Taking preventive measures to ensure the health of your truck tires can help increase their lifespan and also prevent you from facing any unnecessary hiccups on long trips when you need your cargo to reach at a certain time. Well-maintained tires can survive perfectly on black ice and heavy snow. Most importantly, well-maintained tires ensure your safety on winter roads. So, here are some essential and important tire safety tips for winter that will keep your truck tires performing their best this winter season.

Check for irregular wearing out
Constant exposure to freezing weather conditions can lead to your truck tires wearing out in an irregular pattern. Cracks may develop in the sidewall of your tire. Or, a bulge may appear, which can be a sign of structural damage. These issues can occur due to the poor condition of the roads your truck travels on. Any of these issues need to be taken seriously while driving on slippery winter roads. Conduct regular checks on your tires to ensure they are always in great shape. Any kind of visible damage should be shown to a tire shop and inspected for a tire change on your truck.

Ensure proper alignment
Debris and snow can get into your tire and eventually impact its alignment. Bad alignment can truly impact your ability to control your truck successfully. Prior to checking the alignment, do make sure to clean your truck tires of any snow or debris stuck to them. Post this, notice if your vehicle seems to be pulling towards a particular direction. This is a clear indication of alignment issues. Get proper wheel alignment done by a professional to ensure safe driving on wet and slushy roads.

Fit traction devices
Sometimes you need a little extra help to maintain traction on the roads. Examples of these traction devices include snow chains. You can get snow chains for trucks that can be fitted to your tire’s exact size. When fitting chains, ensure that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the correct use on your truck. Additionally, make sure to inquire about the local regulations regarding chains in the area you drive in. Some areas make tire chains compulsory while other areas have banned the use of chains as they may have adverse effects on the roads. Just remember that failing to follow these rules can set you back by fines that could range between $50 and $500.

Draft a maintenance checklist
It can be difficult to keep in mind the many aspects of proper truck tire care while you are on the road. The best thing that you can do is to draft a list of important tire safety tips for winter and keep it handy with you. You can make it a habit to check off the items on the list before heading out. Apart from the other tips mentioned in this article, things that should make it to your checklist include checking tire pressure, inspecting the tire tread, and rotating truck tires every 6,000 miles.