A spare in the yard turns a two-day outage into a two-hour one. Here is how to decide what to stock and what not to.
The argument against keeping tires on hand is capital sitting on a rack. The argument for it is a truck that is earning instead of waiting for a size to arrive. For most small operations the second argument wins, provided you stock the right things.
Standardization makes inventory possible
If your fleet runs four different tire sizes, meaningful inventory is impractical — you would have to stock all four. If it runs one or two, a single spare covers most of the fleet.
This is the strongest practical argument for standardizing sizes as vehicles turn over. It is not about the tires themselves; it is about what becomes possible in inventory and roadside response.
What to actually stock
- One spare in your most common size, mounted on a wheel if you have a spare wheel
- Valve stems and hardware, which fail and cost almost nothing
- A plug and patch kit for repairable punctures
- A proper gauge and an inflator in each vehicle, not just in the shop
What generally not to stock: a full set of anything, unusual sizes used by one vehicle, or tires you are keeping because they were a good deal rather than because they fit something you run.
Mounted spares change the math
An unmounted tire still requires a mounting machine. A tire already mounted on a wheel can be swapped in the yard or on the roadside with a jack and a wrench, which is a completely different response time.
If you have spare wheels — and most operations accumulate them — keeping one mounted is what turns inventory into actual capability.
Rotate stock
Tires age. A spare that has been on a rack for six years is not the spare you thought you had. Check DOT date codes on stored tires, store them out of direct sunlight and away from heat, and rotate stock into service rather than letting it sit indefinitely.
Repair versus replace
Not every puncture is a new tire. Repairability depends on where the damage is and how large it is — punctures in the tread area within limits are generally repairable by proper methods, while sidewall and shoulder damage is not.
A proper repair means the tire comes off the wheel and is repaired from the inside. A plug from the outside without dismounting is a temporary measure, not a repair, and treating it as permanent is how a tire fails later at speed.
Where we fit
Elite Tire & Brake handles tire supply, mounting, repair and roadside replacement for small fleets across Lubbock and the South Plains. Call (806) 458-2709.
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Mobile tire and brake service across Lubbock, Wolfforth, Shallowater, Slaton, Idalou and the surrounding South Plains — plus a full-service shop at 13209 Frankford Ave, Suite 29.