The fleet software provider says that with specialized wheel and tire sizes seemingly growing larger and ever more vehicle specific with each passing year, that fleets tire costs are going nowhere but up.
Ashley Sowerby, managing director, said, “When you look at operational data, this is not just a question of bigger tires being more expensive but also seemingly more susceptible to accidental damage and even more likely to be stolen. All of these factors lead to higher tire costs and fleets are increasingly trying to take managerial control in this area. This is something that is being seen on an industry-wide basis with some of the largest fleets altering their buying arrangements and we see reflections of this in increased levels of price comparison using our software. Additionally, there appears to be a strong desire among many fleets to take a more proactive approach to gaining operational control over tire costs.”
Ashley said that Chevin’s tire management module which is part of its FleetWave software is increasingly being used to monitor tire use.
“Successfully tackling tire costs often requires a change of culture, recognizing that tires are an area that respond quite effectively to management attention. This is why, within our software, each tire is managed as a separate, distinct asset. More effectively managing tires might simply mean reviewing tire replacement cycles for different drivers in similar vehicles, or comparing the cost per mile of tires by manufacturer, or even comparing reasons for replacement such as wear out or accidental damage. By tracking tires distinct assets FleetWave offers fleet managers the opportunity to use a range of KPI’s and exception reports that simplify tire oversight and help gain control over a high cost area of the fleet.”
