Scottish Haulage Company Switches to Michelin

Scottish haulage company Ian S Roger has switched to an all-Michelin tyre policy for trucks and trailers following a successful in-house trial which saw a set of Michelin XDN2 Grip tyres on a drive axle return 260,000km with their first re-groove. Company director Colin Roger commented: “We initially trialled a set of Michelin’s and were amazed at the performance. Over the last decade we have fitted cheaper tyres to our vehicles in the belief that we would be saving money, but we never seemed to get any mileage out of them and suffered frequent punctures. It proved that in this business you really do get what you pay for.

“Our vehicles use a mixture of A-roads, motorways and occasionally go off-road when visiting livestock or agricultural customers, so tyres endure a hard life with us. XDN2 Grip tyres offer increased performance and traction over a variety of surfaces and, coupled with a complete Michelin fitment package, we have noticed a significant reduction in the number of tyre related breakdowns,” adds Mr Roger.

Ian S Roger runs a mixed fleet of 15 vehicles including rigids and maximum weight tractor units from DAF, MAN, Scania and Volvo, which operate with a range of trailer and drawbar combinations concentrating on livestock, bulk and general haulage.

With 30 trailers, the company has opted to fit a mixture of Michelin 385/65 R 22.5 XTE3 and Michelin 265/70 R 19.5 XTE2 trailer tyres, which are specifically designed for national and regional operations. All tyres will follow Michelin’s Four Lives tyre policy. Michelin’s 265/70 R 19.5 XTE2 has reinforced outer shoulders for improved resistance to scuffing and a higher mileage potential compared to the same size Michelin XTA. The XTE3 offers up to 15% increased mileage compared with the XTE2. The casing is highly resistant to shoulder impact damage due to a new reinforced crown area, additional rubber on the shoulders and ribbed sidewall protection.