Where have all the tires gone?
Thought I’d pass on some notes that I received from our friends at Falken. In case you haven't heard, the supply lines that bring tires and just about everything else into the states via ports are a tangled up mess. Shipping has never caught up after the shutdown and subsequent surge that occurred this past summer. Cargo ships sit idling off the coasts for weeks as there are not enough docks available to unload onto. Once the containers are unloaded the next issue is the shortage of chassis that the trailers need to roll your way. The ports are piled high with empty containers that must get shipped back overseas some day. Cooper reported to us last summer that they had Roadmaster tires piling up at their factory with no empty containers to put them in. Driver shortages are another issue. Hardly a week goes by that we don’t experience a cancelled delivery from one of our vendors. The usual explanation is “Sorry we don’t have a driver.”
Here’s some stats on Falken’s uber popular AT3W:
FALKEN WILDPEAK AT3W Status:
- 92,492 inbound tires over the next 60 days (1 -60 days out)
- 56,765 out of the total are inbound over the next 30 day
- 35,727 out of the total are inbound between 30 and 60 days
All backorders will be satisfied as the count stands today and stock on hand should increase.
The west coast doesn’t have a monopoly on this. The Northeast New York/New Jersey Port Terminal is heavily congested. Terminals report that volumes have increased by 30% year over year. The Terminals are simply not equipped to deal with these volumes. Terminals have been turning away ships since they are at capacity.
Please understand that the people at K&W Tire are doing everything they can to maintain the best supply possible. Tires are arriving daily and we never stop ordering more.