Bridgestone is expanding its Webfleet management solution with the introduction of the new flagship Driver Terminal, Pro X. Specifically designed for truck and van fleets, Bridgestone describes Pro X as a “rugged professional tablet” that comes with enhanced performance and quick access to Webfleet Work App and professional navigation.
Through its Translogik division, Transense Technologies plc has secured a contract with Logistics UK, an association that completes at least 50,000 vehicle inspections per year for its more than 21,000 members. To enhance the efficiency of these inspection services, Transense is developing a bespoke solution that offers an industry‐leading tyre condition monitoring service to member fleets, regardless of type or size.
Truck fleets operating Krone trailers can now take advantage of Bridgestone’s Webfleet management solution via the OEM.connect partner programme. This enables operators to easily connect their Krone trailers to the Webfleet platform via factory fitted telematics, eliminating the need for aftermarket hardware installations. Bridgestone comments that by doing so, they can “access powerful trailer data to boost trailer utilisation, reduce downtime and improve overall safety and security while saving costs and time.”
The latest upgrade to the Continental LODC simulation tool will provide aftermarket users with a product that more closely meets their requirements. In addition to simulating the impact of VECTO, a feature carried over from the previous incarnation, the new version broadens its scope to cover additional factors that play a major role for the aftermarket, such as lowering operating costs and reducing fuel consumption. These precise simulations thus aid fleet customers optimise their tyre strategies and in turn achieve substantial savings.
Fifty-eight per cent of fleet managers expect to implement artificial intelligence (AI) within the next five years, according to a new global study released by Webfleet to commemorate its 25th anniversary. The research, commissioned by Bridgestone’s fleet management solution, was conducted across 15 countries with 1,800 fleet managers participating to provide insights into the current and future landscape of fleet digitisation. The findings indicate a growing commitment to increasing investment in digital fleet solutions, with AI and electric vehicle (EV) technologies expected to play a central role.
Direct Tyre Management Limited (DTM) is under new ownership. Self-managed investment trust company Caledonia Investments plc has acquired a majority stake in the independent outsourced fleet tyre management services provider for £55 million. The DTM management team has reinvested alongside Caledonia to obtain 100 per cent of the business from investors, including Palatine Private Equity.
ATS Euromaster has introduced two innovative digital tools designed to support fleet managers in their daily operations: the Fleet Manager Portal and the Mobile Booking Tyre Assistant.
Michelin aims to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions across its Stoke-on-Trent-based logistics fleet in 2024 by transitioning to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a diesel replacement. The company has secured 400,000 litres of HVO to be used until the end of the year.
Continental will work with with Samsara, a global telematics provider, to deliver comprehensive, data-driven fleet management solutions for truck trailers. Both companies will exchange data points to provide customers with access to a broad spectrum of trailer data, including in-tyre sensor data from Continental, such as tyre pressure and mileage.
A new name appeared on our radar in 2017 when Prometeon Tyre Group began producing the existing 01 Series truck and bus tyre range. Prometeon followed this by playing an active role in developing a successor, the Serie 02. This range debuted in 2022, and by that time the company was gaining market share both in the UK and elsewhere, aided by a multi-brand product portfolio. The Prometeon name came out into the open with the launch of the SuperTruck service network, which arrived in the UK last year – and the name will soon gain an even greater presence in the market.
Continental has published a White Paper exploring the basic structure, technical background and overall landscape of the commercial vehicle tyre market. Published in full colour and available as a digital download, the 40-page White Paper “offers extensive information on the fundamentals of tyre design, tyre development and tyre production.”
After the doldrums of the “COVID years”, new vehicle sales are slowly recovering. The SMMT reports that the UK new car market clocked up its 20th consecutive month of growth in March, with a 10.4% year-on-year rise in registrations, adding 320,000 new cars – the best March since 2019; whilst 53,000 new light commercial vehicles also joined UK roads in March as more fleet owners upgraded to the latest models than in any other month in the last three years – an increase of 11.1%.
New legislation applicable to Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) will come into effect within the European Union from 7 July. The new law outlines the minimum operating standard for TPMS devices, including the data that’s displayed to drivers in real-time.
During the official launch of its fifth-generation Conti Eco truck tyre range, the team at Continental frequently touched on the subject of sustainability, addressing this as both as a desirable target for fleets and as a factor driving massive legislative change in Europe. Cost pressures were also high on the agenda. To accommodate the demands posed by both factors, Continental states its aim of finding the right balance, meeting cost targets in the most sustainable way.
Giti Tire’s European truck and bus portfolio has utilised its latest tyre launch to highlight a move to a range of tyres that the tyre maker says deliver vastly improved Rolling Resistance Coefficient (RRC) – the Giti GDL617 Ecoroad. The newcomer is based on the well-received Giti GDL617 long-haul drive pattern and features a new and innovative tread compound that significantly lowers hysteresis generation, raising the RRC up two grades to a B.
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