Weller Truck Drives 400,000km on Michelin

A Mercedes-Benz Atego 1828 is operating on the same Michelin tyres fitted as original equipment when it rolled off the production line in November 2001, despite having covered over 440,000 km. The 18 tonner is owned by Staffordshire-based Weller Packaging and is fitted with Michelin 295/80 R22.5 XZE2 and XDE2 tyres. It is in operation five days a week transporting packaging materials from Shenstone (near Lichfield) to customers nationwide, with the vehicle starting each two-day distribution run with a maximum 9.2 tonne payload.

Nigel Hastilow, a driver and Transport Manager for Weller Packaging, explains: “Getting the best performance out of a set of tyres is all down to attention to detail. We carry out weekly tyre inspections, including pressure checks, which ensure our tyres are always in prime operating condition.

“We’ve had a Michelin policy in place since 1989 and specify Michelin rubber as original equipment on all our new vehicles. The additional cost more than pays for itself over the life of the vehicle thanks to the unrivalled performance and reliability we have become accustomed to from Michelin truck tyres. In the case of our 2001 Atego, we expect the original tyres will see that vehicle through its complete life on our fleet,” he adds.

The tyres on the Atego were regrooved in-house by Weller Packaging at approximately 430,000 km, using the additional layer of rubber which is incorporated into all Michelin truck tyres specifically for this puropse. As well as extending the life of the tyre, regrooving helps to maximise a tyre’s most fuel efficient state by reducing fuel consumption in comparison with a new tyre by as much as 10 per cent.