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NEWS
Fleet Transport Association Confirm Retreaders’ Experience
Retreaders and tyre suppliers have known for years that truck drivers and fleet owners neglect their tyres, this being seen in the number of damages or overused casings that arrive for retreading, or in the tyre management surveys carried out by tyre suppliers. However, now the UK’s Fleet Transport Association (FTA) has confirmed this with its own research. Throughout 2011, the FTA conducted research to analyse the defects that in-service Heavy Goods
Vehicles (HGVs) have. The results, which were collected over four, two week periods, revealed over 1,000 tyre defects on the 6,000 vehicles inspected.
The FTA is one of the UK’s largest trade associations and represents the
transport interests of companies moving goods by road, rail, sea and air. For over 45 years FTA’s Vehicle Inspection Service has been supporting companies by inspecting and auditing the safety, legality and overall performance of their commercial vehicles, related equipment and general maintenance arrangements, to ensure that fleets operate to a consistently high, UK standard.
The team inspected the tyres for defects including
tread depth, under inflation, objects in the tread and the condition of the side wall.
According to the FTA analysis, tread depth, tread cuts and objects in the tread, accounted for almost 60 per cent of all of the defects
found. These defects would be swiftly identified through effective tyre husbandry and regular maintenance checks.
Alan Osborne, FTA’s Director of Vehicle Inspections said, “Tyre care plays a huge part in a vehicle’s road
safety performance, for example underinflation will affect vehicle handling and braking performance while increasing fuel consumption and tyre wear. But tyre defects also give rise to other potential costs in terms of test failures, failed roadside checks, GFPs for the driver and, potentially, greater targeting by VOSA. Our VIS team has analysed thousands of customers’ tyre data and clearly drivers and operators should be particularly mindful of the depth of their tyre tread, especially with winter weather being with us."
Backed by Goodyear Dunlop, TruckForce provides a premium truck tyre service and breakdown assistance support network across the UK, and believes that commercial fleets unnecessarily overspend on both fuel and tyres. TruckForce
provides a value for
money offering that
delivers a complete
tyre life cycle
management and
care service.
Adam Stanton,
Goodyear Dunlop’s
Product Marketing
Manager for
Commercial tyres
said: “We at TruckForce believe that through efficient tyre husbandry; ensuring tyres are maintained at the correct pressure, tread depth and in the best possible condition, fleets are only paying for what they need and are not purchasing additional tyres unnecessarily.
“Once the customer has bought a tyre, the TruckForce team will get the longest and most efficient performance from the tyre as possible. Given that fuel takes up at least 25 per cent of a fleet’s total operating costs, and that the state of the tyre severely impacts a vehicle’s fuel efficiency, the need to manage tyres is greater than ever.”
Description
% Defects
Tread Depth
28
Tread Cuts
16
Object in Tread
14
Under inflation/puncture
10
Side Wall
9
Tread other damage
8
Tyre mismatch – tread/direction/size
6
Valve Extension Format
2
RMA Helps Reduce Retreading Accident Rates
One of the roles of the Retread Manufacturers Association is to provide its members with help and advice on areas such as Health and Safety. As a member of TRISAG (Tyre and Rubber Industries Safety Action Group) and its predecessor RUBIAC (Rubber Industry Advisory Committee) the Association has liaised with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and well as other rubber industry groups and associations to help provide up to date H&S information to its members with a view to helping reduce overall accident rates in the industry.
Since 2005 the RMA has monitored its progress in this information
campaign by collecting and recording accident statistics within the retreading industry. The Association is pleased to report that during this six year period, the Association has managed to help the retreading industry achieve a massive 86 per cent reduction in RIDDOR reportable accidents (accidents resulting in 3 or more days absence from work).
RMA Director David Wilson explains; “When we started collecting accident statistics from RMA members in 2005, we found that the RIDDOR accident rate within the retreading industry stood at 3,080 accidents per 100,000 employees per annum, which was
significantly above the national industrial average. Over a six year period, however, we have seen an ongoing and constant improvement in accident rates and our latest figures show a rate of only 420 accidents per 100,000 employees, which equates with the best figures anywhere in industry”.
All RMA members receive a comprehensive Health and Safety Information pack and receive regular H&S updates including relevant HSE information leaflets. The Association also provides members with a free Health and Safety Hotline service.
In addition to collecting data on RIDDOR reportable accidents, the
RMA has also been collecting data on all other accidents with a view to initiating an information campaign to help reduce the most prevalent types of accident within the industry.
Says Wilson: “We have been absolutely delighted with the progress we have made over the last six years with regards to reducing accidents in our sector. These results show how invaluable RUBIAC and TRISAG have been in helping us improve Health and Safety in the retreading industry and highlight the commitment of our members to reducing accident rates in their individual businesses”.
Garages Warned Over Tyre Repairs
Staff at garages in several areas of the UK have been given warnings after inspectors found tyres were being left in a dangerous state.
Staff from Trading Standards in Bury, Greater Manchester, visited garages in to check if they were repairing damaged car tyres properly. Inspectors found that four of those were not doing repairs correctly. One-third of the 108 garages inspected across Greater Manchester also prompted concerns. Inspectors
were worried punctured tyres that are repaired from the outside or that are patched rather than plugged could allow water to enter them.
In the worst-case scenario, that could cause a tyre to blow at high speed, putting lives at risk.
Inspectors issued advice and written guidance on what mechanics needed to do to meet the required standards. Bury Trading Standards manager Peter Jagger said: “We will be following up the survey to ensure that repairers in
Bury are not putting the public at risk.”
Greater Manchester Trading Standards spokesman Graeme Levy said: “The decision whether to repair or replace a punctured tyre is initially down to the motorist.
“However they should be able to trust that any repair will be carried out safely.
“We will continue to work with the trade to improve compliance but will take action against those that ignore
advice and potentially put people's lives at risk.”
Repair it correctly or face the penalty
8 Retreading Business