Winter is Coming: Importance of Proper School Bus Tire Choices

Winter is coming, and winters seem to be getting harder with each passing year. Even areas which previously didn't get harsh winters seem to be seeing more snow and ice than they used to.

Good transportation management means staying on top of these issues, so it's more important than ever to properly winterize your buses. One of the best places to start are the tires!

Why Your Buses Need New Tires in The Winter

For any vehicle on the road, winter is typically the most dangerous time to drive. This is particularly true of school buses, which are large, heavy, and filled with the most precious cargo of all. If a bus loses traction on an icy road, the results could be catastrophic.

Installing proper winter tires on buses can do a lot to reduce the odds of a slippery accident. They have two major advantages over other types of tires.

1 - Better traction

Winter tires are designed with extra deep and grippy treads, which increase the tires' surface area as they try to keep contact with the road. Not to mention, there's a good chance your regular tires have started to go a bit bald after a year's worth of usage. Installing tires with better treads will significantly improve their performance on ice.

Better traction can also reduce fuel waste in the winter, too!

2 - Cold-friendly construction

Winter tires are made with a softer kind of rubber, which is better able to stand up against cold weather. Other types of tires - especially tires intended for summer use - will be in danger of hardening in the cold, which will reduce traction. In particularly cold weather, other types of tires may even be in danger of cracking, which would destroy them.

Just remember to swap out your cold-weather tires for summer or all-season tires once it thaws. Winter tires are so soft that they can literally melt in hot weather.

In short, winter tires are an affordable option which will greatly improve safety during winter driving, and potentially even improve your fuel efficiency a bit.

Other Important Ways to Winterize Your Fleet

Beyond making sure your tires are ready, there are a few other ways a transportation management office can help improve bus performance in the winter.

• Replace the wiper fluid and wipers. Make sure all your buses have cold-weather wiper fluid which won't freeze if sprayed. Go ahead and replace the wipers too, just to be safe. Wipers are cheap.
• Verify the A/C system. Even if your bus doesn't have in-cab climate control, the air blowers and heater need to be functioning properly to de-fog/de-ice the windshield.
• Test your brakes. A school bus needs good brakes year-round, of course, but it's especially important in the winter. Give all your buses' brakes a thorough test, and fix any abnormalities before snow starts falling. In particularly cold areas, you may also want to replace the brake fluid with no-freeze formulations.
• Keep your gas tanks half-full. If you're still running your bus fleet on gasoline, be aware that it can freeze in sufficiently cold temperatures. If the tanks are always at least half full, the gas will be much less likely to freeze overnight.

Need more help keeping your bus routes safe and efficient? BusBoss is here for you! Our combination of technology and consulting services can improve operations in any transportation management office.

Contact us to learn more about our products and services.