Continental bolsters training and advice for CV operators

Continental Tyres has launched a new tyre maintenance awareness campaign for commercial vehicle operators, with the aim of drawing attention to common faults, issues and failures.

The launch comes as the company’s popular in-house training centre, ContiAcademy, announces the reintroduction of its full faceto-face training programme for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Comprising of a series of five short films, the tyre maintenance campaign covers key topics such as getting the best performance from your tyres, how to inspect a tyre, reducing the risk of a blowout and how to correctly regroove a tyre. Many of the hints and tips featured within the videos will be relevant to all operators, irrespective of their current tyre brand.

Steve Howat, General Manager for Technical Services at Continental Tyre Group, said: “As an expert in the commercial vehicle industry, Continental is proud to support hauliers across the UK, by sharing knowledge and best practice. Preventable tyre issues can not only cost fleet operators’ money, but they can also pose a risk to drivers and public safety. “These videos will help everyone, no matter the brand of tyre that they use, to reduce the danger posed by a failing tyre, maximise rubber longevity and cut vehicle running costs.” Operators looking to further their knowledge and understanding of tyre maintenance may benefit from one of the courses offered by the ContiAcademy. The centre embraced virtual training in 2020, but after a period of hybrid working and a staged re-instatement of in-person courses, the ContiAcademy is now offering its full suite of training courses from its Lutterworth site. Gwyn Fennell, Continental’s Technical Service and Training Manager, said: “It’s great that we’ve been able to reintroduce our full range of in-person training courses once again. Being able to interact with our customers is a big part of the service that we offer, and we find that they value the time spent working with and learning from others. Of course, we appreciate that training requires a time investment, which is why we’re continuing to offer online solutions, too.”

During the pandemic, Continental upgraded the facilities at the ContiAcademy to better accommodate sessions when restrictions eased. The academy now has a larger, refurbished training room, allowing for an increase in class capacity on many courses. Popular amongst businesses in recent months has been ContiAcademy’s Wheel Security and Driver Training courses. The latter highlights to HGV drivers the things they should be looking out for in order to maximise tyre life and mitigate damage. Elsewhere, the REACT and Licenced Tyre Technician training sessions continue to be well received, as is the EV training session. Last year, Continental’s internal technical team hosted training and webinars for 400 customers on the topic of e-mobility and its impact on tyres. The closer co-operation with Continental Automotive’s VDO Academy, based in Birmingham, has led to an expanded offer of Commercial Vehicle related training courses. These include various levels of Electric and Hybrid vehicle training, which is accredited by the Institute of the Motor Industry, as well as DVSA approved Tachograph courses and Driver Hours courses.The addition of VDO Academy’s courses focused on safety and legislation are further complimented by the introduction of innovative products, such as Continental’s Verified Inspection, which is available to see within ContiAcademy’s newly refurbished training facility.