Carna Transport Opts for Michelin OE Following 18-Month Test

Monaghan, Ireland based haulier Carna Transport has completed an 18-month tyre trial to compare the efficiency of two leading tyre brands in the truck market, and as a direct result the company placed an order for its ten newest Euroliner trailers to be delivered with Michelin tyres as original equipment.

The in-house trial began in late 2006 following the delivery of a fleet of new Scania R420 4×2 tractor units, which were all delivered on the same original equipment tyres. Before the vehicles entered service, Carna Transport arranged for the tyres on two of the vehicles to be replaced with Michelin XZA2+ Energy tyres on the steer axles and Michelin XDE2+ regional tyres on the drive axles. Over the next 18 months the fuel economy of the vehicles running on the competitor’s tyres was monitored against the two tractor units shod with Michelin using the company’s own telematic equipment. The length of the test was judged to be sufficient to take into account the changing drivers, routes and loads, and enabled the company to calculate the average fuel return for the two different tyre specifications.

Jim McCoy, managing director of Carna Transport, explains: “The two trucks running on Michelin rubber returned significant efficiency benefits in comparison to those running on Bridgestone tyres. I’m confident the fuel saving would have been even higher had we been using trailers fitted with Michelin tyres.

“With our ten new Euroliner trailers now operating on the fleet I am looking forward to measuring the additional savings carefully over the coming months,” he adds.

Carna Transport, which is located in Castleblayney on the border between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland, operates a fleet of 55 trucks and 150 trailers. Its fleet specialises in international transport, with the majority of vehicles leaving Ireland each week to transport products onto to the Continent, before returning via the UK mainland.