Minimise costs with scheduled tyre maintenance, says ATS Euromaster

Fleets are continually looking for ways to minimise their outgoings in the current economic climate. Longer lead times result in fleets running vehicles for extended periods, and many are coming under pressure to contain costs. Longer lifecycles also influence tyre replacement, and ATS Euromaster sales director Jason Chamberlain thus emphasises that it’s in “fleet managers’ best interests to implement a more planned approach to tyre maintenance in order to minimise costs.”

Chamberlain considers scheduling appointments for tyre replacement key to the smooth running of fleets. Although ATS Euromaster makes every effort to accommodate unplanned visits, it can of course make no guarantees: “Fleet managers cannot rely on the off chance that a garage has the service capacity for a rapid fit visit. It is likely they will have to order in the tyre(s), such is the wide variety of different fitments and sizes that are now required for the mix of SUV, EV and ICE fleet vehicles.”

With this in mind, it is essential that fleets maintain regular inspection and maintenance work and also book visits well in advance to keep their operations running smoothly as well as to avoid frustration and costly downtime. As Chamberlain notes, booking tyre replacements in a timely manner instead of leaving this to the last minute “makes simple business sense” and is especially vital when it comes to EVs, as garages may need to ensure they have sufficient types and volumes of tyres in stock to carry out the replacements as needed.

Real savings & false economies

In terms of choosing the best tyres for an ICE vehicle, ATS Euromaster considers all-season a very good option for reducing costs as these eliminate the requirement to swap to winter tyres and offer consistent traction whatever the weather conditions.

The biggest savings aren’t necessarily made when initially purchasing tyres, either: “In order to support fleets’ extended lifecycles, we recommend fleet managers do not consider replacing tyres with budget tyres, opposed to premium, as they are far less durable and so their whole life cost could be more,” comments Chamberlain.

An even less attractive option is to not replace or maintain tyres at all. With fleets extending vehicle lifecycles, Jason Chamberlain says ATS Euromaster has “unfortunately” observed an increase in vehicles with illegally worn tyres. The hope of using tyres longer may be to keep expenses to a minimum, but savings here may be far less than perceived: “We know that tyre costs for fleets increase the longer a vehicle goes without tyre maintenance, and this is especially evident for higher maintenance vehicles – with significant brake wear and tear also becoming a factor.”

The sales director adds that illegally worn tyres can not only lead to financial issues but also cost lives, with the potential for danger “significantly higher with inappropriate tyres especially on an extended lifecycle vehicle.” Therefore, it is important to carry out tyre maintenance before an issue arises.

Avoiding expensive downtime

A further result of extended lifecycles is that some vehicles are in almost constant use. Known as ‘double-shifting’, fleets use one van for two driver shifts in order to meet the increasing demand for home deliveries. Although this operating model can extend a fleet and business’s operating hours while meeting the Working Time Directive for drivers, in practice it means that vehicle downtime becomes more of an issue for last-mile delivery fleets than the actual cost of maintenance. This being the case, identifying tyre issues in advance is an increasingly critical area for efficient and cost-effective fleet management.

“When you plan tyre maintenance, fleet managers are able to identify future spend. It enables fleets to plan for preventative maintenance and they can budget for this,” Chamberlain comments. “At ATS Euromaster, for example, a customer may visit us with a brake issue thinking a change of pads is required. But we may identify warped discs, meaning both pads and discs may need changing. The centre would then perform a full replacement of what caused the discs to warp. Part of the inspection would be to test the brake fluid moisture content, if this was high then a brake fluid change would be recommended.”

By helping customers proactively identify issues, ATS Euromaster can save customers critical vehicle downtime, resulting in a “significant saving” for fleet operators who are highly dependent upon uptime. Fleet managers play a role here too, as it is important they schedule tyre replacements at the right time to minimise downtime and support general fleet efficiency. “After all, we want fleets to run smoothly and cost-effectively, and regular maintenance and tyre checking is key to this,” Chamberlain concludes.