Fleet Business
Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, the Bridgestone business focused on data-driven mobility solutions such as Webfleet, has debuted what it calls the “world’s first comprehensive EV Services Platform for fleets.” It describes this EV Services Platform as a “unique ecosystem that integrates solutions of industry leading mobility and energy providers into a single platform.”
Bridgestone will exhibit its Bridgestone Fleet Care portfolio of tyre products, services and solutions when it returns to Las Vegas’s Consumer Electronics Show (Booth 4465 in West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center; 9-12 January). The end-to-end customer experience targets sustainability, efficiency, safety and productivity in fleets of all sizes with a range of customisable options. The company will also host its strategic partners Truckers Against Trafficking, Kodiak, and Penske to discuss how the transportation industry can help address today’s societal challenges. The panels will be live-streamed for those unable to attend the show in person.
Cheshire-based logistics provider Brit European has extended its long-standing relationship with Prometeon Tyre Group with the renewal of its 12-month rolling Pay-as-You-Go contract, which includes Prometeon’s ‘PRO Management’ central billing and tyre management tool. This agreement covers Brit European’s entire fleet of 162 tractor units and rigids, 201 trailers, and a mix of cars and vans. Prometeon supplies Brit European with its latest Pirelli Serie02 tyre products.
Continental relaunched the Bandvulc retreading plant it acquired in 2016 as the ContiLifeCycle plant in March. Based on what Conti EMEA’s head of commercial consumer solutions Ralf Benack described as the existing “deep knowledge” of Bandvulc, the facility in Ivybridge, Devon has become a technical innovation hub for the company’s tyre retreading programme in the region. When Tyres & Accessories visited the plant later in the year, the manufacturer revealed the results of strong annual investments and its innovative implementation of automated processes for increased efficiency, and the key role that reatreading plays in Conti’s overall sustainability strategy.
Research by Bridgestone and Webfleet has found that 85 per cent of UK fleet operators are seeking ways to spend less in 2023. Sentiment in the sector is not optimistic about their business prospects too, with more than a third of HGV operators (36%) predicting that they will contract. The tyre manufacturer and its fleet services arm commissioned research consultancy Perspectus Global to conduct online research with more than 200 UK fleet decision makers in an attempt to appreciate the economic landscape from their unique perspective and how they plan to navigate their way through it. Following this research, the companies said that they have compiled four money-saving solutions to ease fleets’ financial pressures.
The Michelin Fleet Panel recently met for the first time in four years: the panel includes representatives from some of the UK’s biggest leasing, fleet management and rental companies, as well as several major end-user fleets and, at the meeting, it addressed a series of industry challenges. The meeting was held at the Wakefield site of Aston Barclay, the independent remarketing group and vehicle auction house. The panel has been meeting for more than 20 years; membership is voluntary and participants are not required to be Michelin customers. Members called for the industry to accelerate progress towards more sustainable tyres and improve support for fleet managers transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs).
Hazardous good transport specialist Clarke Transport is fitting Michelin’s X Multi new and Remix tyres to its fleet of 475 trucks and trailers. Clarke Transport switched to an exclusive Michelin tyre policy following its three-year partnership with Michelin Connected Fleet, which resulted in improved fleet tracking and driver behaviour. Service provider Tructyre supplies and fits the X Multi tyres, while Tuf Treads in South Wales also conducts some of its local work. The worn tyres will be regrooved and retreaded as Michelin Remix tyres maximising the life of each new Michelin casing. The contract is managed by Michelin’s Services & Solutions division. The Midlands firm said using an exclusive Michelin policy will cut costs and reduce downtime.
As part of efforts to diversify its activities, in 2021 Michelin launched Watèa by Michelin, a France-based business that helps fleets transition to electric mobility. Watèa is now extending its remit to fuel cell vehicles, and Michelin speaks of an ambition to “conquer hydrogen mobility.”
Goodyear has integrated its data into a third-party system in its tyre management solutions for the Off-The-Road (OTR) industry with the Hiboo platform. By adding data yielded from Goodyear TPMS Heavy Duty, users of the platform can access unified tyre health and vehicle performance analytics. Goodyear says the integration helps drive OTR fleet’s operational efficiency. Unexpected machine stoppages and inappropriate tyre pressure can easily lead to breakdowns, which incur heavy costs in any segment – even more so in OTR applications, where access to maintenance and replacement products can be more challenging than in on-road commercial applications. The manufacturer says that the key to supporting these demands lies in harnessing the power of data integration proactively to enable more preventative maintenance.
Newport haulier Jaga Brothers says it has saved £35,000 in fuel costs across its fleet of 42 trucks and a further £5,600 in tyre replacements on its 130 trailers, following its partnership with Michelin Connected Fleet. The company added that its access to vehicle data analysis has helped its drivers to implement driving behaviour improvements, further affecting positively its cost savings. The company was already using an exclusively Michelin tyre policy before rolling out the Connected Fleet solutions that have yielded additional efficiencies. Jaga Brothers managing director, James Hill, says: “The Michelin Connected Fleet solutions have had a huge financial impact on our business. Our aim was for the service to start paying for itself in the first year and the figures so far have exceeded our expectations.”
Goodyear will present its comprehensive Goodyear Total Mobility integrated fleet offer at Solutrans 2023 (Hall 5, Stand A031, 21-25 November 2023, Lyon Eurexpo, France). Goodyear will present its latest tyres and fleet mobility solutions, including Goodyear TPMS, Goodyear CheckPoint, and Goodyear DrivePoint. The company has designed an interactive exhibition of physical and virtual features that will showcase the integration of Goodyear Total Mobility components with its web and mobile applications, all powered by advanced data processing capabilities. Overall, Goodyear says it will show how it can maximise fleets’ efficiency, competitiveness and sustainability at the trade fair for haulage and urban transport professionals.
Fleet use of independent garages is around a quarter higher for company cars and vans aged four years old compared to their one-year-old counterparts, research shows.
New data from epyx shows that buying of service, maintenance and repair (SMR) shifts from 30 per cent independent garage and 70 per cent franchise dealer at 1-2 years old to 35:65 at 2-3 years old, 40:60 at 3-4 years old and 38:62 at four years old and over.
Point S Tyre & Autocare has unveiled new fleet signage for its UK members that reflects the “significant progress” made by the independent tyre dealer and car maintenance network’s fleet programme over the last 14 months. Truck Tyre Solutions in Oldbury is the first Point S member to implement the signage onto its point of sale, leading a long list of members “showing strong interest in representing the network’s exclusive fleet solution.”
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.
Michelin has detailed the ways in which its Michelin Connected Fleet system has helped parent company Michelin cut harsh driving events by 25 per cent across the 54 vans operated by its Services and Solutions division in the UK. The company has achieved the savings after introducing the fleet management technologies it deploys for end-user fleets. In the initial six-month, technology is improving driver behaviour after reducing speeding events by 46 per cent, particularly in 30mph and 50mph zones, as well as cutting engine idling by 14 per cent. Over 12 months, the driving style changes are projected to help improve fuel efficiency by 5.8 per cent across the fleet, reducing CO2 emissions by 5.6 per cent per kilometre travelled.
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