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Truck tyre cost per km, and how to set a tyre reserve
Tyres are one of a truck's biggest costs after diesel, but they're paid in large, irregular bills, so they rarely make it into trip calculations. This guide turns tyre spending into a cost per kilometre, and shows how to set aside a reserve so a full set of tyres never comes as a shock.
In short
- Tyre cost per km = (tyre price + retreading cost) ÷ total km the tyre runs, times the number of tyres.
- In the example, a retread brings the cost down from ₹3.75 to ₹2.77 per km for the truck.
- Losing 20% of tyre life, for example to under-inflation or overloading, raises it to ₹4.69 per km.
- Set the reserve aside every month, so the money is there when the tyres are due.
Step 1: Cost per km for one tyre
Example assumptions: a 10-tyre truck, ₹30,000 per new tyre, about 80,000 km of life from new, and one retread at ₹6,000 that adds about 50,000 km. Use your own prices and the life you actually get on your routes. Both vary a lot by tyre, load and road.
| New tyre, run to the end: ₹30,000 ÷ 80,000 km | ₹0.375/km |
| With one retread: (₹30,000 + ₹6,000) ÷ 130,000 km | ₹0.277/km |
Step 2: Multiply by the number of tyres
| Without retreading: 10 × ₹0.375 | ₹3.75/km |
| With one retread each: 10 × ₹0.277 | ₹2.77/km |
At 8,000 km a month, as in our other guides, ₹2.77 per km is about ₹22,150 a month that the tyres cost, whether or not you buy a tyre that month.
Watch out: tyre life is the number that moves most. If under-inflation, overloading or poor alignment cuts the life of a new tyre from 80,000 to 64,000 km, the cost without retreading rises from ₹3.75 to ₹4.69 per km. That's about ₹7,500 a month at 8,000 km, lost to tyre care.
Step 3: Turn it into a monthly reserve
A full set of 10 tyres in the example costs ₹3,00,000. Bills that size are why trucks that look profitable trip by trip still struggle. The fix is simple:
- Work out your tyre cost per km as above.
- Multiply by the kilometres run each month.
- Move that amount to a separate account or fund every month.
- Pay tyre bills from that fund, not from the month's earnings.
Include the same per-km figure in every trip's cost. Our running cost per km guide uses ₹3 per km for tyres and maintenance together. If your tyres alone cost close to that, your maintenance reserve needs to be higher.
Ways to lower tyre cost per km
- Check pressures regularly. Under-inflation is a common cause of early wear.
- Don't overload. Weight beyond the tyre's rating shortens its life.
- Keep alignment and balancing right, especially after a hit or uneven wear.
- Rotate tyres between positions so they wear evenly.
- Retread good casings. Retreading only works on a sound casing, so remove tyres before they're worn too far.
- Record every tyre: fitting date, odometer and position. Without records you can't know your real tyre life.
Run it with your own numbers
FleetProfit's trip calculator includes a per-km wear reserve, so tyres and maintenance are counted on every trip, and it shows how much they change the trip's profit.
Open the trip calculatorCommon questions
How do I calculate tyre cost per km for a truck?
Add the tyre's price and any retreading cost, divide by the total kilometres it runs, and multiply by the number of tyres on the truck.
Is retreading worth it?
Often, if the casing is sound: in the example, one retread lowers the cost per km by about a quarter. Check the retread's real life on your own routes before relying on it.
Why set aside a tyre reserve every month?
Tyres wear with every kilometre but are paid for in large, irregular bills. Setting aside the per-km cost each month means the money is there when a set is due.