Welcome to the latest edition of the MTD Hotwire. Today we report on what happened at Goodyear's dealer meeting this week including an industry outlook from President Rich Kramer and the launch of three new tires, plus get the details on the sale of Pep Boys to an investment firm.

The next edition of our MTD Hotwire will be out on Monday. Meanwhile, check out the latest news on www.moderntiredealer.com.

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Rich Kramer left attendees at the 2012 Goodyear Dealer Conference something to think about. Seven things, to be exact.

Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which it will be acquired by investment firm The Gores Group.

Spread axle trailers, mixed service trucks and school buses received plenty of love at the 2012 Goodyear Dealer Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 30. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. introduced three new truck tires – and an innovative precure tread.

The Tire Industry Association’s (TIA’s) scholarship applications deadline for the 2012 Michelin/TIA scholarship is Feb. 6, 2012.

Wisconsin Assembly Bill 483, a non-lead wheel weight rule, was introduced on Jan. 24, 2012.

Yokohama Tire Corp.’s AVID ENVigor now comes with the company’s runflat technology. The company says it set a new standard for premium all-season tires when it launched its AVID ENVigor.

Federal-Mogul Corp., which has trained more than 200,000 technicians in the last 10 years at its St. Louis, Mo., Technical Education Center, reports it will now take its technical training directly to technicians through a fleet of mobile training units.

Hankook Tire America Corp. reports its Dynapro HT premium highway all-season SUV/light truck tire has received a Consumers Digest’s Best Buy rating in the magazine’s February issue. The tire received the rating in the All-Season SUV/Truck Tires Midrange category.

The commercial trailer sector ended 2011 on solid footing and is well positioned for the third year of growth in the current cyclical recovery.

Coming off a record year financially, Yokohama Tire Corp. shook things up a little in 2011. First it promoted Dan King to senior vice president of sales and marketing.

On 2007-10 Volkswagen Eos vehicles, the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) utilizes air pressure sensors in the wheels. The sensors transmit radio data signals to the Central Locking and Antitheft System antennas.

Last month, I challenged you as an owner or manager of an independent tire dealership to deal with the hardest part of the people-side of your business: implementing real change in your team’s behavior. How do you coach each employee to perform at a higher level where they tap into new insights and maximize talents — and then generate higher results?

No president has talked about tires publicly more than Barack Obama. That is both good and bad.

Are you taking the direct route to customer satisfaction?

How much does the Internet really affect retail tire sales? K&M Tire Inc., a large regional wholesale distributor based in Delphos, Ohio, thinks it’s a lot.