WHAT DO FLATS & BLOWOUTS REALLY COST

Assume that you are one or more of the following:
  1. Paid by the mile
  2. A company driver
  3. An independent owner/operator with 1 or more rigs
  4. A sleeper team running around the clock
  5. A union member
  6. A CEO or CFO
  7. A company stock owner
AND,
  1. A blow-out occurs on the tractor, or more likely on a single, double or triple trailer.
  2. Average downtime is 2 hours.
  3. Estimate the dollar amounts you think the average or actual costs of a blow-out really is.

 1. Long distance phone charges.

 $ .??

 2. Driver(s) not driving, but waiting for tire to be fixed (@ $ .?? per hr.)

 $ .??

 3. Lost future driving time, never to be made-up.

 $ .??

 4. Replace/repair damaged equipt. (mudflap/electrical).

 $ .??

 5. Fuel used while idling.

 $ .??

 6. Truck/trailer value lost, which includes fixed and variable costs (interest, insurance, depreciation, etc.).

 $ .??

 7. Minimum value of tire before blowout.

 $ .??

 8. Tire bank accrual chrgs. (restocking, shipping, handling & purchase).

 $ .??

 9. Minimum service call chgs.

 $ .??

 10. Minimum value of replacement tire.

 $ .??

 11. Labor scheduling problems (dock, yard, P&D, Linehaul).

 $ .??

 12. Customer Satisfaction.

 $ .??

 13. Lost/impaired quality driver home time.

 $ .??

 14. Value of company image alongside hwy brokedown.

 $ .??

 15. Value of the driver's professional driving image.

 $ .??

What do you think MINIMAL COSTS really are?...............$ .??

Actual Roadside Costs Average from...........$ 200 to over $1000.00 per incident.

Currently, state & federal regulators are cracking down on Log Book violations, especially with the trend to log electronically via satellite. Therefore, how does a driver correctly log this downtime fixing a damaged tire, without affecting duty status?

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Created: 06/10/98
Last Rev.: 09/25/2000