January 16, 2006
TIA FAX: Volume 9, Number 1 Download
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TIA CONFERENCES
OFF-THE-ROAD (OTR) CONFERENCE
February 23-25, 2006 - Orlando, Florida
Are You Ready for Warm Weather and Sunshine?
Come to Orlando where the OTR Group will gather for their Annual Conference February 23-25, 2006 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Florida. This is the largest gathering of executives and business owners in the OTR market. Anyone who manufactures, services, repairs or retread tires, and suppliers who support this industry should attend this conference.
The conference will feature a keynote presentation by David Cionek, Vice President of Earthmover Sales, Michelin North America, titled "The Future of the OTR Tire Buyer." Jack Fenner, Director of Dealer Sales for Continental Tire North America, Inc., will present industry data on original equipment and replacement OTR tires. Kevin Rohlwing, TIA Senior Vice President of Education and Technical Services, will give a presentation on the new TIA Earthmover Tire Service training and certification program.
Register now by visiting the TIA website at www.tireindustry.org or by calling 1-800-876-8372, ext. 104. Please note that if you sign up online for the conference, you must also make your hotel reservation separately.
Hotel Room Block Expires January 22nd! Hotel reservations can be made by calling 1-800-843-6664. Please call no later than January 22, 2006 and identify yourself as a participant in the TIA OTR Conference to receive the discounted room rate of $189 plus tax.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Things are slow in Washington, DC with Congress adjourned until January 31, 2006. However, the bureaucracies never stop and occasionally that works to TIA's benefit. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just announced the acceptance of a petition for reconsideration by Denman Tire that was accompanied with a letter of support from TIA. Denman and TIA were seeking the exclusion of deep-tread specialty tires from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 139 to a less strenuous FMVSS 119 or 109. The petition argued that the cost of compliance testing and certification would bankrupt Denman and the agency ultimately concluded that FMVSS 139 is impractical for deep-tread specialty tires with tread depth of at least 18/32 and will accept testing results based on
FMVSS 119. Good news from NHTSA!
In the meantime, while we are hoping for a mark-up sometime in February on H.R. 2048, the Right to Repair bill, there are some internal debates going on within the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF). This group was set up by the auto manufacturers early on in the Right to Repair battle as a response to the service (repair) industry call for change. They are the clearing house for all of the manufacturer service websites and the investigative body for any complaints about lack of service information. Under pressure, they are trying to reorganize their governing board to be more accommodating to the repair sector.
Paul Fiore and Kevin Rohlwing met with NHTSA on January 10th, seeking further clarification on the department's interpretation of the Federal Excise Tax (FET) issue regarding load markings (single vs. dual) and its particular effect on the intermodal tire industry.
MEMBERSHIP
The New Year is a great time to check out some of the new TIA programs you have been thinking about, including TIA's new health benefit programs that are available to members. Please call TIA at 1-800-876-8372 and ask for Paul Fiore (ext. 102) or Wilson Beach (ext. 103) for details on any of the member benefits that may be of interest to you.
TRAINING
Have You Ordered the New TPMS Training Program?
TIA is continuing to receive orders from retail members for the newest TIA training program on Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). This is another part of the 200-level basic training series to provide technicians with the necessary information to service vehicles with a TPMS. The 50-minute video includes information on the different types of TPMS, valve stem sensor removal and installation guidelines, demounting and mounting procedures with
valve stem or band-mounted sensors, and recalibration procedures for several different makes and models. Tire dealers can expect to see more and more vehicles with a TPMS, so this training program will help your technicians understand how the systems work and
what they must do to ensure to continue to work following a tire repair, rotation or replacement.
Road Service Safety Video
Commercial members will be receiving another new educational resource when the new Road Service Safety video is completed in the first quarter of 2006. This video is designed to educate road service technicians on the proper safety guidelines that should be followed when working in a number of different settings. It also includes a section on driver safety to increase the potential for risk management. We will keep you posted on its anticipated release date.
Earthmover Tire Service and Certification Program
Plans for the new earthmover tire service training and certification program are well under way. TIA will present a progress report with announce dates and locations for dealer, supplier and manufacturer focus groups at the OTR Conference in Orlando, Florida next month. If you are interested in participating in these focus groups, please contact Senior Vice President of Education and Technical Services Kevin Rohlwing at krohlwing@tireindustry.org.
2006 Certified Instructor Schedule
You can register now for either the Certified ATS or Certified CTS Instructor classes being held in Baltimore, Maryland or Denver, Colorado in 2006. Listed below is the schedule of classes. For more information, visit www.tireindustry.org or call 800-876-8372 ext. 106.
| INSTRUCTOR CLASS SCHEDULE |
| Automotive Tire Service (ATS) |
Commercial Tire Service (CTS) |
| Baltimore |
Denver |
Baltimore |
Denver |
| May 2 - 5, 2006 |
Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2006 |
Feb. 7-10, 2006 |
Feb. 28-Mar. 3, 2006
April 4-7, 2006 |
DON'T FORGET - SUPPORT NATIONAL TIRE SAFETY WEEK
There's still time to get your free materials to support National Tire Safety Week. The Tire Industry Association and the Rubber Manufacturers Association have teamed up to promote the fifth annual "National Tire Safety Week," April 23-29, 2006. RMA will provide at no charge a "Be Tire Smart - Play Your PART" kit to participating tire dealers who sign up. Dealers can obtain their free promotional materials by signing up online at www.betiresmart.org.
TIA SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
We encourage you to take advantage of these two scholarship opportunities available for TIA members and their children.
Michelin/TIA Scholarship
The Michelin/TIA Scholarship will begin accepting online applications January 15, 2006. The application and more information can be found by visiting www.scholarshipprograms.org. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2006.
- Applicants must be seniors in high school, and must be planning to pursue a post secondary education at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or vocational technical school.
- Scholarships are available to part-time employees OR dependent children of full-time employees of TIA member tire dealers.
- Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale through the CURRENT FALL SEMESTER.
Any questions should be directed to Susan Lee with the Michelin/TIA Scholarship, P.O. Box 1465, Taylors, SC 29687-0031; 864-268-3363 or email: susanjlee@bellsouth.net.
Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship
The Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship is also available to TIA members. GAAS gives priority to students who are planning careers in the automotive aftermarket, and to sons and daughters of aftermarket industry families. Applications are now being accepted. The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2006.
- Qualified applicants must either be a graduating high school senior or have graduated from high school within the past two years (2004 or after).
- To receive a scholarship, applicants must be enrolled in a college-level program or a NATEF (National Automotive Technician Education Foundation) accredited automotive technical program.
For information or to obtain an application, contact MEMA, P.O. Box 13966, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3966; call 919-549-4800, fax 919-549-4824, or apply online at www.automotivescholarships.com.
INDUSTRY MEETINGS
January 18, 2006
Tire Dealers Association of Western Pennsylvania Dinner Meeting
Holiday Inn - Monroeville, PA
Call 724-836-0309
January 19-20, 2006
North Central Tire Dealers & Suppliers Association Annual Convention
Mystic Lake Casino - Prior Lake, MN
Call Bonnie McCleary at 952-544-6805
January (tbd), 2006
West Virginia Tire Dealers Association Board of Directors Meeting
Call Floyd Sayre at 304-342-4441
February 7, 2006
Chesapeake Automotive Business Association CABA Snow Show
State Fairgrounds - Timonium, MD
Call Skip Potter at 1-800-768-2292
February 9-11, 2006
Western Canada Tire Dealers Annual Convention
Calgary Telus Convention Center - Alberta, Canada
Call Don Blythe at 604-507-9772 or www.wctd.ca
February 18, 2006
Wisconsin Automotive Aftermarket Association Annual Convention
Kalahari Resort & Conference Center - Wisconsin Dells, WI
Call Gary Manke at 608-240-2065
February 23-25, 2006
Tire Industry Association Off-the-Road (OTR) Conference
Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate - Orlando, FL
Call 800-876-8372, ext. 104 or www.tireindustry.org
February 24-26, 2006
Mid-America Tire Dealers Association Annual Convention and Trade Show
Harrah's Prairie Band Casino - Mayetta, KS
Call Shawn Herrick at 785-286-1110 or www.matda.org
February 24, 2006
Montana Association Office Board of Directors Meeting
Billings, MT
Call Bradley Griffin at 1-800-388-0236
TIA FAX is a service for members of the Tire Industry Association. It is distributed the 3rd Monday of each month. Send suggestions and news releases to tmurphy@tireindustry.org, or fax them to 301.430.7283. Contact TIA at: 1532 Pointer Ridge Place, Suite G, Bowie, Maryland 20716-1883. Phone: 800.876.8372, 301.430.7280 or www.tireindustry.org.
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