With premium tyre manufacturers introducing new generations boasting novel materials, longer life constructions and ‘intelligent’ tread patterns – not to mention new sizes (notably 315/70 R22.5) and naming conventions – it’s tempting to turn off. But the fact is, while they all ultimately produce rubber, these organisations spend significant R&D dollars selecting, trialling and proving new concepts specifically to hit the right buttons. And whether you think of them as assets or consumables, those are all about cutting tyre costs.
So parameters such as tyre life, rolling resistance (fuel-saving) and damage mitigation do matter. These are key not only to maximising the replacement cycle, but also minimising breakdowns.
With that caveat stated, however, there are other factors, without which even the smartest tyres are unlikely fully to deliver. Poor alignment and tracking, for example, but also lax tyre pressure maintenance are likely to result in premature wear and wasted fuel.
But another factor concerns tyre husbandry – which should be straightforward, but rarely is, mostly because trucks and trailers move around. Paying attention to this aspect not only delivers significant savings of its own, but also opens doors to making more sophisticated (and expensive) tyre choice pay – as Ryder’s experience, under tyre operations manager Chris Bull, clearly demonstrates.
Ryder reports an 11% reduction in tyre replacements, 29% cut in tyre-related downtime and emergency calls down 46% since it started working proactively with Bridgestone, its dealer partners and its own workshops on a project to raise standards, cut tyre waste and improve fleet uptime. “Three years ago, managing tyres properly wasn’t easy,” concedes Bull. “We had good policies, but they were open to interpretation across our locations. So my mission back then was to review tyre maintenance and operations, and drive a better, more consistent tyre strategy.”
Bull appointed seven tyre administrators across the regions, while ‘tyre responsible technicians’ at the sites were trained specifically on tyre management. As a result, now whenever tyres are removed, either at Ryder depots or on the road, they are inspected, and tread depth, condition and position are noted, along with reasons for removal. The data is then assessed, actions agreed and, at a higher level, statistics compiled to ensure that all Ryder and Bridgestone technicians are working to the agreed procedures.
But that’s not all. “All technicians check tyres at our six-weekly inspections for legality, but also from a future reliability perspective. So if they see uneven wear, for example, they’ll turn them and check again next time,” he explains. “We also have a fleet-wide 5% tolerance strategy on tyre pressures.”
For him, whichever tyres you buy, it’s the way they’re managed both at the micro and macro level that makes the difference. And that also entails ongoing dialogue with suppliers.
“We review our standards with Bridgestone every six months, but we also review performance every month. We’ll examine hot spots – for example, where particular contracts are consuming more tyres. That means looking to see if there were warranty issues, whether replacements were the correct decision, whether some might have been repaired and reused, perhaps on other vehicles.”
For Bull, this level of detail, underpinned by standard procedures and communication, is key. And he applies the same logic to everything from turning on the rim to regrooving. “You need to look deeper than replacing tyres according to what your driver says.”
Critics might argue that Ryder’s approach suits an organisation running 22,500 trucks and trailers, but wouldn’t work elsewhere. Bull disagrees. “Getting the best out of tyres always comes down to focus and setting procedures. Once they’re set, they’re self maintaining to a degree, whether you’ve got 100 or 10,000 vehicles. I don’t have a big team but my administrators and technicians are reliable. They use the set standards and it works.”