National fast fit operator, Hi-Q Fleet, has secured a major contract to supply the tyre management service to an expanding contract hire and lease company. Business & Vehicle Finance Ltd, based in Swansea, provides contract hire and vehicle leasing to local and national companies with a current fleet of over 100 cars and vans – and a plan to expand this to over 500 by the end of the year.
Nobody would deny the safety and convenience benefits afforded by Michelin’s revolutionary PAX run-flat tyres, which allow motorists to travel safely for 125 miles (below 50 mph) on punctured tyres. More problematical, however, is finding someone who can fix the puncture, or replace the tyre. Good news then for PAX customers in the Midlands – Chemix in Halesowen has now received full Michelin accreditation for the supply and fit, including puncture repairs of PAX tyres.
Bury St Edmunds based R H Claydon distributes tyres from its headquarters and a further four branches across the UK using a fleet of over 30 vehicles, the majority of which are Renault Master vans. The fleet has grown in recent years as R H Claydon has supplied customers in new areas.
Viking Tyres has launched an exclusive promotion for all its dealers, with the chance for up to five staff at the winning dealership to win a fantastic Apple Ipod as a reward for Viking Tyre sales. The promotion will run during the final quarter of 2006 enabling the winners to claim their prizes before Christmas.
Vredestein Tyres has further expanded its varied range with a number of new sizes. Vredestein has an excellent reputation as winter tyre specialist. The most new sizes are in the Wintrac Xtreme UHP winter tyre and its SUV/4×4 cousin, the Wintrac 4 Xtreme. There are no less than 11 new sizes for the Xtreme Until now, the Wintrac 4 Xtreme was available in 16 different sizes, but Vredestein has now added an additional five sizes to the range.
Motorists who work on their own vehicles at home often want to lift the car to remove a wheel or even carry out an underbody examination, perhaps of the exhaust system. The emergency jack provided with the car is designed specifically just to enable a wheel change, lifting the vehicle at the correct point by the minimum amount required only to change a flat tyre. So having a robust small trolley jack at home is a useful aid to safe lifting for more extensive work.
Kwik-Fit is renewing its fleet of 200 mobile vans. Twenty-one new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans have already joined the fleet and a further 27 vehicles will be ordered shortly. Eventually Sprinters will replace the entire current fleet of Renault Masters and Ford Transits.
As well as being equipped with the latest tyre changing technology, the new vehicles have undergone a corporate livery makeover. The newly liveried vans also promote the Kwik-Fit website – www.kwik-fit.com. The new vehicles are all also equipped with ‘third arms’ which mean ultra-low profile and run-flat tyres can be replaced at the location of driver choice.
Bosch has been a major player in the automotive battery sector ever since the company began its pioneering work as far back as 1927. Things are very different nowadays from nearly eight decades ago; the addition of electric windows, sunroofs, ABS, air conditioning, other in-car equipment such as DVD players and satellite navigation has resulted in increasing demand on the modern power supply and a reduced battery life. However, continuing investment in research and development ensures that Bosch batteries continue to consistently meet market requirements, with little or no increase in overall size or weight.
Pakistan has published a list of 38 items, which are banned from being imported into the country from India. Interestingly retreaded tyres and part-worn tyres feature on the list alongside a string of unsavoury items including: Cannabis, Opium, tanks, machine guns, automatic rifles and armoured vans! A number of more innocuous items including lambs, rabbits and freezers also feature on the list. The 2006 Import Policy Order issued by the Pakistani Ministry of Commerce lists 773 items that can be imported into Pakistan during the 2006/07 financial year. India has complained that the law is against the letter and spirit of the South Asia Free Trade (SAFTA) agreement, which came into force on 1 January 2006.
Renault Vans and Penny Hydraulics have got together to offer fully equipped tyre service vehicles, complete with tools and lifting equipment, available from £377 a month. A demonstration Renault Master highlights the two companies’ capabilities under a “Partners in Success and Safety” theme.
Every month InfoRoute Truck Tyre Manager (TTM) processes tyre inspection details for over 8,000 trucks and trailers across the UK. Glyn Cainey, truck tyre director at Dexel Tyre Company, says: “TTM helps staff with no specialist computer knowledge improve service, increase fitter productivity and win more business”. Dexel, one of the larger UK independent tyre companies with nearly 40 truck tyre service vehicles, has used TTM for over two years. A team of three inspectors use TTM to find and organise work, ensuring that fleets are economically and safely managed.
PCL has reported excellent feedback from Reifen visitors viewing its world-leading portfolio of tyre inflation products. UK-based PCL welcomed representatives of tyre shops, mobile tyre vans, garages, car dealers, fleet and transport managers from Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Thailand, Germany, Poland, Korea and Iceland. Substantial orders were placed for the EC-approved Airforce – PCL’s brand new generation of mechanical handheld air line gauges.
Maha has introduced a four-post lift which will be able to test vehicles with a wheel base exceeding 4.4 metres, in both the MOT and ATL configuration. With the introduction of the new range of vans with a wheelbase exceeding 4.4 metres, most class VII lifts will not be able to lift these vehicles when the front wheels are on the turn plates or the shaker plates.
Fleet decision-makers are failing to grasp the importance of managing occupational road safety with glaring holes in policies and procedures uncovered in a survey by Kwik-Fit Fleet. A nationwide survey of 162 fleet operators by corporate sales managers at Kwik-Fit Fleet, Britain’s largest independent fast-fit organisation, has uncovered a widespread failure to embrace best practice in numerous risk management issues.
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Figures published last week by the SMMT show truck registrations grew 9.6 per cent for the rolling year, despite the massive distortion caused by the introduction of digital tachographs. If vans and other light commercial vehicles are included in the picture, the rolling year total drops, down 1.4 per cent to 390,202 units, but the total for the month of May is up 1.4 per cent to 31,293.
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