Retreading is a supply decision as much as a cost one
Most discussion of retreading is about price per tire. For a fleet that turns tires quickly, the more useful framing is supply.
A casing in the program is a tire you already own coming back to you. A casing scrapped is a tire you have to buy, in a specific size, at whatever the lead time happens to be that month. A fleet running a consistent specification across many units has more exposure to that than it realizes, because the size it depends on is the size it needs a lot of.
Treating casings as inventory rather than as waste is what changes the conversation.
The plant is close
Purcell runs seven retread plants. Portland, Oregon serves this corridor, and by the standards of a network spread across the country it is a short haul.
That matters because casings are heavy and bulky, and distance erodes the saving. Renton is one of 54 Purcell locations collecting casings, and the store handles transport both ways, so you deal with Renton rather than with the plant.
Keeping casings alive in city work
Three things end a casing, and the metro versions of each are specific.
Curb strikes. A sidewall taken against a curb in a tight turn is damage the casing may not survive, and it happens in a yard rather than on a road.
Debris punctures left unrepaired. Common in an area with this much construction, and repairable when they are dealt with promptly.
Under-inflation. Still the largest cause, and in a stop-start fleet nobody notices a tire running low because the vehicle never does anything that would reveal it.
What goes into the program
Casings in the categories the store handles: commercial, trailer, OTR, agricultural, industrial and light truck among them. Tracks are not retreaded at any Purcell plant.
Send planned batches rather than a trickle where you can. A batch gets scheduled against the plant's workload; casings arriving unannounced get placed when there is room.
About this store
The Renton store is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, managed by Chris Contrades, and carries all nine Purcell tire categories. Lacey and Monroe collect for the same plant.
See the national retreading page for how the program works and for all 54 collecting locations.