Fuel Wastage no secret in transport
Bear’s Tyre Tracker puts control of tyre management into the hands of the owner.
In the road transport and logistics sector, downtime and fuel wastage equates to lost money. The reality, according to an expert in a specific area of the road transport game, is that downtime and unnecessary expenditure of fuel can easily be attributed to areas often forgotten on trucks and trailers.
Trucks and trailer often spend time in the yard being serviced because of owners are told the tyres need changing.
But the key to smarter fuel utilisation is in maintaining the tyres rather than carelessly running them into the ground and changing them, says tyre lifecycle management specialist, Brad Bearman of Bear’s Tyres.
“It is an unfortunate fact that the neglect of tyre maintenance is directly attributable to unnecessary fuel wastage – particularly for long haul carriers that spend most of their time of the road,” said Bearman.
“Without any attention given to the wear patterns of tyres and their overall performance, trucks need to be driven harder and thus consume more fuel and that costs the operator a lot more unnecessary expense.”
A recent government ABARE report (compiled from surveys undertaken during the 2006-07 financial year) reportedly unearthed some tell-tale statistics on how petrol and diesel bills have risen in recent years for transporters – despite carriers and truck manufacturers leaning towards more fuel efficient technologies.
The report made from the study, Energy Intensify in the Transport Sector, identified that freight transport has been a key driver of increased energy consumption in Australia’s domestic transport sector.
It went on to say that freight transport accounts for 38% of energy use in the transport sector and is growing at a higher rate than passenger transportation.
Energy use in hauling freight in Australia is dominated by road transport, including light commercial vehicles (39%), articulated trucks (30%) and rigid trucks (20%), the report states.
“So, putting two and two together, if the road transport technology is improving in fuel efficiency then why are we using more fuel than ever before?” asked Bearman.
“Without doubt, it is all down to the condition and performance of the tyres which are carrying these heavy loads around the country.”
Bear’s Tyres 0419 265 956, www.bearstyres.com.au
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