why do i sometimes see painted stripes on OTR trailer tires?

[DZink24]

i am sure some of you guys have seen trailers on the roads with a usually white, painted stripe on one or both rear outside duals. i have always wondered why this is? if any of you watched the show on History Channel, Ice Road Truckers, it was fairly common to see them there. i just find it weird, what is the reason for that? i can't even begin to guess.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

My guess would be like on airplanes and test vehicles... to see if the tires are rotating, or if they are locked up.

 

[ata]

On truck brakes there is no backing plate. The brake shoes and everything in there is open to the out side. Snow gets in there and melts (water) when you stop and set the brakes (parking brake) the shoes will freeze to the drums or the linkage will freeze up. In cold areas they mark the tires to see if they are turning. On slick pavement you can't tell if one or two sets of duels is sliding.

 

[RVTRKN]

To prevent an owner operator swapping his worn out tires from the tractor to the trailer.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Most times so the HARBOR W*o*es and RAIL RATS dont swipe them so easy.

 

[goodguys75]

seems like know one really knows the truth... . all different answers... . im sure break fluid will wash that stripe of that tire... and most trailer tires are in bad condition, from what i have seen... I would not want those on my tractor...

 

[BIGNASTY]

Have you taken a good look at the trucks that run the rail yards and harbor those are GREAT TIRES for them

 

[goodguys75]

I just know in the west coast, the trailers are junk, and the tractor that pulls them are nice..... unless the operator has his own trailer... . thats my observation... .

 

[BIGNASTY]

We must be talking about different trucks and trailers. The trailers are containers or pigs (rail transport trailers) the containers that come off of ships are loaded onto trailer chassis and hauled away by trucks. It use to be that ANY TRUCK could go into the port of LA and pick them up. Now with the Green Peace BOZO's they made it to where the truck has to be a GREEN TRUCK. To get around this they company that has the contract to pick up FROM THE PORT have some nice compliant trucks. They pick up the containers and haul them to their yard drop them and some POS truck takes them from there. I shouldn't say POS trucks because SOME of the cross country rigs are pretty nice. Look at the driver and you will SEE WHAT I MEEN. Same thing goes for the Pigs at the rail yards most of those are dedicated JB hunt or Schneider trucks they do a MASIVE amount of Rail transport or the company that had the railroad haul their trailers have dedicated trucks to pick them up and again drop them in their yard and someone else takes them from there. IT'S BEEN AWHILE but MOST of the trucks that ran containers were POS and shouldn't have been on the road. Its getting tougher to find trucks that are compliant with the regs THAT CALIF. has imposed and even harder to find an ENGLISH SPEAKING DRIVER to do the work within the port and rail yard. I may be wrong but the paint on the tires were to KEEP THE THEIVIN *******S that haul them from steeling them.

 

[kcv67]

The stripes are mostly for the winter time. When a driver stops overnight and there is snow and water in the brake drum it has a chance to freeze up or lock up. When you take off in the morning it is then easy to look in the mirrors to see if the tires and wheel are turning. I have seen trailers drug for a couple of miles before the tires pop. Next time you see a set of dual skid marks that go on forever check and see how many miles it took before the driver notices or the tires pop.



Casey

 

[mwilson]

I think theft from piggyback and container chassis trailers has diminished at least on the East Coast. They still run Dayton open center rims with tube type 10. 00-20 Bias ply tires or 11R22. 5 Bias ply so no one in their right mind would steal them as a rule.

Most modern power units are equipped with 11R22. 5 or 11R24. 5 radial rubber on Hub Piloted or Budd style wheels so thieving them would require a complete mount and dismount of tires stolen vs. tires replaced. Not to mention different rims for tube type vs. tubeless.

Also see many chassis with Dayton rims that have a sealed nut cover so that the wheel can't be removed easily.



I vote for frozen or non-rotating wheel assemblies. I'll elaborate more when I get home.



Mike.

 

[BIGNASTY]

If this or something like this is what you see THEN I STAND CORRECTED. The ones im talking about are the tire is painted a color. If its an on road truck with his own trailer I kind of doubt that they would paint on their tires. I asked about some plastic straps awhile back that went on the lug nuts that would do the same thing without the nasty paint on the tire idea. Gee this may date me but when I drove a driver could tell if he's dragging a wheel the trailer had a tendency to start to pull to one side if it did. But we also had drivers that came back to the fuel rack to get another load and had a 1000 GAL of fuel still on board and couldn't tell a difference. Strip of paint on the tire could be the HISPANIC version of this

http://www.thewheeldeal.info/

BIG

Quote from above

10. 00-20 Bias ply tires or 11R22. 5 Bias ply so no one in their right mind would steal them as a rule. MEXICO WILL STILL USE WHAT EVER THEY CAN STEAL NOT THAT FAR FROM MEX-A-FORNIA

WELL THAT JUST ABOUT SUMS UP MY EXPECTIONS OF CAN AND PIG HAULERS BTJMO

 

[NIsaacs]

Might as well toss in my two cents worth. I think the stripe is for someone to monitor time spent parked. They mark the tire and the pavement, if they come by, say, 24 hrs later and the marks match, it didn't move. Maybe someone such as DOT, or a pay to park, lot, or a Walmart parking lot cop

Nick

 

[BIGNASTY]

The company that I drove for even used these to help the impaired drivers (if you could call them drivers) its a wonder that I survived as long as I did without all the help of modern technology and just used common sense and eyesight and a feel of the truck. Tell me you cant tell in short order when something is wrong with your rig?





http://www.wheel-check.com/

 

[JR]

Ok you guys all have some pretty good ideas but let me fill you in on the real deal.

Truckers get tired of honkin their horns for bored little kids in the back seats of minivans giving them the "imaginary air horn tug". So they paint a stripe on the trailer tire for the kids to notice which keeps them preoccupied until theyve already passed the driver, there by saving him from having to blow his dam horn for the ten millionth time.

Make sense?

If yall believe in that one I got a bridge ill sell ya real cheap!:-laf

 

[BIGNASTY]

Ok you guys all have some pretty good ideas but let me fill you in on the real deal.

Truckers get tired of honkin their horns for bored little kids in the back seats of minivans giving them the "imaginary air horn tug". So they paint a stripe on the trailer tire for the kids to notice which keeps them preoccupied until theyve already passed the driver, there by saving him from having to blow his dam horn for the ten millionth time.

Make sense?

If yall believe in that one I got a bridge ill sell ya real cheap!:-laf

I would ONLY HONK THE AIR HORN if the Mom gave me a show

Not many cars went by that I didn't have an eye on as far back as my rear bumper, most use part of my lane and some of theirs and we dont even have to talk about old retired farts pulling some trailer that is wider than their truck and think your honking just to Pi** them off when the trailer tires are in MY LANE

 

[JR]

Aww cmon BIG say it aint so tell me you didnt break them poor kids hearts everyday

 

[BIGNASTY]

I dont know what planet you live on but most of the little Pri*ks would rather throw I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER at ya than look at ya most of the time. Let me tell ya why I have a NASTY disposition toward other PEOPLE ON MY!!!!! ROAD. Try driving a gas truck in Calif and it being the 4th of July a car load of A Holes drives up next to you and strikes a road flare WHAT WOULD YOU DO??? Thank GOD I was empty when it happened to me I ran them to the fast lane and smashed them between the K-rail and my truck(actually the company truck) same answer when someone stuck a gun out the passenger side window. I have no problem with sharing the road as long as they act like humans if they want to be A Holes your reading what the KING of A HOLES did

 

[JR]

Well ive never been to planet kilifornia sounds like im not missin much. Mostly just country folk out here unless i happen to stray up towards the city almost 2 hours away which doesnt happen more than once or twice a year

 

[BIGNASTY]

Mike



It took me awhile but I thought I seen those boys near you that have their TV TRUCKING SHOW ran some nasty old time wheels but they do run the others also. I like your answer better than mine but I do have enough experience with our south of the border *_&^()&&&%(()*&%^) friends ( aka compaws) to know that the WILL STEAL ANYTHING even if its WORTHLESS. I love them so much #ad