Commercial Truck Tire Statistics 2026

Last updated: May 2026 · Reviewed annually

Commercial truck tires keep North American freight moving — and they sit on the single most expensive maintenance line item for many fleets. The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association projects 24.3 million replacement medium and heavy truck tires will ship in 2025, while the American Transportation Research Institute pegs tire spend at $0.047 per mile for the average for-hire fleet. Below are the latest commercial truck tire statistics — market size, retread rates, fleet economics, fuel-economy impact, roadside-inspection data, and the brands driving the segment.

Key Findings

• Replacement medium and heavy truck tire shipments in the U.S. are projected to reach 24.3 million units in 2025, up 3.7% from 23.4 million in 2024.
• The global truck and bus radial (TBR) tire market was valued at $19.75 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow at a 6.6% CAGR through 2030.
• North America commands roughly 40% of the global commercial truck tire market by revenue, with a 2024 market size near $13.8 billion.
• Tire costs averaged $0.047 per mile for U.S. for-hire carriers in 2024 — about 2.1% of total operating cost of $2.260 per mile.
• Almost 90% of U.S. fleets with 100 or more trucks use retreaded tires, per TRIB survey data.
• Manufacturing a new medium truck tire consumes about 22 gallons of oil; a retread uses only 7 gallons — a 68% reduction in raw-material energy per tire.
• During CVSA International Roadcheck 2024, tires were the second-most-cited vehicle out-of-service violation behind brakes, with over 2,800 tire violations recorded across 48,761 inspections.
• EPA SmartWay-verified low rolling resistance tires deliver at least 3% fuel savings versus baseline tires when installed on all axle positions and properly inflated.
• Individual new commercial truck tires typically retail from $250 to $600 each, with premium models topping $1,200 — putting a full 10-tire Class 8 set in the $2,500 to $6,000+ range before installation.

Table of Contents

1. U.S. Commercial Truck Tire Shipments
2. Global Commercial Truck Tire Market Size
3. Retread Adoption & Economics
4. Fleet Tire Costs Per Mile
5. Fuel Economy, SmartWay & Rolling Resistance
6. TPMS & Tire-Pressure Maintenance
7. FMCSA Roadside Tire Violations
8. Commercial Tire Brand Leaders
9. Class 8 Tire Pricing & Replacement Cycles
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Related Topics
12. Methodology & Sources

U.S. Commercial Truck Tire Shipments

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) publishes the most-cited domestic shipment forecast. Total U.S. tire shipments across all categories are projected at 340.2 million units in 2025, of which the medium and heavy truck segment makes up a small but high-value share. Replacement demand drives almost all growth; original-equipment truck shipments have been declining as new-truck builds soften after the freight-recession reset.

• Total U.S. medium and heavy truck tire shipments are projected at 29.5 million units in 2025 (replacement plus original equipment combined).
• Replacement medium and heavy truck tire shipments: 24.3 million units in 2025, up from 23.4 million in 2024 — a 3.7% year-over-year increase.
• Original-equipment truck tire shipments: 5.2 million units in 2025, down 8.0% from 5.7 million in 2024 — reflecting the post-2023 cooling in Class 8 truck orders.
• 2025 truck tire shipments are still about 20% below 2019 (pre-COVID) levels, a 1.3 million-unit gap driven by softer OE demand.
• Per USTMA, the truck/bus segment is the strongest single contributor to overall 2025 U.S. tire-shipment growth, with replacement truck tires up 7.9% versus 2024 in earlier forecasts.
• All U.S. tire categories combined: USTMA forecasts 340.2 million units in 2025, a slight gain on 337.3 million in 2024.

Global Commercial Truck Tire Market Size

Commercial truck tire market size estimates vary by methodology — some research houses count only truck and bus radial (TBR) tires, others include off-the-road and specialty commercial. The figures below come from the largest published market-research firms.

• The global truck and bus radial (TBR) tire market was valued at $19.75 billion in 2024.
• TBR tire market is projected to grow at a 6.6% CAGR from 2025 through 2030.
• Broader global commercial truck tire market (including bias, OTR and specialty commercial) was approximately $34.5 billion in 2024, projected to reach $51.0 billion by 2032 at a 5.0% CAGR.
• North America accounts for roughly 40% of global commercial tire revenue, with a 2024 regional market size near $13.8 billion.
• Asia-Pacific remains the largest single regional TBR tire market and is forecast to grow at the fastest pace globally — about 6.9% CAGR — driven by Chinese and Indian freight expansion.
• The broader commercial tire market — including OTR and specialty segments — is forecast to grow at a 4-5% compound annual rate through the early 2030s, per Cognitive Market Research and Smithers long-term forecasts.

Retread Adoption & Economics

Retreading — recapping a used tire casing with a new tread — is the dominant cost-reduction lever in commercial trucking. The Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) reports that approximately 850 retread plants operate across North America, and 73% of TRIB survey respondents manufacture commercial truck retreads.

• About $3 billion in retread tires are sold annually across North America; the trucking industry saves over $3 billion every year by retreading instead of buying new.
• Retreaded truck tires typically cost between 30% and 50% of the price of a comparable new tire.
• Almost 90% of U.S. fleets with 100 or more trucks use retreads in their tire program, per TRIB survey data.
• Heavy trucks and buses account for roughly 87% of global retread demand by volume, per Persistence Market Research.
• North America is the dominant retread region globally, with about 46% of worldwide retread revenue in 2024 and approximately 15 million tires retreaded annually.
• In TRIB's 2024-2025 industry survey, over half of retreaders reported a 2024 revenue decline, but 63% projected a turnaround in 2025 as freight volumes recovered.

Fleet Tire Costs Per Mile

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) publishes the most-cited fleet-economics dataset in U.S. trucking. The 2025 ATRI Operational Costs of Trucking Analysis, covering 2024 fleet data, puts tires in context with every other line item.

• Tire costs per mile averaged $0.047 in 2024, up 2.2% from $0.046 in 2023.
• Total cost of operating a truck averaged $2.260 per mile in 2024 — a 0.4% decline from 2023 driven almost entirely by lower fuel prices.
• Non-fuel marginal costs hit a record $1.779 per mile in 2024, up 3.6% — the highest ever recorded by ATRI.
• Tire costs represent approximately 2.1% of total per-mile operating cost — a smaller share than fuel (21%), driver wages (35%), or truck and trailer payments (17%).
• For a tractor running 100,000 miles per year, tires cost about $4,700 annually at the 2024 rate.
• Truck and trailer payments hit a record $0.390 per mile in 2024, up 8.3% year-over-year — driven by higher equipment prices and interest rates.
• Specialized fleets typically spend more on tires than truckload carriers, and fleets with 250 or fewer trucks tend to have higher per-mile tire costs than larger operators.

Fuel Economy, SmartWay & Rolling Resistance

Tire rolling resistance is the second-largest fuel-consumption driver on a Class 8 tractor-trailer, behind aerodynamic drag at highway speed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay verification program tests low rolling resistance (LRR) tires for fleet purchasing decisions, including new and retread products.

• EPA SmartWay-verified low rolling resistance tires reduce emissions and fuel use by at least 3% compared with best-selling baseline tires for line-haul Class 8 tractor-trailers.
• To realize the full 3% fuel savings, LRR tires must be installed on all tractor and trailer axle positions and maintained at proper inflation.
• Per U.S. Department of Energy data, every 1 PSI drop below specification reduces fuel economy by approximately 0.2%.
• Aperia/NACFE research shows fleets can save up to 1.4% in fuel by simply maintaining correct tire pressure across the operation.
• For every 10% of underinflation on a vehicle's tires, fuel efficiency drops by approximately 1%, per the U.S. Department of Energy.
• EPA SmartWay now verifies low rolling resistance retread tires in addition to new tires, allowing fleets to maintain fuel savings throughout the tire lifecycle.

TPMS & Tire-Pressure Maintenance

Unlike passenger vehicles, commercial trucks over 10,000 lb are not covered by the federal TPMS mandate (FMVSS 138). Adoption is voluntary and economically driven, with the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) tracking deployment alongside automatic tire-inflation systems (ATIS).

• NACFE's payback calculator shows roughly 14 months to break even on TPMS and approximately 9 months on ATIS for typical fleet configurations.
• NACFE research documented tire-wear improvements of 4% with TPMS and 8% with ATIS, plus fuel-economy gains of 0.75% to 1.25%.
• Tire pressure management systems are projected to save $750 to more than $1,000 per vehicle per year in tire and fuel costs combined.
• TPMS-versus-ATIS adoption is roughly evenly split across North American truck fleets, with industry sources noting 60% to 70% of new trailers ship with ATIS installed.
• Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 138 (the TPMS rule) applies only to vehicles under 10,000 lb — commercial trucks over that weight are exempt from the mandate but adopt voluntarily for the ROI.
• Roughly 25% to 30% of tractors and 15% of trailers are equipped with tire-pressure monitoring systems today, per NACFE — significant headroom for further adoption.

FMCSA Roadside Tire Violations

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) International Roadcheck is the largest annual commercial vehicle safety enforcement event in North America. Tires are consistently among the top vehicle out-of-service violation categories — second only to brake systems most years.

• CVSA Roadcheck 2024 conducted 48,761 inspections across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, placing 9,345 commercial motor vehicles out of service (a 23% vehicle OOS rate).
• Over 2,800 tire-related out-of-service violations were cited during CVSA Roadcheck 2024 inspections.
• At CVSA Roadcheck 2025, inspectors identified 2,899 tire-related out-of-service violations, representing 21.4% of all vehicle violations.
• In the 2023 Roadcheck, tires accounted for 3,368 violations, or 19.3% of total vehicle violations — second only to defective brakes.
• Per 49 CFR 393.75, steer tires must maintain a minimum tread depth of 4/32 inch; all other tire positions (drive and trailer) require 2/32 inch.
• Common roadside tire violations include insufficient tread depth, sidewall cuts or bulges, exposed belt or ply material, and severe underinflation.

Commercial Tire Brand Leaders

Commercial truck tire brand share is notably different from passenger tire share. While Michelin leads global passenger tire revenue, Bridgestone holds the larger volume share in commercial truck — and the North American commercial market is dominated by the same Tier-1 names plus a growing roster of Chinese tier-3 brands.

• Bridgestone holds the largest global commercial truck tire share by volume, producing over 30 million commercial truck tire units in 2024.
• Michelin ranks second globally in commercial truck tire volume, producing more than 28 million commercial truck units in 2024.
• In North America, the major commercial truck tire brands are Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Continental, and Pirelli.
• Tier-3 imports — primarily from China — have grown rapidly in the U.S. commercial replacement segment over the past decade as price-sensitive owner-operators and smaller fleets seek lower upfront cost.
• Premium retreads are increasingly competitive on a total-cost basis with new Tier-3 imports, particularly in long-haul drive and trailer positions where retread casings can be recapped 2-3 times.

Class 8 Tire Pricing & Replacement Cycles

A typical Class 8 tractor runs 10 tires: 2 steer, 4 drive (on the tractor), and 4 trailer positions (on a single-trailer combo). Steer tires cost more than drive or trailer tires, carry the highest safety standard (4/32 inch tread minimum versus 2/32), and are almost never retreaded — making them the highest unit cost in the tire program.

• New commercial truck tires retail in the $250 to $600 range per tire from major dealers; premium models can run $1,200 or more per tire.
• A complete 10-tire Class 8 set (2 steer + 4 drive + 4 trailer) typically falls in the $2,500 to $6,000+ range before installation, depending on tier and brand.
• Per ATRI data, a Class 8 tractor running 100,000 miles per year averages roughly $4,700 in annual tire spend at the 2024 industry rate of $0.047 per mile.
• Steer tires are not retreaded in U.S. commercial practice — they are replaced with new tires when tread drops below the 4/32 inch DOT minimum, due to the higher safety risk in steer applications.
• Retreaded drive and trailer tires can extend total casing life 2-3 cap cycles, dramatically reducing cost per mile compared with buying new tires for every replacement.
• Last-mile delivery growth has shifted retread demand toward medium-duty and light commercial applications as e-commerce drives more high-mileage urban delivery work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Topics

Dig deeper into specific tire data:

• Tire Industry Statistics 2026 — comprehensive hub of all U.S. and global tire industry data.
• Tire Brand Market Share Statistics 2026 — full passenger and commercial brand rankings, OpenBrand U.S. share data, and global revenue ranks.
• Tire Price Statistics 2026 — average tire prices by tier, size and brand, plus inflation trends.
• Tire Recycling & Environmental Statistics — end-of-life tire data, circular-economy metrics, and the environmental case for retreading.

Methodology & Sources

Data compiled from authoritative public sources between 2017 and 2032 — including U.S. government agencies, industry trade associations, manufacturer disclosures, and major market-research firms. Updated annually; reach out if you find a stat that's changed.

U.S. Commercial Truck Tire Shipments

• USTMA July 2025 Forecast — 2024 final and 2025 projected U.S. tire shipments by category.
• USTMA Factbook 2025 — annual industry data on U.S. tire shipments, manufacturing, and trade.
• Modern Tire Dealer — Strong Replacement Market 2024 — 2024 truck tire replacement growth trends.

Global Commercial Truck Tire Market Size

• Grand View Research — Truck & Bus Radial Tire Market — global TBR market size and CAGR through 2030.
• Cognitive Market Research — North America Commercial Tire 2025 — regional commercial tire market size and forecast.
• Smithers — The Future of Global Tires to 2030 — multi-year commercial-tire market forecasting and CAGR projections.
• Tire Business — Commercial tire segment shows promise in North America 2024 — North American commercial tire performance commentary.

Retread Adoption & Economics

• TRIB — Learn More — Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau industry data: $3B sold annually, ~850 plants, oil-savings figures, fleet adoption.
• Work Truck Online — TRIB Survey 2023-2024 — TRIB state-of-the-industry survey results, including 73% of respondents making commercial truck retreads and ~90% fleet adoption.
• Persistence Market Research — Retreaded Tire Market Forecast — global retread market sizing, 87% heavy-truck share of retread demand, 46% North America revenue share.
• Work Truck Online — Last-Mile Retread Impact — last-mile and medium-duty retread growth trends.

Fleet Tire Costs Per Mile

• ATRI — 2025 Operational Costs of Trucking Press Release — total operating cost and line items for 2024 fleet data.
• Fleet Maintenance — ATRI 2025 Breakdown — detailed tire-cost-per-mile figures from the 2025 ATRI report.
• ATRI — Operational Costs of Trucking research page — full annual ATRI report archive.

Fuel Economy, SmartWay & Rolling Resistance

• EPA — Low Rolling Resistance Tire Technologies — EPA SmartWay LRR new and retread tire program overview.
• EPA — SmartWay LRR Verification Process — verification methodology and 3% fuel-savings threshold.
• Aperia Technologies — Semi Truck Fuel Efficiency — DOE 1 PSI = 0.2% / 10% underinflation = 1% fuel-economy citations and NACFE 1.4% savings figure.

TPMS & Tire-Pressure Maintenance

• Trucking Info — Studies Indicate TPMS and ATIS Are Money Makers — NACFE TPMS/ATIS payback periods, tire-wear and fuel savings, and per-vehicle dollar savings.
• NACFE — Tire Pressure Monitoring research page — official NACFE Confidence Report landing page on tire-pressure monitoring systems.
• Transport Topics — Fleets Must Choose Tire Inflation, Monitoring Systems — Stemco data on the evenly split TPMS-vs-ATIS adoption among truck fleets.
• Fleet Maintenance — TPMS Mainstream or Mandates — FMVSS 138 commercial-truck exemption explanation.

FMCSA Roadside Tire Violations

• CVSA — 2024 International Roadcheck Results — official 2024 Roadcheck inspection counts and OOS rates.
• CVSA — 2025 International Roadcheck Results — 2025 tire-violation counts and percentages.
• FMCSA — Avoiding the 5 Most Cited Roadside Violations — common violation guidance from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
• Industrial Coverage — Top 10 FMCSA Vehicle Violations 2023 — 2023 FMCSA violation rankings reference.

Commercial Tire Brand Leaders

• Market Reports World — Commercial Truck Tires Market — global commercial truck tire brand volume rankings.
• Work Truck Online — State of the Commercial Tire Industry 2024 — commercial tire competitive dynamics commentary.
• Continental — Retread Tires & Sustainability Targets — manufacturer retread program and environmental positioning.

Class 8 Tire Pricing & Replacement Cycles

• STTC — Commercial Truck Tire Prices: Big Rig Tire Cost Breakdown — per-tire and full-set pricing for Class 8 commercial tires.
• STTC — Environmental Benefits of Tire Retreading — retread cycle counts and environmental savings per casing.

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