Page 24 - CTB N15 - 2016-03

BUS & COACH TYRES
One of Nottingham City Transport’s Buses
Goodyear Dunlop Impresses with All Round Service Package
Goodyear Dunlop have recently started to focus on the Bus and Coach industry with a package that includes TruckForce technicians from sites across the UK providing service work to the fleets, meaning some customer sites have a TruckForce technician based there full time.
The service work that TruckForce provides includes; regular pressure maintenance, regrooving and repair work on tyres and breakdown cover across the UK. Partnered with Actionline ServiceLine, customers are provided with 24 hour breakdown coverage across the UK and Europe. In 2015 more than 47,000 high priority breakdown jobs were registered in the UK with an average job completion rate of 117 minutes from the time the breakdown was registered. All this means valuable savings for fleet operators thanks to cutting costly unproductive downtime.
One bus fleet that has recently made the move to Goodyear Dunlop is Newport Bus. Scott Pearson, the Managing Director at Newport Bus, explains why the decision was made to move to Goodyear Dunlop; “We didn’t make this change lightly. With TruckForce we get a local service partner who understands the demands on our fleet and the environment in which we operate. The enhanced support we now have on tyre husbandry and roadside assistance, means we can proactively reduce any tyre related downtime of our vehicles.
Marc Preedy, Commercial Director at Goodyear Dunlop UK & Ireland, added: “We are finding that the
support we can offer through TruckForce is of particular strength to bus fleets like Newport Bus. Tyres are a big investment for large bus fleets and as a business, we are committed to helping our customers manage their Total Cost of Ownership. For us it isn’t only about supplying and fitting a high performing and innovative product, it’s about supporting our customers to fulfil their objectives through a more proactively managed tyre policy. To do this our dedicated service network, TruckForce, gives customers access to local commercial tyre experts to assist them.” Goodyear also has its own range of specific bus tyres; UrbanMax. The technology of the UrbanMax range is a specific combination, which tries to enchance year round tyre performance for better fleet efficiency, including the capability for regrooving and retreading. There are two key products in the UrbanMax range; UrbanMax MCA and UrbanMax MCD. The UrbanMax MCA is a steer and all-position tyre, which provides high mileage, even wear and performance in wet and snow. UrbanMax MCD is a drive tyre for winter and wet conditions, providing good traction, high mileage and even wear.
Scott Pearson concluded, “We were impressed with the UrbanMax product, in particular its durability and all season capability. What really clinched it for us was the complete package of the UrbanMax product together with the service offer from TruckForce.”
mechanics have been through the Giti Training Course and all orders are delivered next-day. Overall I am delighted with both the product and the company.”
The GAU861 has been designed with an extra reinforced sidewall to ensure maximum resistance to curbing and impact damage, while a 20.2mm deep, unique tread pattern ensures good mileage performance combined with extra comfort and reduced noise for passenger comfort. The tyre recently achieved
three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) certification, confirming its all-season performance credentials. It also carries M+S marking to indicate excellent traction and braking in mud and snow conditions
“By bringing tyre purchasing and fitting in-house we were looking to maximise our return-on-investment, and this aim has ultimately been achieved,” concludes Gary Mason, Engineering Director at Nottingham City Transport.
Vacu-Lug and Westlake Develop All Position Tyre CR 906
Westlake have collaborated with their UK partner Vacu-Lug to develop what they consider to be their most popular bus and or coach fitment under the Westlake brand. This has been realised through the all position tyre, CR906. This particular product provides both good steering and abrasion resistance for urban and passenger
transport operations. The CR906 has been designed with the specific intention of being used for both urban and regional operations with frequent speed changes and tight turns. Additionally, the tyre is characterised by high resistance to
kerb impact with strengthened sidewall. As well as this, Westlake and Vacu-Lug have insisted that the tyre has good road grip qualities, combined with high mileage performance. The CR906 is available in the size 275/ 70R22.5.
Nottingham City Transport Picking-Up Profits With GT Radial City-Bus Tyre
CR906
Nottingham City Transport has shortlisted the GT Radial GAU861 urban city-bus as an all-position tyre of choice following a two-year project to maximise return-on- investment. The operator, who was originally contracted to a premium manufacturer until April 2014, took purchasing in-house to gain access to the open market. Following, a trial period where several brands were tested in year-one, four products were selected for further evaluation.
The GAU861 tyres in size 275/70R22.5 have been utilised on
both steer and drive axles across the entire Scania chassis fleet, including both single and double deck bus bodies in 4x2 configurations. Graham Smith, Engineering Manager for Nottingham City Transport, said: “When we were considering our options the key attributes were mileage, wear-rate and comfort versus cost, and the GAU861 has ultimately proven itself to be a very good all-position tyre with excellent feedback from the drivers themselves.
“In addition the value-added services have been exceptional, five
24 Commercial Tyre Business
CommercialTyre
Management
and Fleet Business