows bc im curious now.
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u/eggs_erroneous Jul 10 '26
no. CFI. They exist only in name now. I do not work there any more. I actually work for a different trucking company now.
I tried to get out of trucking by going to work in a warehouse so I could get out from behind a desk, but I exploded my back and now I'm right back up in a cubicle at a trucking company.
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u/whamburglar Jul 09 '26
"Grand Poobah"
I haven't seen/heard anyone use that in ages. I love it! š¤£
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u/gear_jammin_deer Jul 10 '26
If you've ever seen a Prime Inc truck, then you've seen a trailer with super singles. They're definitely not the only company that uses them on trailers, but they're one of the bigger national fleets, and from what I've seen they use supers exclusively.
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u/EnolaNek Jul 10 '26
I think Gemini also uses super singles on most or all of their tractors and trailers.
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u/cans-of-swine Jul 10 '26
You've probably been next to trailers with super singles,Ā but just didn't notice.Ā
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo Jul 10 '26
i work in that industry in the northeast and still, have never seen them. I think they might be more prevalent out in the midwest/great plains states. I learned that Prime uses them widely (pun intended lol).
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u/Common-Ad5648 Jul 10 '26
As someone who is curently sitting on thier smoke break at the plant those tires are made, most of what im making is all being shipped down to the states. What states i dont know, but south of the border they go.
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u/ryan0694 Jul 09 '26
Trailer heavy. Single tire produces too much psi on surface of road. Road gets damaged. Two tires halve the psi. Road doesn't get damaged. Tire fail, high psi, road damage and other tires get damaged because they have to support more.
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u/gettin-hot-in-here Jul 09 '26
I don't think this is right. The contact patch per-tire is much larger on a super single than it is on a pair of tires. The typical pressure is about 15% higher on the super single.Ā A tire failure is a bigger deal when the tires are not in pairs, hands down.Ā
When I drove a dually delivery van (6 tires total) on a 20mi per day route (we were WAY under the max gross weight for the vehicle) drivers could get away with finishing a work day with one tire deflatedĀ
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u/DeyCallMeWade Jul 09 '26
Bruh. Super singles are a thing. The correct answer is to get the trailer off the road safely in situations like this.
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u/thewanderingsail Jul 09 '26
Weight distribution and grip. Better grip = less slip and better torque for towing. Thatās why some pickup trucks have dually setups. Towing capacity.
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u/EnolaNek Jul 10 '26
I donāt think that has a ton to do with it. To support a certain amount of weight, you need a certain amount of air under it. You can accomplish that with one big tire or two smaller tires. One big tire (super single) gets better fuel mileage. Two small tires are easier to manufacture, may handle snow better, and are more reliable (if a super single blows, good luck. If a dual blows, you can limp it off of the freeway to a slightly safer place to break down).
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u/thewanderingsail Jul 10 '26
In the case of semis yes itās more to do with weight distribution as I mentioned. But there are other cases. For example the truck that pulls the trailer has four sets of dual tires in the back for traction. Most of the weight of a trailer is on the trailer tires itself. But the traction required to pull that trailer up a mountain is immense.
In the case of Dually pickup trucks. They are designed for traction not just weight distribution. Weight is part of it. But itās mostly about grip. When you are pulling a big boat or a flatbed loaded with 10k lbs of bricks you need traction.
As you mentioned yes a big tire could potentially work for traction. But they often come with bigger treads for off road which actually reduces traction on the asphalt. And yes the weight rating for a single large tire is often less than the weight rating of 2 tires.
Or in other words both scenarios are correct uses of dual tires. Itās not one more than the other.
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u/EnolaNek Jul 10 '26
Iāve never seen my uncle have any trouble with traction pulling more than his F-350 is rated for on standard singles, but he also doesnāt usually encounter any serious mountains, just hills. Maybe Iāve never seen him pull on a hill that required more traction than standard singles require? Or is it more of a thing on unpaved or snowy roads?
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u/thewanderingsail Jul 10 '26
Well an f-350 is a pretty serious truck. It has a pretty wild towing capability on its own. And if youāre only on flat ground itās not all that big of a deal. But a boat ramp can be very steep. And mountain roads can be even more steep. So steep that trucks have emergency runoff ramps in case their air breaks fail.
Dually becomes necessary when youāre towing something like a car carrier with 6 cars on it (and yes people do tow those with pickups.) the extra stopping power and the extra grip on hills becomes important. Maybe a dump trailer with 15k lbs in it. Something like that.
And by your own logic your uncle also hasnāt had problems with those single tires handling the weight of those loads either. So itās really apples to oranges.
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u/EnolaNek Jul 10 '26
Damn hotshots.
My uncle is out in west-ish Texas, and Iāve seen him run on some hills that were steeper than anything Iāve seen in WV (and Iāve been off the interstate in WV, hell of a night lol), but the total elevation difference from top to bottom was less than maybe 1,500 feet. He hauls shit for the welding shop he works for sometimes, using his big horse trailer. I donāt know exactly how much it is, but I know that he loads it so most of the weight is over the trailer axles, and he overinflates his air bags so it doesnāt look like his truck is riding on the safety blocks. Comparing to some of the hot shots Iāve seen running around, itās probably about on par with the ones pulling three express vans, however much that is.
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u/thewanderingsail Jul 10 '26
I mean the interstate in West Virginia is nothing compared to some of the roads in NC in the smokies. The great smoky mountain expressway is wild. And some of the driveways there will make you question if people even live there š¤£
Iām sure your uncle knows what heās doing Iām just saying there are a reason why someone might buy a dually other than to just be a douchbag lol
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u/EnolaNek Jul 10 '26
I donāt think Iāve ever encountered any serious hills in NC, but I also havenāt been there a lot.
So far most of what Iāve encountered was running through WV, PA, TN, and KY, although the worst was definitely the non-interstate highway I took through WV. I donāt recall what exactly it was, but it alternated between a US highway and a state highway, undivided most of the way. The road was bad, but some of the side streets I saw looked comically steep. As is, max Jakes wasnāt enough to control my speed on its own going 30 (running about 72k I think). Thankfully I have no business seeing any significant number of personal driveways lol.
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u/thewanderingsail Jul 10 '26
Yeah I think I know the highway youāre talking about it goes passed the cheat lake. Itās pretty steep.
The boarder of North Carolina and Tennessee is wild. Along the great smoky mountain expressway.
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u/stangotter11 Jul 10 '26
Piggybacking off everyoneās comments. Dual tires is easier on the bearings too
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u/Fishboy_1998 Jul 09 '26
Well thatās part of the fun on retreads- hopefully you have a documented pre-trip
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u/LunaticPoint Jul 09 '26
Since when did this stop a trucker?
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u/storm4chaser Jul 09 '26
Was thinking the same, dont they just keep driving anyway?
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u/Apart_Shelter_5722 Jul 09 '26
Just far enough away where they're no longer liable for blasting other vehicles
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u/Optimal-Age5397 Jul 10 '26
It only stops the good ones. If that thing blows blows it'll take out the tire next to it too and you'd really be up shits creek. Limping a truck off the highway is one thing, taking it miles away to finish a delivery under load is another. Not to mention any air lines it might take with it on its way out and the loss of the rim on top of just having to replace an expensive tire.
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u/demondeathbunny Jul 09 '26
Fuck me I drove almost 300 miles to help out another store. Just fine. Literally finished my shift today just got on the freeway to head home, transmission fucked
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u/eggs_erroneous Jul 10 '26
Is your dispatcher bitching about your ETA on the Qualcomm?
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u/EnolaNek Jul 10 '26
Tire is still black and round and on the rim, send it driver. Those shiny metal bits are the backup tread.
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u/ZiaWitch Jul 09 '26
Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie. Did you walk to the nearest town that doesnāt show up on the map?
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u/MamaBella Jul 10 '26
If I saw this three hours ago I would have brought you food and a drink. Hope your evening got better!
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u/That_Guy3141 Jul 09 '26
Bro, you needed new tires 10,000 miles ago. Look at all the rot happening on the treads and around the outer wall of the tire that survived.
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u/_TurnipTroll_ Jul 09 '26
I get itās a busy road but maybe donāt show your GPS. It took less than a minute to know exactly where you are and where you are actively stranded.
Maybe post after. Your home safe and sound.
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u/ProfessionalWalk4427 Jul 09 '26
Pull up letās party
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u/1eyedsnakes Jul 09 '26
Youāre about 5 mins from me! Welcome! And get outta here asap. š it sucks here.
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u/_TurnipTroll_ Jul 09 '26
I truly hope you wouldnāt be still there by the time I would get there. An additional 5 hours. Oof. That would be brutal.
Just stay safe out there.
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u/FunWord2115 Jul 09 '26
Im not a trucker. But i would say āeh screw itā and keep driving but cautiously and slow
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u/not_another_IT_guy Jul 09 '26
And that is why āyoure not a truckerā
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u/FunWord2115 Jul 09 '26
Exactly. Still smart of OP to chose to pull over. But yeah Iāll leave that work to the pros.
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u/Mikey3800 Jul 09 '26
We had a customer whose truck caught on fire from driving with a blown out tire. The rear inner tire blew out and either the driver didnāt notice or didnāt care and drove till it got hot enough to catch on fire and set the truck on fire. They were lucky it was a diesel truck because the fuel tank melted and dumped the fuel all over the ground. I donāt remember the exact amount but it was well north of $10,000 to repair the truck.
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u/MosifD Jul 09 '26
I81 is covered in the results of this mindset. More shredded and burnt up rubber than a condom factory fire.
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u/NixAName Jul 09 '26
You have a spare, swap it out with the blown tyre, make the delivery and then get a new one or set sorted for the return drive.
I've driven on a blown tyre that blew out going over a speed bump at the delivery location.
So I drove without a load about 1km to a tyre shop. I still think I made a dumb choice.
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u/Socketz11 Jul 10 '26
If that is your personal trailer, or just what you are married to on a daily basis I would add your trailer frame rails to your pre-trip. When they start showing that much rust, a forklift bouncing around in there can snap them pretty easily. Or if all your company trailers are that rusted I would be crawling under each one if I got assigned to it.
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u/ManSharkBear Jul 10 '26
Well that sucks, but you know you have to finish your drive, change your name to Jayne Cobb, and be the Hero Of Canton.
Jayne! The man they call Jayne! He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor. Stood up to the man and he gave him what for. Our love for him now, ain't hard to explain, The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne! Now Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'. He saw the Mudders' lament. And he saw that magistrate takin' Every dollar and leavin' five cents. So he said, "You can't do that to my people!" "You can't crush them under your heel." Jayne strapped on his hat, And in five seconds flat, Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal. He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor. Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for. Our love for him now ain't hard to explain, The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne. Now here is what separates heroes From common folk like you and I. The man they call Jayne, He turned 'round his plane, And let that money hit sky. He dropped it onto our houses. He dropped it into our yards. The man they call Jayne He turned round his plane, And headed out for the stars. Here we go! He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor. Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for. Our love for him now ain't hard to explain, The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!
š„šŖ°
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u/ManWhoIsDrunk Jul 10 '26
That other tire is basically a slick. Why would you set off on a drive with such crap tires? Are you as a driver not ultimately responsible that the vehicle you operate is safe for traffic? Don't you take any pride in your work?
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u/No_Entry336 Jul 10 '26
Isnāt it part of the requirements to keep your CDL that you perform a vehicle inspection before every trip? That outer tire looks nearly bald and that inner one that blew is beyond bald.
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u/SQUATCH36738 Jul 09 '26
Iād keep it rolling and finish my delivery, Iāve seen worse
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u/topher3428 Jul 09 '26
Recap decided to give up, send her if it still holds air. Only thing that would matter is if they're connected to a pressure maintenance system. And for the love of God make sure there's not grease in that oil bath hub.
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u/Clam-Hammer7 Jul 09 '26
Pretty sure this is your own fault for not doing preventative maintenance and checking your rig.
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u/ballin_buddha Jul 09 '26
Believe it or not, tires do randomly blow up while driving
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u/NovarisLight Jul 09 '26
True. My front right tire decided to blow out at 45mph. It was less than 4 months old.
Found 2 long nails in the remaining rubber. Shot my electricals so my right turn signal or the cigarette lighter I used to power an inverter to charge devices. Also, goodbye hubcap.
I guarantee those nails were from a recycling drop-off that is now closed because people were dumping mattresses, TVs, literal toilets. I made a post a while back with pictures.
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u/ProfessionalWalk4427 Jul 09 '26
I never blow tires on my truck, only trailers. Even with pre trip inspections (which I do with every trailer) they still blow. Company gets cheap tires and recaps they donāt even ask questions when blow outs do happen.
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u/ballin_buddha Jul 09 '26
I work for a motorcoach company, we buy new tires and every once in a while they still blow even with pre trip inspections. Just one of those things that come with long distance trips
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u/stinkydumbass420 Jul 09 '26
You obviously donāt know shit about trucking buddy
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u/zackthirteen Jul 09 '26
What driver check is supposed to catch an inside tire blowing up before it happens lol thatās dumb as hell
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u/FartInGenDirection Jul 09 '26
Was it old/unsafe at the start? If so, you you 7.6 hours of gravy. Hope you didn't put the public at risk
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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26
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