TIA Supports Rolling Resistance Legislation

On 18 July the US Tire Industry Association (TIA) announced its support of House Resolution 5632, after “much deliberation,” TIA has decided to support H. R. 5632. The TIA Government Affairs Committee was able to come to a consensus after weighing the pros and cons of the legislation, the association said in a statement. “We were very pleased to receive feedback and questions from our membership regarding H.R. 5632,” said TIA President, Bob Malerba. “It was extremely helpful to our Government Affairs Committee in making a decision on whether to support the bill.”

According to Roy Littlefield, TIA Executive Vice President, there have been numerous bills introduced in many states and at the federal level that would mandate rolling resistance standards equal to or better than original equipment. The fact that these bills have any standing at all can be directly attributed to a lack of national standards. TIA believes H.R. 5632 is a consumer information only programme. Manufacturers would not have to design a single new tyre and dealers would not have to alter inventory in any significant way. It simply requires manufacturers to develop testing and rating standards and make that information available to consumers. Section 2 (D) requires a “national tyre maintenance consumer education program” – something that could play into TIA’s own plans for outreach to the buying public.

While there may be some initial confusion as consumers are first exposed to ratings that affect fuel efficiency, the committee believed that the prospect of individual states developing mandates and how that would play out for many of our members running multi-state businesses in wholesale and retail weighs more heavily.