BOC adopts Michelin Effitrailer programme
BOC will fit its entire bulk tractor and trailer fleet with Michelin’s Effitrailer system
Following a six-month trial, BOC, the largest supplier of industrial gases and medical gases in the UK, is to fit its entire bulk tractor and trailer fleet with Michelin’s Effitrailer system.
The trial of ten BOC assets showed that the programme – which offers an on-board datalink, tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic braking system data analysis and constant geolocation – helped to enhance safety as well as prevent roadside breakdowns and minimise downtime.
Roger Wilkinson, national transport manager, BOC UK & Ireland, cited the programme’s safety features as key to rolling the Michelin equipment out across its fleet. “Safety is paramount to everyone at BOC and we will always look at ways we can improve. Effitrailer connects to every BOC tanker’s anti-rollover device and provides an alert to the transport office in the event the system is activated which, from a driver training perspective, is very important.”
Highlighting other Effitrailer features, Wilkinson notes that the Michelin programme sends driver tyre pressure information via a mobile device. “It doesn’t just monitor tyre pressures – it provides hub heat readings which tell us of any potential issues with the brakes or bearings. It also measures trailer utilisation from a time perspective, which is excellent.
BOC will also have access to real-time data generated by the Michelin technology. This details each trailer’s mileage, the length of any periods of abnormal downtime or ‘wait-time’, the ‘unhooked’ or ‘towed’ status of the asset, and whether the trailer is overloaded.
Michelin claims a point of difference with Effitrailer, stating that “unlike any other provider in the industry,” when a company signs up to an Effitrailer contract, Michelin also commits to reducing the number of tyre-related trailer breakdowns by up to 50 per cent – a commitment validated after diagnosis by a Michelin analyst. If Michelin does not achieve this goal, the company says it will refund the cost of all breakdowns over and above the contractual terms.
Effitrailer can be installed on all trailers equipped with EBS, regardless of age or manufacturer, and is available regardless of current or future tyre policy.
BOC is the UK’s biggest industrial and medical gases business with more than 300,000 customers, served by over 3,000 people operating from more than 100 sites.
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