Fleet Business
East Yorkshire-based haulier HB Holt & Sons has appointed ATS Euromaster tyre and tyre service provider for its fleet of 50 trucks and 74 trailers. The agreement will see Michelin group-manufactured Taurus tyres fitted, as wear dictates, backed up by 24/7 access to emergency roadside assistance.
Bridgestone UK’s contract with Aberdeen-based operator ARR Craib has been renewed for a further year. The newly agreed deal builds on the relationship that began in 2009 and will see Bridgestone supplying a combination of new and retreaded tyres over the next 12 months to ARR Craib’s fleet of 200 trucks and 500 trailers. The company will also continue to utilise the Bridgestone Mega-Fleet system.
Irish delivery company Fegan Transport has fitted cheaper tyres to its 25 DAF tractor units and 50-plus trailers for years in a bid to save money, but less than satisfactory returns on the company’s investment led to a rethink. Having moved back to premium tyres from Continental, the company says performance and life expectancy have increased; arguably more beneficial in balancing the books than the experiment with lower-cost rubber. “We’d used Continental tyres before, and then found that some of the Chinese tyres coming onto the market were cheaper, but it took us two years to realise that this wasn’t actually the best way to go. In some cases we’d taken the tyres off the vehicles after just 40,000km, because we found that they weren’t delivering what we expected,” reveals Martin Fegan, owner of Fegan Transport Ltd.
West Yorkshire’s Bedfords Transport says it has been able to halve tyre-related breakdowns since adopting a new tyre policy with ATS Euromaster in December 2011. The company signed a new deal with its existing tyre service provider to fit Pirelli new and remould tyres across its fleet of 84 trucks and 135 trailers. During the first seven months of the contract, Bedfords Transport has recorded an average of 3.4 roadside tyre failures per month, compared to 6.4 per month during the previous year. The company credits a “closer working relationship” with ATS-E for the significant impact on operational uptime the new deal has made.
Last year we had six finalists in this category and five of them have made it through to the 2012 shortlist. In recent years, the award has been shared between B.I.T.S. and Stapleton's and this year B.I.T.S. is looking to make it double figures, while Stapleton's will be trying for three wins on the trot. Can the other three finalists – Bond International, Grouptyre and Micheldever – improve on their 2011 performances?
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe describes the renewal of its contract with GE Equipment Services Europe B.V. as being “one of the largest tyre deals in Europe.” The company initially won the tyre contract for GE’s TIP Trailer Services operation in 2006, and the renewed contract covers the supply and service of tyres for the 70,000 strong pan-European TIP fleet for the coming three years.
One of the UK’s largest water companies, Anglian Water, will begin a trial of Michelin’s cold weather tyres on its van fleet this winter. The company hopes to find a solution that will ensure its workforce can carry out vital duties safely and reliably in hostile weather. The company looks after more than six million domestic and business customers across the South East, and wants to carry out its operations unaffected by poor weather conditions.
Continental will aim to support its fleet business with the creation of two new independent departments to oversee the areas of Fleet Support and Truck Tyre Marketing across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), focussing specifically on its Conti360° Fleet Services. The company has appointed Martin Burdorf to take charge of fleet management, while Barry Guildford will become the new marketing chief. Both will report directly to Herbert Mensching, director of Marketing and Sales Truck Tyres EMEA.
Delticom is expanding its influence in the fleet market with the expansion of German operation Flotten24 and the introduction of Dutch and French versions. "In our online shops there are quality tyres for nearly every vehicle to meet every demand, including the current test winners", says Christian Schild, Key Account Manager Fleets at Delticom.
RMI Petrol, the trade association representing independent forecourt retailers in the UK has changed its name to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA). It will still be part of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI).
The world's leading car sharing network Zipcar has entered into a full Michelin tyre contract for its UK fleet. Operating in London, Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford, Zipcar will gradually introduce Michelin tyres across its fleet of 1,800 cars and vans as part of the new agreement. David Cruickshank, head of fleet for Zipcar UK, said: “At Zipcar, we obsess about the member experience and, under this agreement, we can consistently provide our vehicles with a higher quality tyre, so that our members enjoy an even better drive.
As a key partner of the technology leaders in the tyre industry, LeasePlan Corporation N.V. has announced its readiness to comply with the latest EU legislation regarding tyre labelling. As people must surely be aware by now, the new labels will rate fuel-efficiency, wet grip performance, and the exterior rolling noise of tyres.
Six companies have signed again with Bridgestone’s Truck Point network. Three companies from the UK – Downton Transport and C&H Hauliers from England, NR Evans from Wales and Yuill & Dodds from Scotland – have chosen to give Bridgestone their fleet servicing contracts, while Truck Point consolidated its position in the Republic of Ireland with two renewed contracts from National Truck Rentals in Dublin and Tops Oils in Cork.
Michelin reports that it has written to ATS Euromaster, Kwik Fit and National Tyres to ask how the three largest tyre retailers in the UK will deal with the introduction of Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). According to the company, the move was prompted by concerns raised by Michelin’s Fleet Panel. Panel members, who represent some of the biggest leasing companies in the UK, shared their views on the introduction of TPMS at a recent meeting and several said they do not believe they have been given enough information about the equipment which will be fitted to all new models of car from November this year.
George Osborne scrapped a 3p rise in fuel duty yesterday in yet another Budget U-turn. The Chancellor said the decision, which has generally been greeted with delight by motoring groups, reflected the “very difficult economic times.” An earlier duty rise in January had previously been axed and the latest freeze reportedly knocks £2.10 off the cost of filling up a typical family car, according to the Daily Mail.
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