Road Gator Wrestling

Starting in mid-May, those who drive Sunbelt roads begin seeing the occasional 18-wheeler truck tire tread lying beside or on the highway. Some call them "road gators." We presume that's because they'll take a bite out of your car if you run over one. Hit a road gator that's lying on its side and it'll slice open the engine or transmission oil pan, rip off a brake or fuel line or snap off a suspension component.

Gator Season

By June and July, the phenomenon creeps northward. In mid-summer, you can find road gators as far north as Interstate 70 or 80. In the Deep South, August is prime road gator birthin' month. Last August, on one the hottest days in Mississippi history, U.S. 78 (which will soon be renamed Interstate 22) was bordered by literally thousands of truck tire treads.


The damage from these "sleeping" highway gators is minor compared to what a gator can do while it's being born. A tread in the process of leaving the tire is a heavy, steel-reinforced band that can easily slice through a nearby vehicle: Another good reason to never cruise alongside a big rig.


If you hear an 18-wheeler tire making a regular whap-whap-whap sound, that's the pre-birth cry of a highway gator. It may take a few minutes or a few days, but a new gator is about to enter the world. They're born full sized and angry.

Behind the Breed
Many mistakenly think that most, if not all, highway gators are failed retreads. My unscientific, but regular studies say that almost none are retreads. Instead, they're what tire engineers call "tread separations." The tire's steel and nylon belts—along with the tread—have broken free of the tire's body or "carcass." Here's how to tell: If the road gator's ends shows frayed steel or fabric, it's a tread separation, not a failed retread.


Car, pickup and SUV tires also fail in the same way and for the same reasons. These smaller gators are less obvious and not as dangerous to other vehicles. But they can be catastrophic to the four-wheeler that loses the tread.