Freight haulage firms losing money through under-inflated tyres
Date: 01 August 2007
Freight haulage companies are paying thousands of pounds in fuel costs unnecessarily because they are operating haulage trucks with under-inflated tyres.
That's according to tyre manufacturer Michelin, which has launched a campaign to alert drivers to the savings they could make if they inflated tyres correctly. Vehicles driving with not enough air in their tyres have increased rolling resistance, and this leads to an increase in fuel consumption.
Although the campaign is aimed mainly at car drivers, the company says that the principle equally applies to trucks. In fact, Michelin believes that haulage truck tyres under-inflated by ten per cent could reduce fuel efficiency by 1.5 per cent.
When it is considered how much money is spent by logistics drivers on fuel, the savings that could be made are obvious.
Teesside company Bulmer Logistics found that it was running many trucks with the incorrect tyre pressure, RoadTransport.com reports. Some were up to 50 per cent under-inflated.
The firm estimated that it would make savings of more than £180,000 a year if it made savings of 0.15 miles per gallon using properly inflated tyres.
User Comments
No Comments