As the only point of contact between trucks and the road, tires are facing a dual test of safety and technological innovation.

At the outer square of Leping South Station, Nanchang East Management Center of Jiangxi Transportation Investment Group, a green six-axle semi-trailer truck's tire suddenly emitted white smoke accompanied by open flames. Staff rushed towards the burning vehicle with fire extinguishers within 2 minutes, quickly controlling the fire and preventing a potential major accident.

Similarly, in Hunan, a truck tire fire ignited hay bales on the vehicle, with everyone joining forces to rescue the situation and save the truck cab.

On the industrial front, the Eurasian Economic Union issued an announcement on November 14, 2025, initiating the second sunset review investigation of anti-dumping duties on heavy-duty tires originating from China.

Frequent Safety Incidents: Tire Safety Alarm Sounds Again

Since November, frequent safety incidents related to truck tires have occurred across multiple regions in China, drawing high attention from the industry regarding tire safety.

At 7:30 AM on November 21, at the outer square of Jiangxi Leping South Station, a six-axle semi-trailer truck suddenly experienced tire combustion while exiting the highway.

The on-duty squad leader, noticing the danger, immediately rushed to the truck cab, alerting the driver to pull over and evacuate to a safe area, while simultaneously calling team members for emergency fire extinguishing.

The staff reacted swiftly, grabbing onsite ire extinguishers and directing them at the burning tire, quickly suppressing the fire source.

Preventing re-ignition became a crucial step in the subsequent handling. Staff conducted careful inspections and cooling treatments on the remaining tires to ensure hidden dangers were eliminated.

Similar incidents occurred in Hunan, where a truck tire fire ignited hay bales, requiring collective rescue efforts to save the truck cab.

These accidents not only cause transportation delays but also bring unnecessary economic losses to vehicle owners, even threatening drivers' lives.

As the only component of a truck making contact with the road surface, the health condition of tires is directly related to road traffic safety.

Industry experts point out that illegal overloading of trucks significantly shortens tire lifespan and easily leads to blowout accidents.

Global Trade Barriers: Market Changes Under Anti-dumping Investigations

While domestic tire safety issues attract attention, in the international market, a trade investigation concerning Chinese tires is unfolding.

On November 14, 2025, the Internal Market Protection Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission released Announcement No. 2025/458/AD18R4, initiating the second sunset review investigation of anti-dumping duties on heavy-duty tires originating from China.

The products involved are new pneumatic rubber tires for trucks, buses, semi-trailers, etc., with rim diameters between 17.5-24.5 inches (inclusive).

This investigation request originated from applications by enterprises within the Eurasian Economic Union, based on Eurasian Economic Commission Resolution No. 11 dated November 7, 2025.

Historical tracing shows that on September 1, 2014, the Eurasian Economic Commission first initiated anti-dumping investigations on heavy-duty tires originating from China.

Starting December 18, 2015, the Eurasian Economic Commission began imposing anti-dumping duties on the involved products for a five-year period, with tax rates ranging from 14.79% to 35.35%.

This is not the first time Chinese tire enterprises have faced such investigations.

On March 9, 2022, the Eurasian Economic Commission initiated an anti-circumvention investigation on Chinese heavy-duty tires, and on February 1, 2023, made a final decision to impose anti-circumvention duties.

This sunset review investigation indicates that Chinese tire enterprises still face severe trade barriers in the international market.

The Eurasian Economic Union is not the only market taking action. Almost simultaneously, the Union also launched anti-dumping investigations into tire products imported from Thailand and Vietnam.

According to Eurasian Economic Union data, tire imports from Thailand and Vietnam grew 2.6 times between 2022 and 2024, with their market share in overall consumption also increasing by 2.4 times.

Technological Innovation Breakthroughs: Dedicated Solutions for Electric Heavy-Duty Truck Tires

Facing complex safety challenges and trade environments, Chinese tire companies are actively seeking technological breakthroughs.

On November 17, 2025, Tanury Group Tonly Tire Co., Ltd. held the "Creation Without Boundaries·Shared Future" 2025 New Product Launch and Influencer Signing Ceremony, releasing two strategic new products specifically designed for new energy heavy-duty truck drive wheels—TD768 EV and GD709 EV.

The high torque, heavy load, and other characteristics of electric heavy-duty trucks impose extreme requirements on the wear resistance, impact resistance, and low rolling resistance of their drive tires.

Jin Qi, Deputy Chief Engineer of Technology at Tonly Tire, introduced that the R&D team achieved three targeted breakthroughs:

To address heavy loads, ultra-strong steel cords and double-layer nylon reinforcement structures were adopted, significantly improving load capacity and durability;

To handle high torque and wear, tread pattern design was optimized through ground contact simulation, and high-wear-resistant rubber compounds were selected, balancing high mileage with impact resistance;

To enhance range, relying on low rolling resistance material technology, rolling resistance was significantly reduced, providing additional range support for vehicles.

Du Junkai, Commercial Director of Tonly Tire, stated that Tonly Tire aims not only to be a leader in technological innovation but also a co-builder of content ecology.

Facing the profound transformation of industry electrification and changes in user communication methods, brands must pioneer new development paths.

This event deeply integrated cutting-edge technology product launches with influencer content ecosystem construction for the first time, signing 20 content creators influential in the tire and truck sectors.

Coincidentally, Bridgestone also showcased its high-performance tire products in Thailand.

At the new Isuzu vehicle launch event on November 21, 2025, Bridgestone exhibited the "BRIDGESTONE DURAVIS R624X HEAVY DUTY" tire, specifically designed for commercial pickup trucks and medium-duty trucks, offering higher load capacity and extended service life.

Industry Trend Insights: Low-Carbon and Intelligentization Become Development Directions

The tire industry is playing an increasingly important role in helping commercial fleets achieve safety, efficiency, and sustainable development goals.

As transportation demands evolve, tire manufacturers must adapt to the requirements of modernized fleets, relying on continuous industry improvement, technological innovation, and data collection to ensure vehicles remain in optimal condition.

The rapid development of electric commercial vehicles has profoundly impacted the tire industry. Lee Hae-sik, Marketing Director of Truck and Bus Tires at Hankook Tire Company, stated that electric vehicles, including commercial electric vehicles, represent a promising growth market.

Electric vehicle tires must meet specific additional requirements. Joe Burke, Vice President of Commercial Business for North America at Goodyear, pointed out:

"The unique attributes of electric vehicles, including increased vehicle weight and torque, are important factors affecting tire performance, most notably tread wear, load capacity, and vehicle range."

Sustainable development has also become a more important consideration. Lee Hae-sik explained that developing tires with longer lifespans is a key topic for sustainable development in the tire industry.

One method to extend commercial tire life is increasing the number of tire retreads. "To support the tire retreading market, we are improving the reuse rate of tire casings," Lee Hae-sik said.

"Currently, while ensuring tire durability, we reuse their casings, with tread retreading possible up to 3 times."

Intelligent tire technology is regarded as an important factor in improving safety. Lee Hae-sik noted that sensor integration and signal amplification technologies provide more opportunities for real-time observation of tire operating conditions and various performance parameters.

Data collected from tire sensing technology can also provide longer-term expected performance for tires, such as predicting remaining tread life and useful information regarding retreading and maintenance intervals.

Dan Finkhouser, Vice President of Commercial Tire Sales at Yokohama Tire Company, emphasized that data collection methods can profoundly impact a fleet's financial situation.

"It is well known that tires are one of the biggest expenses fleets must face. Knowing how to utilize and analyze the data provided by these programs is a valuable tool for reducing costs, controlling inventory levels, and maximizing the effectiveness of tire/wheel end maintenance schedules."

Diverse Market Demands: Light, Medium, and Heavy-Duty Tires Each Demonstrate Their Strengths

Different vehicle types and application scenarios impose diversified performance requirements on tires, with manufacturers seeking precise breakthroughs in segmented markets.

In the light truck tire sector, the booming development of e-commerce and last-mile logistics delivery has significantly increased demand.

Dan Finkhouser, Vice President of Commercial Tire Sales at Yokohama Tire Company, pointed out that this has also spurred demand for tires capable of withstanding frequent stops and starts in urban environments and resisting curb damage.

The design philosophy of these light tires now places greater emphasis on durability and retreadability.

Lee Hae-sik, Marketing Director of Truck and Bus Tires at Hankook Tire Company, observed that trends in the light truck tire sector often depend on drivers who daily pursue certain functions of CUV/SUV tires.

"For example, a growing number of consumers are choosing all-terrain tires, a trend also affecting the types of light truck tire products dealers procure."

Medium truck tires need to meet broader requirements. Lee Hae-sik stated that medium tires can offer higher speed ratings and reinforced structures to meet fleets' desires for medium truck tires with higher load capacities.

For medium trucks, tires must possess comprehensive performance and versatility.

"There is increasing need for versatile tires that can operate in all wheel positions," Finkhouser said. "These products must be fuel-efficient without compromising mileage, retreadability, and handling performance."

The design philosophy of heavy-duty tires/off-road tires focuses on meeting environmental regulations while maintaining various performances.

Finkhouser noted that the tread base of such tires must be very robust to withstand the tests of both highway and off-road conditions, and retreadability is also important.

The design focus of these tires must be on durability, various application performances, and environmental compliance.

Future Prospects: Innovation and Cooperation Become Keys to Breaking Through

Facing safety challenges and international trade barriers, China's tire industry is seeking breakthroughs through technological innovation and ecological cooperation.

Research and development of tire materials is making critical progress, with these developments capable of improving various aspects of commercial truck tire performance.

This includes everything from improvements in compound formulations to increasingly advanced tread pattern designs, and even innovative tire technologies.

Lee Hae-sik explained: "In terms of compound formulation innovation, advanced rubber composite materials are being introduced to meet the key performance requirements of truck/bus radial tires—namely durability, wear resistance, and low rolling resistance."

"Advanced compound technologies using materials like silica or new polymers can improve traction, reduce rolling resistance, and even extend tire service life in terms of sustainable development."

Considering the versatility of truck/bus radial tires, tread pattern design is very important.

Lee Hae-sik noted that innovations in tread design, such as adopting variable depth patterns and new sipe designs, can enhance grip, thereby improving tire performance across various road conditions.

Since such commercial tires must possess the capability to handle various unexpected situations, these advanced technologies are crucial.

Industrial chain cooperation has also become an important driving force for industry development. Tonly Tire's Du Junkai stated that Tonly Tire aims not only to be a leader in technological innovation but also a co-builder of the content ecology.

Facing the profound transformation of industry electrification and changes in user communication methods, brands must pioneer new development paths.

The cooperation model between Bridgestone and Isuzu also demonstrates the possibility of close collaboration within the industrial chain.

As a key business partner of Tri Petch Isuzu Sales Co., Ltd., Bridgestone specifically develops high-performance tires for Isuzu vehicles, with such deep cooperation helping to ensure perfect matching between tire and vehicle performance.

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From the urgently extinguished tire fire source in Jiangxi Leping to the serious anti-dumping announcement of the Eurasian Economic Union, and further to the new electric heavy-duty truck-specific tires released by Tonly Tire, the truck tire sector is undergoing multiple transformations in safety, trade, and technology.

As Jin Qi, Deputy Chief Engineer of Technology at Tonly Tire, stated, in response to the high torque, heavy load, and other characteristics of electric heavy-duty trucks, tire technology has achieved three targeted breakthroughs.

These breakthroughs are reflected not only in ultra-strong steel cords and double-layer nylon reinforcement structures but also in ground contact simulation-optimized tread pattern designs and low rolling resistance material technologies.

As tire pressure monitoring systems and other intelligent technologies gradually become popular, tires have evolved from simple components into key roles ensuring fleet safety and improving operational efficiency.