Bandvulc, now part of Continental Tyres, is supporting Bibby’s fleet of 500 trucks and 1,500 trailers – half of which are leased or hired from manufacturers or rental companies.
“With the large number of vehicles involved and the intensity of their operations, it is vital to have a service and support we can genuinely rely on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Adam Purshall, Bibby’s head of fleet and procurement.
Tyres supplied are a mix of premium retreads and new fitments. The BD08 tyre is fitted to all drive axles, with the BT08 super-singles fitted to trailers. Steer axles on the fleet are catered for by Continental’s Uniroyal brand, supplied and managed through the Bandvulc operation.
“The blend of new Uniroyals and Bandvulc premium retreads give us the right levels of safety, economy and environmental protection – in the latter instance for example, they take care of all our old carcasses, either re-processing them as new retreads or dealing with them in an environmentally acceptable manner,” says Purshall.
The contract is monitored by Bandvulc against parameters set in the Conti360° Fleet Services programme. This includes fitments, inspections, breakdown service, casing collection and disposal, and more.
Fleet monitoring and reporting is carried out as part of the Conti360° Fleet programme, with a secure web portal allowing Bibby to see regular updates on every vehicle.
Bandvulc inspects each vehicle monthly, issuing reports and fitting replacement tyres as required. With third party lease or hire vehicles, this may mean the supplying company has to make any required tyre changes. All checks are undertaken and reported electronically by Bandvulc’s nationwide team, feeding into the central database for immediate interrogation by Bibby, when required.
“The environment is another big consideration, and with that added into the equation we came back to the conclusion that Bandvulc products and fleet management services continue to be the right answer for us,” says Purshall.
“The blend of new Uniroyals and Bandvulc premium retreads give us the right levels of safety, economy and environmental protection – in the latter instance for example, they take care of all our old carcasses, either re-processing them as new retreads or dealing with them in an environmentally acceptable manner.”
Bibby is also planning to trial Bandvulc’s new low rolling resistance tyre in the coming year, and is considering implementing the ContiPressureCheck remote tyre pressure monitoring system.