National Tire Shortage Emerges As Snowstorms Pound US

Tire shops in the US complain about a tire shortage. They say snarled supply chains have put the overseas rubber industry in limbo, and by the time the tires are shipped to the US West Coast, port congestion adds weeks until they arrive at warehouses. 

The shortage comes as winter storms are battering states in the mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest. People are rushing to purchase winter tires, but there appears to be a limited stock for certain brands and models. 

South Carolina-based Hay Tires Pros’ president David Hay told NewsNation Now that tires “made in America” have no problem sourcing, but “premium Asian tires are the ones we’re having problems with. They’re stuck on ships on the West Coast.” 

 Hay said the tire shortage adds all kinds of issues for the automobile industry. 

“It’s causing all kinds of stress. Then you add chassis shortages, driver shortages, truck shortages — it’s a real problem.”

The problem isn’t just on the East Coast but also in Lansing, Michigan, where tire shops have trouble sourcing winter tires. 

“We were shopping around for different brands,” Michigan resident Shawn Foxworth said. He said the shortage had been a headache. 

“It took a while to get here,” Foxworth said, adding that tires prices were much higher than last year. 

Some people have waited weeks tires, if not at least a month, due to snarled supply chains. Even the online tire website Tire Rack has experienced a backlog for certain tires. 

The expanding list of car parts in short supply comes as no surprise considering not one ISM respondent said anything about improvement in supply chains…

People who purchase winter tires at the very last minute might run into sourcing problems or at least pay a hefty premium this winter as supply chains remain snarled. A word to the wise: buy in the offseason and prepare because the ability to purchase things on-demand today is becoming harder and harder.