The goods
Leicester-based haulier J. C. Trans has recorded a massive 88% reduction in tyre failures per quarter, after adopting a full Michelin tyre policy for its 15-strong fleet.
Prior to fitting Michelin tyres J.C. Trans suffered an average of 16 tyre failures per quarter, which has since reduced to just two now its fleet is running on Michelin rubber.
Jas Singh, Director at J.C. Trans, says: “We were suffering an unacceptable level of tyre failures when fitting another premium brand tyre. We started talking with Michelin as we hoped they would be able to present us with a solution to the problem.”
Michelin’s local account manager worked with J.C. Trans to put together a trial framework which saw Michelin tyres compared directly with other premium brand tyres used in the fleet.
Singh notes: “We saw a significant change in tyre performance during the trial with noticeable improvements in reliability and fuel consumption. We started out with only 10 per cent of the fleet on Michelin; it’s quickly grown to 100 per cent on the back of the results we’ve seen in our own fleet.”
Michelin invests more than €600 million in research and development every year to ensure its tyres deliver total performance. This investment means that each new Michelin casing has the potential to deliver more than six lives in service as part of the company’s multi-brand, multi-life offer.
The tyre policy sees all J.C. Trans tractor units fitted with X MultiWay 3D XZE multi-position tyres on the steer axle, and X MultiWay 3D XDEs on the drive axles. The design of these tyres merges excellent traction, longevity and fuel efficiency with outstanding safety, comfort and cost-effectiveness.
The company has just begun trialling the new Michelin 65-series X Multi T trailer tyres, which will gradually replace the previous generation Michelin XTE3 tyres currently being used.
Singh states: “We have been very pleased with the service the XTE3s have provided, and the impact they’ve had on our uptime. We’re very keen to see what the next generation of Michelin trailer tyre will bring us.”
