West Yorkshire-based international logistics firm Brian Yeardley Continental says it has halved its tyre costs over an 18 month period, following a change in tyre policy.
The company, which operates a fleet of 27 4x2 tractor units (all red and white Volvo and DAF) and 40 tri-axle Mega semi-trailers, first contacted Michelin for advice after its previous tyre brand continually suffered excessive shoulder wear, forcing replacements to be fitted to the steer axles at six-monthly intervals.
Michelin technical manager Dan Lamb carried out a vehicle weighing exercise and also ruled out wheel alignment issues. He then suggested a change in steer axle tyre size to 315/60 R 22.5, from 295/60 R 22.5, and the fitment of Michelin X Energy XF tyres, operating at tyre pressures tailored to the trucks' conditions of use.
Kevin Hopper, managing director of Brian Yeardley Continental, says the suggested changes were carried out on three vehicles – and the uneven shoulder wear was eradicated.
"As a result of the trial we now fit Michelin tyres across the fleet and we've been able to cut our tyre bill in half," enthuses Hopper.
"Previously, we'd focused on the unit cost of tyres. This experience has taught me that paying a little bit more per tyre up-front can save you significant time and money over the life of the tyre. In a climate where industry-wide price increases mean most fleets are paying more for their tyres, we're bucking the trend with our spend-to-save approach."
Brian Yeardley Continental now specifies Michelin low rolling resistance Energy tyres as original equipment on all new tractor units, with the X Energy XF steer axle fitments matched with 295/60 R 22.5 XDA2+ Energy new and Remix tyres on the drive axle.
The trailer fleet has also moved from 245/70 R 19.5 twin fitments to Michelin 445/45 R 19.5 XTA2 Energy new and Remix tyres.
"The change in trailer tyre performance has been revolutionary," comments Hopper. "The twins we used to specify suffered unbelievable scrub and were forever failing in hot climates, such as southern Spain. The Michelin 445/45s have doubled our tyre life and mean we're only fitting six tyres per trailer as opposed to twelve."