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Tyre management saves cash
Page 7
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By Roger Brown LEADING TYRE companies claim that hauliers with the correct tyre management programmes can make significant fuel savings.
The comments came in response to the most recent CM/Michelin business monitor, in which operators were asked how often they checked the tyre pressures on their vehicles.
A total of 19% said they checked them daily; 40% said they carried out weekly checks; 7% said fortnightly; 14% said they carried out monthly checks and 20% said less often.
Paul Kendrick, managing director of product management for trucks at Michelin, says: "Under-inflated truck tyres cost hauliers thousands of pounds in extra fuel and are dangerous as well as uneconomical."
In the survey, 75% of operators said they regrooved their tyres, while 76% said fuel consumption did not affect their tyre choice.
"On average, it is possible to get an extra 25% life out of a tyre through regrooving," Kendrick adds.
A spokesman for rival Bridgestone says the correct choice of tyre and tyre management programme can make a "big difference" to a fleet's performance and cost base.
"Running a tyre at incorrect pressure such as 6 bar instead of 9 bar will increase fuel consumption by 14%. Tyres under-inflated by 20% will also lose around 25% of their tyre service life," he adds.
• See page 20 for the full CM/ Michelin business monitor.