chuck4788
West of the Middle
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WalMart, the company with a reputation of extreme penny pinching to cut cost. Well today as I walked thru a Walmart parking lot on an errand for the DW I noticed the the wheels on a WalMart semi trailer. It had extension hoses from each dual going to a T fitting on the hub, looked like the leg of the T was attached to the hub cover. Air pressure controlled by a regulator from the trailer's air tank? I asked the driver and he said they were adding auto TP on all of the new trailers.
The tractor had Michelin XDN2s tires (M&S) on the drivers and Michelin XZA3s on the steer axle. Probably the most expensive tires to purchase so I wonder why Walmart is spending the money for Michelins unless there are other savings that justifies the price.
Chuck
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Jarlaxle
New England
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Joined: 11/18/2006
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I'd bet the drives & trailer tires are caps, probably capped more than once.
Then again, it might have been a newer tractor with its original tires...IIRC, Internationals and some Freightliners use Michelin.
John
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Hjudge49
St. Augustine, Fl.
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The "cheapest" stuff is often the most expensive. Walmart didn't get to be as big as they are by being stupid. They have a huge fleet of trucks and buy tires by the trainload. You can be sure that they get a very good price from the suppliers, and the few extra bucks per tire for a better grade tire is more than paid back in the lack of down time for repairs. My brother in law drives for Walmart, and I know his truck is well maintained, and that they all have governors to limit the speed and increase fuel mileage.
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BlackSilver
East of Heaven, North of Hell
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There's a lot more to "economical" beyond just "purchase price". Running a better grade of tire can be a cost savings due to less downtime, longer life, and other factors.
Hans, KØHB & Colleen, KØCKB
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MudChucker
Winnipeg Manitoba
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these sorts of things likley pay for them selves very very quickly when you consider the millions of miles driven buy all the wally world trucks....
2006 Springdale 292BHLS
2007 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT 6.0
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wny_pat
Western NYS
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It's called "National Account". No matter where you are in the United States or Canada, a Michelin Truck Tire Dealer (or Goodyear depending on the account), will come to fix (replace) your tires along side the road. All the big trucking companies have "National Accounts". And they do not pay anywhere near the list price for the tires. They pay the National Account reduced price. It's not just Walmart.
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Squealers
NW Arkansas
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WM does indeed purchase new non capped tires. They also run top of the line equipment that is constantly monitored, repaired and kept in excellent condition. Just because WM has the reputation of being incredibly frugal, it is correct that they are also intent on getting the best use items for their money.
Carpet on executive row is duct taped, executive offices are small, wood paneled and many are windowless. But they have the finest driver fleet in the nation.
I know, I am a retired executive from WM.
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helperzack
Port St. Lucie, FL
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wny_pat wrote:It's called "National Account". No matter where you are in the United States or Canada, a Michelin Truck Tire Dealer (or Goodyear depending on the account), will come to fix (replace) your tires along side the road. All the big trucking companies have "National Accounts". And they do not pay anywhere near the list price for the tires. They pay the National Account reduced price. It's not just Walmart.
Maybe we RV'ers should ban together and form a "National Account." I would bet Good Sam or one of the other big organizations could do it if they wanted to. How much money would GS service save if the manufactures would go out and do roadside tire repairs? How much more could they charge for their service?
Had a friend who sold tires to the manufactures. This was 25 years ago, but back then, he claimed they purchase by the train load and got the tires for around $5.00 each.
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Pokiii
Denver Colorado
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helperzack wrote:
Maybe we RV'ers should ban together and form a "National Account." I would bet Good Sam or one of the other big organizations could do it if they wanted to. How much money would GS service save if the manufactures would go out and do roadside tire repairs? How much more could they charge for their service?
Had a friend who sold tires to the manufactures. This was 25 years ago, but back then, he claimed they purchase by the train load and got the tires for around $5.00 each.
Why not the consumers just get together and form one account. We all buy the same car, wear the same cloths, eat the same bread, read the same paper. People no longer need verity in life just as long as it's cheap.......get real.
Tires always have one of the biggest mark-up in the retail business and that is a fact.
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Bikeboy57
Texas
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My sister works for corporate Michelin. She says Walmart IS their business. Number one customer, so imagine the total number of tires Wally world buys. Doesn't surprise me that you saw those tires on the tractor trailer.
Richard, Rhonda, Ty, and Alex
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