Michelin has secured a new three-year Effitires contract to supply, fit and manage the tyres across the Fred Sherwood Group’s entire HGV fleet – totalling in excess of 650 trucks and trailers. The deal includes Fred Sherwood Transport, Bulk Freight, KJ Transport and George Varney Bulk Services – marking a return to a 100 per cent Michelin policy for the Group, following several years of running a rival manufacturer’s tyres.
Services provided by location data platform Here Technologies are being integrated into the Goodyear Total Mobility one-stop fleet management solution. Goodyear says that by combining its solution with Here’s services, fleets can benefit from a fully customisable suite of vehicle-to-fleet operation management tools that will minimise vehicle downtime.
M&N Transport is a Wiltshire-based bulk transport firm. The company runs its growing commercial vehicle fleet of 35 trucks and 40 trailers exclusively on Michelin, having found the tyres to last significantly longer than any other truck tyre in the market. M&N is also utilising Michelin’s Effitrailer telematics package across its fleet of trailers and the company has experienced reduced downtime and cut its fuel costs since making the switch to Michelin, improving the sustainability of its operation in the process.
Vehicle rental company Collease has signed a two-year agreement with Bridgestone, incorporating all types of trailers and motorised equipment. Collease operates around 2,000 vehicles from the east of England. It said Bridgestone’s flexibility, attention to detail, and long-term approach to fleet management secured the partnership.
Belfast last-mile van fleet FJM Logistics has opted to fit Michelin’s all-season van tyre, the Agilis CrossClimate, across its 37 vans. Michelin says the move will halve the number of tyres fitted over the coming year, as well as offering year-round traction and grip. FJM Logistics delivers up to 5,000 parcels every day, and the intensiveness of its operations led managing director Fraser Orr to take a closer look at the firm’s tyre fitment policy.
Skip hire, recycling and aggregates business PSH Environmental has specified Michelin’s X Mine D2 Pro tyres across its fleet of Volvo wheeled loaders. As a result, the company says it has eliminated all instances of punctures. Nigel Parker, who runs PSH Environmental alongside his brother Martyn, says: “We fit the Michelin product because it is by far the best option for our wheeled loaders. The Volvos are fantastic machines, working in a very tough environment and we use a premium tyre to ensure we get the best out of them and avoid costly downtime.
Pirelli is partnering with Geotab, a global leader in connected transportation. The new partnership sees Pirelli’s Cyber Fleet system available on the Geotab Marketplace. The new integrated offer, which aims to assist in improving fleets’ operating efficiency and sustainability, will be rolled out initially in key European markets before being extended to the United States, Canada and Brazil, Pirelli said.
TyreWatch has recently expanded its tyre management platform with AutoAlign, continuously monitoring for wheel misalignment, an issue it estimates affects a third of UK commercial vehicles, and VanSmart, a specific system for light commercial vehicles. With the new systems, TyreWatch has expanded its service offering further around the transport industry as it strives to balance commercial considerations with safety, compliance and ecological green initiatives. It says they enable fleet managers across all commercial sectors to reduce running costs and increase safety while limiting the environmental impact of their operation.
Northampton-based Britannia Bus, which operates five local service bus routes, is on course to eliminate instances of punctures across its six-strong fleet after beginning the switch to a Michelin tyre policy two years ago. Managing Director Derek Taylor says he would previously suffer a puncture within the fleet at least once a month, but since beginning the move to a Michelin X Multi Z policy, the new tyres have delivered 100 per cent uptime.
Diesel spills from HGVs are listed as a major cause of death and serious injury on the UK’s roads. In addition, they represent both an obvious environmental contamination issue and unnecessary wastage of a fleet’s most costly commodity. A company based in the UK, with offices on four continents, TISS has innovated a range of award-winning fuel security products to tackle this issue, called TankSafe. Approved by leading truck original equipment manufacturers, the product can be fitted on new-build trucks or purchased for fitment retrospectively from distributors in 60 countries. In recognition of the brand’s global reputation, TISS has opted to rebrand the company TankSafe. TISS CEO, Ryan Wholey, explained that the “global transport industry trusts and respects the TankSafe brand, so it makes sense to fully align our identity with that.” He added that the flagship TankSafe Optimum “is far more than an anti-siphon. It certainly stops all fuel theft but, crucially, makes roads safer and protects the environment due to its unique capability to prevent overfilling of fuel tanks and diesel spills.”
To find out more about TankSafe and its products, click here.
Translink has signed a contract to protect its entire 1,400-strong bus and coach fleet with the latest generation Wheely-Safe technology. The deal was secured following a successful trial that highlighted the unique safety benefits of the system. Northern Ireland’s biggest public transport provider will now roll out the full suite of Wheely-Safe’s intelligent tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), wheel loss and brake temperature sensing systems over the course of the next 12 months.
Skelmersdale headquartered tyre management specialist DTM, which is backed by Palatine Private Equity, has acquired TyreWatch, Europe’s market-leading provider of real-time tyre monitoring technology. Based in Basingstoke, TyreWatch provides digital tyre management services to monitor and manage the wheels and tyres of HGVs and public service vehicles. Established in 2017, it has grown to support clients across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.
PJ Thory Ltd has installed a TyreWatch system to monitor and control tyre maintenance and safety across its extensive 8-wheeler HGV fleet. The firm’s diverse operation spans mixed haulage, aggregate supplies, waste management and demolition. Working with TyreWatch technicians and Prometeon Tyre Group, the agro and off-road tyre specialist, PJ Thory, undertook an analysis and short trial to assess their requirements and bed-in the new tyre pressure management system (TPMS), which is now fitted to 11 Scania vehicles with a number of new DAF 8 wheelers to follow.
Work has begun on an ambitious new project by First Bus that will transform its Glasgow Caledonia bus depot into the UK’s largest Electric Vehicle (EV) charging hub. The plans mark another major milestone on the leading transport operator’s sustainable travel roadmap and follows its pledge to only invest in zero-emission vehicles from December 2022, with a 100 per cent zero-emission fleet by 2035.
Wardle-based Boughey Distribution has specified the fitment of Michelin X Multi Energy tyres to all new vehicles joining its fleet, thus maintaining its policy of 100 per cent Michelin fitment across all axles. Boughey will be taking delivery of 127 new Volvo FH 460 6×2 tractor units with Globetrotter XL cabs over the next two years, all shod with 315/70 R22.5 Michelin X Multi Energy drive tyres.
Edward Moss Photography