A tire is its own kind of line on an order, next to labor and parts. It carries the tire's spec (brand, model, size, load index, speed rating, season) and the DOT code of every tire you fit, so you can find the customer again if a manufacturer recalls a batch.
Tires on orders, DOT codes and the tire identification report are on every plan. Keeping tires in stock is a Pro feature; see tire inventory below.
Adding a tire to an order
On a service, open Add Item and choose Tires. The Add Tire drawer asks which tire, how many, and what it sells for:
- Brand, Model, Size, Load index, Speed rating and
Season (Summer, Winter or All-season). Size, load index and speed rating
are upper-cased as you save, so
225/45 r17 94yis stored as225/45 R17 94Y. - Name: filled in from the spec, for example Michelin Pilot Sport 4 225/45 R17 94Y. This is the line the customer reads on the estimate, the invoice and their portal. You can type your own, and the drawer offers the spec version back if you change your mind.
- Quantity starts at 4, because most tire jobs are a set.
- Pricing Matrix and Taxable, as for a part. A tire runs through a pricing matrix exactly like a part does; see pricing matrices.
Tires show as their own Tires line in the order's sidebar totals.
Recording DOT codes
Every tire has a DOT code on its sidewall (the tire identification number). The
last four digits are the week and year it was made, so 2423 means week 24 of
2023. If a manufacturer recalls tires from a batch, the DOT code is how you know
which customers are affected.
Open the tire line (Edit Tire) to record them. There is one box per tire, so a set of four has four boxes, and the drawer shows 2 of 4 recorded as you go. Each code is upper-cased and a leading "DOT" is dropped, so it doesn't matter how the mechanic types it. Two tires from the same batch can share a code; repeats are kept.
On the order, a tire line carries a DOT 2/4 chip that counts what has been recorded. Click it to fill in the rest without opening the drawer.
Note
DOT codes can still be added after the order is invoiced. Nothing printed changes, because no document shows them, and a code forgotten at the counter is exactly the gap a recall falls into. They are not printed on the invoice or shown on the customer's portal.
Duplicate copies a tire line's spec to the new order but not its DOT codes: the next set of tires is a different set.
Making DOT codes required
Under Settings → Order Checklist, the Tire identification numbers item checks that every tire being billed has its DOT code recorded. It is off by default. Set it to required and, while codes are missing, both Start Work and invoicing ask you to confirm before they go ahead; an override is logged on the order. It only looks at tires that are actually being billed, and it is satisfied automatically on an order with no tires.
Warning
The checklist is checked at both moments, so a required DOT item also stops Start Work on a tire job whose codes nobody has typed yet. If your mechanics record the codes as they fit the tires, leave it optional: the item still shows in the order sidebar as a reminder, without stopping anything.
Every tire on the board
Parts & Tires in the Workflow header lists every part and tire line on the orders on your board in one table. The Tires on orders tab shows the order, the tire, its size, the DOT chip, quantity, the order's column, the vehicle and the customer.
- Search by order number, car, customer or size. Size search compares digits
only, so
2254517finds225/45 R17. - Filter by column, or use the Workflow page's own filters.
- The DOT chip works here too, so you can catch up on missing codes across every open job from one page.
Clicking a row opens the order. People who can't see order totals don't see the cost, price or markup columns.
The tire identification report
Reports → Inventory → Tire identification numbers lists every DOT code sold on an invoice in the period, with the customer's current name and address and a link to the order. When a recall notice arrives, run it over the affected dates, search for the batch, and export the list. See reports and exports.
Tire inventory
Included in ProInventory → Tires keeps tires in stock the way the Parts page keeps parts: size, brand, model, season, load and speed, features, on hand, reserved, available, cost, retail price and bin location. Add Tire creates one. Besides the spec, a stocked tire can be marked Run-flat, Studded or carrying the 3PMSF winter mark.
Search matches sizes however they are typed: 205 55 16, 205/55 R16 and
2055516 all find the same tire.
On an order, the Add Tire drawer then starts with From stock: search by size, brand or model, pick a tire, and the line fills in its spec and price and shows how many are available. Stock works exactly as it does for parts. Tires are reserved against the order when you add them and consumed when the order is completed. See parts and stock.
A tire you describe by hand stays a one-off line. Tick Also add to inventory in the drawer, or press Add to inventory later on the line, to save it as a stocked tire with nothing on hand, so it can be picked next time.
Stocked tires count toward your plan's inventory limit together with parts.
Note
A tire line can only be linked to a stocked tire, and a part line to a part. You can't reserve brake pads against a tire line by mistake.
On Basic and Growth
Without tire inventory you can still add tires to orders, record DOT codes and run the report; you just can't stock them. Inventory → Tires shows an upgrade notice. A shop that downgrades keeps its stocked tires and the lines already linked to them, but can't add new ones.
Troubleshooting
"The DOT chip says 2/4 but we fitted two tires." The line's quantity is 4, which is the default. Change the quantity to 2 and the chip follows.
"The recall report is missing a tire." It only lists tires on invoices, and only those with a DOT code recorded. Record the code (it can be added after invoicing) and run the report again.
"I can't find a stocked tire from the order." Search by size digits, brand or model. If you're on Basic or Growth, there is no tire stock to search.
"A tire below its minimum is in the low-stock email but not on the page." The email's link opens the Parts page. Open Inventory → Tires to see it.