Man has a problem that is causing him aggravation. Man looks desperately to find a solution to fix his problem but there isnt one available. Man comes up with his own solution and fixes the problem himself. Word gets out to all the other men with the same problem and they ask man to fix their problem. Man does, demand grows, and a new business is born. Andersen, President and Founder of TRU-BALANC
E Truck Wheel Centering Products, this is what happened to his company. In late 2003, Ron Webster came to him with a problem. Ron was a friend of Jims from the classic car circle. He was also the fleet service manager for a major product distribution company that was having tire issues with their fleet. He was inundated with drivers complaining of tire vibration and his tire replacement costs were at an all time high. It seemed no matter how many times tires were replaced and balanced, the same problems persisted tire vibration and bounce, tire cupping and erratic tire wear. He called Jim and said he thought he knew what was going on and asked him to come to the shop and look at the situation. The problem was also quite obvious to Jim whose background is in engineering. The weight of the wheel was resting on the upper hub pilots leaving a gap in the bottom pilots so when the tire rotated it would produce an uneven motion. This created the vibration and tire hop which Ron hadnt been able to get rid of despite his best efforts. The wheels were off center and no amount of replacing tires or balancing was going to fix that. The wheels needed to be centered up in order to be properly balanced. Jim got to work and came up with the centering pins or "Solution A" which became the first product in the TRU-BALANCE line. These pins were to be used at the 12, 4 and 8 oclock positions when mounting the wheels. This positioning creates a triangular plane which maintains the center of the wheels upon rotation. He brought the three seemingly simple pins to Ron to try out and they fixed the problem. The tire vibration and hop was gone. They knew they were on to something. Word of mouth got out and pretty soon everyone that knew Ron in the trucking industry was asking if they could get a pin set to fix their problem. As the word spread, people began asking for a product that would stay on their trucks as the centering pins were used upon mounting and then removed. This is how the internal and external sleeves came about. The internal sleeves or "Solution B" are designed to center up the wheel and brake drum while the external sleeves or "Solution C" can be used all the way around the truck and trailer helping to prevent wheel off condition. Both sleeve sets stay on the truck assuring that the wheel center is always maintained. The company has grown tremendously since the first centering pin set was created. Ron Webster came on full time in 2007 and heads up the company's products and sales department. He brings with him over 25 years in the trucking industry so he knows the issues that today's companies and owner operators face. "Keeping costs down and getting the most miles out of your tires and fuel tank have to be one of the top concerns he says. This is where the majority of the money is spent. I know from personal experience when I was in charge of managing a large nationwide fleet the TRU-BALANCE products definitely cut my costs. Angela Lang was brought on as the companys Vice-President in 2006. She oversees the company's day to day operations as well as the marketing and advertising. She lived in Los Angeles for 15 years and worked in the entertainment industry which she says has been a huge asset for her in this endeavor. Everything in Hollywood is done on such a grand scale. My experiences there taught me so much especially how to deal with all kinds of unforeseen challenges whether it be circumstances or personalities. Oh, the stories that I have one of the biggest challenges is the fact that the president of the company, Jim Andersen, is her father. I absolutely love the fact that I get up everyday and get to go to work and spend the day with my father. On the other hand, I am my father's daughter so we have a tendency to disagree at times and hold our ground. This can prove to be very challenging. Everyone that is close to us says we remind them of that show Orange County Choppers where the father and son will go at it from time to time. It always works itself out though, she says. " We have been forced to look at each other in different roles other than father daughter. It has added an entirely new dimension to our relationship." In June of 2007 Angela and Ron were brought in by Jim as owners of the company. These three make up the principals of the company. They also have numerous office personnel and sales representatives which have made the business into what it is today. Their customers range from the largest nationwide fleets to the one truck owner-operator. To date they have never had a product returned because it didnt work. They received patents on their products at the end of 2006 and today there are more than 45 different TRU-BALANCE products available and that number increases regularly. When someone calls with a unique wheel configuration and they dont have the correct product in their line, they just create a new product. This was the case with the A-1625 Centering Pins. They were originally created for the UPS package trucks. The TRU-BALANCE products can be used alone or in conjunction with your favorite balancer including the various balancing rings and beaded products that are available today. When comparing TRU-BALANCE to some of the current tire balancers on the market today they state that it would be like comparing apples and oranges. They are completely different products designed to do completely different things. TRU-BALANCE does not balance the tires like the other products do. It centers the wheels which allows for proper balancing of the tires. Their headquarters are located in Windsor, Colorado.
