FLEET MANAGEMENT | TYRES Van operators concentrate on resources
TYRE SAFETY
Continued from p20 job, because it is cold and wet for their customer. Reputations are made on the ability to respond to difficult calls.” While changing a full set of tyres might be a daunting prospect, particularly across a number of vans, there are longer term savings to be made. “The main advantage is value for money,” said Porteous. “Agilis CrossClimate tyres are robust, damage resistant, last a long time and provide consistent performance, right down to the wear-limit indicator. That translates into considerably less downtime over the lifetime of the vehicle, as well as lower running costs, something which is enhanced by their relatively low rolling resistance too.
Innovative “On top of that, when the weather turns wintry or a van needs to drive across muddy, grassy or slippery surfaces, Agilis CrossClimate’s innovative tread pattern and unique rubber compound, which stays compliant even in very cold conditions, greatly reduces the risk of the van losing traction and getting stuck or damaged, which 22 VANUSER • NOVEMBER 2021
N Tyre check list Set tyre pressures to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations Visually check for bulges, cuts, excessive cracking or other damage or unusual signs Move the vehicle to expose the part of the tyre that has been in contact with the ground and carry out the same visual checks. Flat patches can create internal weakness, which can lead to failure in use Check tread depth. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm around the entire circumference of the tyre in a band making up 75% of the tyre’s breadth side of the tyre. Drivers should find the code which begins with the letters DOT. A DOT code ending in “2210” indicates a tyre made in the 22nd week of 2010.
can result in expensive and time-consuming recovery and repairs.” Traditionally, anyone using a winter, or more off-road tyre, will have found that the vehicle can use slightly more fuel, or make more road noise. But Michelin insists that the same is not necessarily the case for an all-weather tyre. “In theory, that is true because the tread blocks are more open and more mobile, in order to grip the road. However, the Agilis CrossClimate is designed with innovative sipes and groove patterns, which allow the tyre to grip the road surface in poor weather but lock the blocks together when used harder in dry conditions – reducing wear and rolling resistance. Most tyres in the range are rolling resistance Grade C, which is very impressive for a snow-rated tyre,” said Porteous. “Agilis CrossClimate also delivers very similar mileage to the Michelin summer van tyres, in some cases even more, thanks to the tread design. Michelin invests heavily in research and development every year and the Agilis CrossClimate has been specifically designed to provide proven winter performance, without the tradeoff of damaging its wear life.”
ew vehicle lead times, driver shortages and fuel availability have changed the focus for many fleet managers, from cost management to resource availability, according to fleet software company FleetCheck. “Without realising it, fleets have been operating through an extended period of plenty,” said managing director Peter Golding. “If you needed drivers or vehicles or fuel, you could get them and they were in sufficient supply that you could afford to aim for the best cost. “We’ve now very clearly moved beyond that. Virtually every cost that fleets face is rising, while at the same time, supply has become noticeably limited in several essential areas. This really does represent something of a paradigm shift. Beyond safety, which should be the first consideration of every fleet, we are now moving into a situation where resource management, rather than cost, is frequently becoming the key consideration.”
Fuel shortages The recent fuel shortages were a case in point, with fleets paying whatever was asked at the pumps to keep vans moving. There is potentially a similar situation on the horizon with drivers, with many last-mile delivery companies looking to rapidly expand fleets for the Christmas rush, having to turn to costly agency drivers to keep vans moving. Finding additional vehicles to bolster fleet numbers could also be a costly exercise. “In a very real sense, if costs are going up, it is ever more important to continue to follow fleet management best practice when it comes to purchasing and operations,” said Golding.
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October was Tyre Safety Month, the industry’s annual reminder to make sure your vans’ tyres are roadworthy. Using illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres can lead to serious outcomes and in 2019 contributed to five fatal collisions and 136 serious collisions, according to figures from the Department for Transport (DfT). Motorists can be fined up to £2,500 for each faulty tyre and receive three points on their driving licence. If the police see another tyre falling short of the law, it doubles to £5,000 and 6 points. Four faulty tyres could even see the maximum 12 points, resulting in the loss of a driving licence. Commercial vehicle drivers, where the car or van is owned by their employer, could land firms with penalties of up to £20,000. The legal minimum tread depth for cars in the UK is 1.6mm. These grooves help to remove water from the contact patch between your tyres and the road surface meaning the car can brake, steer and accelerate properly. It is worth remembering that tyres which have been in use for five years or more should continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually. Any tyres in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tyres, should be replaced as a precaution, even if they still appear serviceable and have not reached the legal wear limit. The date of manufacture is shown on the
