Four Effective Tyre Management Practices
Tyre expenses are typically the third highest expense for a fleet, behind fuel and labour and have been reported to make up 20% of the aggregate costs for most fleets.
It is therefore paramount that companies manage their tyres and implement practices that reduce this expense wherever possible. The best way to reduce this cost is to get more life out of your tyres. A good tyre management program will help you do just that.
Here are four effective ways to manage your tyres and get more life out of them, resulting in an improved bottom line for your company.
1. Maintain Load Capacity
Your tyres are responsible for the entire weight of your truck and its load. A common mistake for drivers is to transport a load greater than what their tyres have been manufactured to carry.
For each 10% of overcapacity, tyre life is shortened by around 16%.
To ensure you buy the correct tyres for your vehicle and its load, divide the total weight of the vehicle and load by the number of tyres. For example, if the vehicle and load total 18 tonnes, and it is supported by 18 wheels, you’ll need to buy tyres with a load rating of 1 tonne.
2. Check Tyre Pressure
Tyre pressure can impact the durability of the rubber and risk the safety of the driver. Over-inflated tyres wear in the center, and under-inflated tyres wear on the shoulders, damaging the sidewalls. For every 10% of under inflation, there is a 1% diminishing factor in efficiency and a 7% in tyre life.
Daily air pressure checks, to ensure tyres are inflated correctly, will improve tyre durability and increase fuel efficiency by up to 3%. Get your drivers to check for damage to the tyres before, during, and after every trip.
3. Ensure Wheel Alignment and Balance
Misaligned and poorly balanced wheels are a major cause of tyre wear – tyres that are out of alignment by only 0.5cm can reduce tyre life by 25 percent.
Encourage your drivers to check alignment and balance at regular intervals, to increase the life of the tyre and improve driver safety.
4. Ensure a Clean and Tidy Storage Facility
The life of a tyre is impacted by the environment in which it is stored – oil, grease, fuel, water and metallic debris can degrade tyre rubber. It is imperative that your fleet is stored in a facility that is cool and dry, with a contamination-free surface.
Magnetech provides periodic magnetic sweeping services throughout the year to help companies maintain safe and clean storage facilities. This will lead to increased tyre life and therefore improved bottom line. Companies who should consider magnetic sweeping are ones who work with wooden pallets (held together by nails), machinery, and other metal components.
Magnetic sweeping saves you time & money. Contact us today to for a free quote and TracMap plan for your site.