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Peter Kiewit Sons’, Inc. is a company that seems almost to attract superlatives: it’s probably the largest privately-held construction company in the world. It also operates the largest private fleet in North America, with over 10,000 equipment units.

And, Kiewit is a major participant in what is the largest design/build public works project in United States history, the reconstruction of Interstate 15 through Salt Lake City.

At the work site in Salt Lake, we talked with Neal Ferry, Kiewit’s Corporate Equipment Manager and Andy Anderson, Division Equipment Manager, about their tire needs.

What kinds of tires do you typically use?
Neal Ferry, Corporate Equipment Manager: “If our work were in any way typical, tire selection would be easy. But in the construction business, no two jobs are alike. And no job is completely predictable. Neither are our tire needs.

“Over the road trucking, we think, is much more strategic in its approach. Line haulers can focus on cost per mile, and target some figure. We’re much more tactical. There’s very little routine about our work. We can’t fine-tune costs the way over the road truckers can.”

How do you select the right tires for each job?

“In tires, we need every kind there is. Of course, we use lots of off-road tires on our construction equipment. And with a fleet as large as ours, we have plenty of vehicles with on-highway tires to carry people and materials.

“And, we need tires that can handle service both on and off the road. That’s the trickiest part. The front cover of your magazine says, ‘Real Questions/Real Answers.’ In our case, what we face every day are ‘Tough Questions’ and ‘Tougher Answers.’”

In what way?

“In some respects, we’re as much in the materials handling business as we are in the construction business. We have to haul all kinds of materials and supplies to work sites every day.

“On the site, the ground can be rough, with hazards everywhere, broken rock, jagged concrete, chunks of rebar. We need tires that are flexible and resilient, that can take the shocks we throw at them without being punctured. And, on the site, we’re moving fairly slowly.

“Unfortunately, none of that is what we want for the trip to the site. There we want a tire that’s built for highway speeds, and one that doesn’t build up heat.”

Is stone-drilling a problem?
Andy Anderson, Division Equipment Manager: “It’s a big problem. Just as we want a tire that sheds heat, we also want them to shed stones. If stones get caught in the grooves, they can eventually be forced right through to the casing, where they can ruin our chances of retreading.”

How important is retreading to you?
“Retreading is critical. In our work, tires have such a short life that if we’re going to meet our objective of keeping tire costs acceptable, we have to retread whenever we can.”

What kinds of loads are you hauling?
Neal Ferry: “Our loads are very heavy. In fact, on the construction equipment side, we think in terms of ‘ton-miles/hour,’ that is, how many tons are we moving, how fast, and for how long? Again, we’re fighting the heat that destroys casings.
“Our concrete hauling trucks will haul 12 cubic yards of concrete. That’s 48,000 lb. Add the weight of the truck itself, about 29,000 lb., and you’re at 77,000 lb., virtually the full legal limit on most highways.”
Andy Anderson: “And the front axles on our mixer trucks are running 18,000 to 20,000 lb., which is over half again more than most on-highway tractors. Because of state bridge laws, we have to shift a lot of the weight forward onto the steer axles.”

What are you using to carry that load?
“Primarily wide base radials. Besides increasing load capacity, they also help with flotation. With their larger footprint, they’re less likely to sink on soft surfaces.”

What part does maintenance play in your operation?
Neal Ferry: “Maintenance is very important. Tire pressures are checked at least once a week, and tire temperatures are measured on a regular basis too.”

Who does that work?
Andy Anderson: “It depends on the location. In some cases, we have our own people do it. In others, we may have our dealer come in and check the tires. It just depends on whether we have trained personnel available.”

Have you tried inflation monitoring systems or auto-inflation devices?
“We’re not big on gadgets at Kiewit. They’re an extra cost, they have to be maintained, and dependence on them can lead you to neglect maintenance. Our feeling is that if we’re doing maintenance properly, we don’t need those things.”

What can tire manufacturers do to help you?
Neal Ferry: “Just as with all our suppliers, we’d like to have more input into new technologies. We’d also like for manufacturers to research and understand our business, our costs and our needs.
“Then, we’d like to see them apply those skills to helping us meet our needs.”

Do you have a particular idea in mind?

“Yes. One of the things that makes Bridgestone attractive to us is its involvement in racing. Building tires that work and survive under the extreme conditions of the racetrack proves Bridgestone has the ability to make tires for any application.

“And our work, construction, is just another example of extreme conditions. We know, for example, that tires sometimes have to be modified for the particular race track or conditions under which they will run.

“As I said earlier, no two jobs are exactly alike. It would be nice if we could take a single approach, just as it would be nice if we could have a single tire that did everything we needed.

“The ‘tough answer’ is – that’s not going to happen. So, it’s crucial that the people who make tires for us become as flexible as we are in approaching a job. We believe new tire technologies will make that possible.”

[Editor’s Note: Our thanks to Neal Ferry, Andy Anderson and everyone at Wasatch Constructors for their help and cooperation in preparing this article. And, look for more on Peter Kiewit Sons’ operations in a future issue of Real Answers.]