Fleets share views in Goodyear Sustainable Reality Survey 2023

Drawing upon responses from more than 1,600 fleets across Europe, Goodyear has provided a glimpse into industry perceptions towards sustainability and efforts amongst operators to improve their footprint. Now in its third year and available in both UK/Ireland and European editions, the Goodyear Sustainable Reality Survey report sets out to examine sustainability trends in the commercial vehicle and haulage industry, looking at what fleets are currently doing as well as discussing barriers to progress.

Looking at the UK and Ireland edition, which is based upon 74 responses, Goodyear found that 82 per cent of surveyed fleets regard sustainability as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’, with 59 per cent of fleets already having formalised sustainability goals in place and a further 34 per cent planning to implement such goals in the next 12 months.

Large fleets of 251-500 vehicles and megafleets of more than 500 vehicles are much more likely to have adopted formal policies. No less than 80 per cent of large fleets reported having such goals and 20 per cent plan to implement them in the coming 12 months. The figure for megafleets was 70 per cent, with 26 per cent planning to implement goals in the coming years.

Source: Goodyear

Divide between small & large fleets

Larger fleets are also more likely to be familiar with upcoming environmental legislation – Goodyear speaks of a “clear divide” between these and smaller fleets. Megafleets are best informed, with 52 per cent considering themselves ‘very familiar’ with upcoming legislation and 96 per cent claiming some level of familiarity. Overall, 86 per cent of all fleets consider themselves familiar with upcoming environmental legislation.

Price is the main obstacle preventing companies from adopting even more sustainable solutions for their fleet operations, with 54 per cent of respondents viewing some solutions as too expensive. Another issue was complexity, with 37 per cent claiming that some solutions are too complicated to be integrated into everyday activities. Only ten per cent of respondents saw nothing preventing them from adopting more sustainable solutions, but 72 per cent indicated they could be swayed by financial incentives.

Source: Goodyear

Tyres important for improving efficiency

Good news for Goodyear and other tyre makers – UK and Irish fleet operators named tyres the most popular component when it comes to maximising fleet efficiency. When asked what they’ve implemented to hit sustainability targets, 67 per cent of fleets reported that they already use fuel-efficient tyres and 49 per cent use retreaded tyres. Popular solutions alongside tyres are driver training and fuel consumption objectives (64%) and telematics solutions (63%).

Megafleets are more likely to favour fuel-efficient tyres, with 83 per cent of megafleets using these to help achieve their sustainability targets, followed by large fleets with 80 per cent. Fleets of 101 to 250 vehicles reported the highest use of retreaded tyres, with 83 per cent using these.

Goodyear’s offer for fleets seeking fuel-efficient tyres includes the Fuelmax Endurance, a product line introduced in 2021 and available in steer and drive axle fitments. The tyre maker says Goodyear Fuelmax Endurance “presents an innovative solution tailored to transportation and logistics firms that operate across highways as well as secondary or state roads.”

Another tyre in the Goodyear portfolio is Fuelmax Performance, its “ultimate fuel-saving steer axle tyre.” Goodyear developed Fuelmax Performance for long-haul, highway use, with the aim of bringing down fuel costs and CO2 emissions through minimum rolling resistance.

Source: Goodyear

Correlation with fleet size

“This year’s edition of the Goodyear Sustainable Reality Survey found that the popularity of using tyre technology to increase efficiency correlates to the size of the fleet,” states Maciej Szymański, marketing director Commercial Europe at Goodyear. “This is likely due to the upfront cost of buying the best-in-class tyre. However, savings over the lifetime of the tyre add up, particularly when coupled to a combined package of tyres, solutions and services like Goodyear Total Mobility that will maximise the product’s lifecycle and effectiveness.”

“The results from the survey are certainly positive, with many fleets acknowledging the difference an exceptional tyre can make” adds Szymański. “Excellent tyres provide a business with instant improvements in efficiency, and well-maintained tyres can last thousands of kilometres further. Goodyear has both the products and solutions that help fleets maximise the efficiency and life of their tyres, whether it’s with automated monitoring systems or state-of-the-art algorithms that helps the managers to deal with the issues before they lead to avoidable downtime.”