SINGH AHLUWALIA
President, Commercial Products
Truck and Bus Tires

Probably almost everyone would call Michelangelo a “genius.” Certainly, he was a master of the crafts of painting and sculpture.

And yet, at the age of 87, he is said to have adopted, as his personal motto, the phrase “Ancora imparo,” meaning, “I am still learning.”
(If you get mail order gift catalogs, you’ll see that you can even order plaques with Michelangelo’s motto.)

It’s tempting, as we get older, as we gain expertise, as we get higher up in our organizations, to begin to think maybe there isn’t much more to learn. Maybe a little too often, we say, “Been there, done that.”

So, we have a number of stories in this issue of Real Answer that may challenge that view.

To begin, owner operator Henry Albert shares some of his provocative ideas about trucking with us. Then, we’ll see how Abitibi Consolidated of northern Ontario learned some profitable ways to cut tire and operating costs from its tire dealer.

We’ll take a look at how Bridgestone’s Metalpha plant spins dull steel rod into golden tire cord, explore the advantages of Greatec radials and learn how quality control results in better truck tires being delivered to you.

Then we’ll explore what’s behind recent major changes in Federal Excise Tax (FET), and how that may affect your costs.

And, in a couple of offbeat, yet heartwarming stories, we’ll see how a former trucker in Pennsylvania shares his Christmas spirit with his community – and other truckers – and we’ll learn how Bridgestone engineered a rubber prosthetic “fin” to improve quality of life – for an injured dolphin.

It’s time to start learning, so please turn the page.