Dove Valley thrives on Michelin energy

Derbyshire-based Dove Valley (Ashbourne) Ltd operates a fleet of 42 commercial vehicles and has been running on Michelin tyres for over ten years.

Comprised mainly of tractor units, together with a number of rigids, the fleet is used for supplying poultry products to customers nationwide, with the tyres managed by the local tyre dealer, TyreMiles in Ashbourne.

In May 2003 the company took delivery of four new Mercedes Axor 18.40 4x2 tractor units and for the purpose of a three-month trial, specified two with Michelin 295/80 R22.5 Energy tyres and two with a competitor's tyres.

"The vehicles followed very similar working patterns and all operated at 38 tonnes, but the trucks running on Energy tyres recorded a ful saving of eight per cent over the competitor's tyre," explains Nigel Nash, Transport Manager at Dove Valley (Ashbourne) Ltd.

"When you take into account that we have twenty vehicles running on Michelin Energy tyres, that equates to an annual fuel saving of £7,576.98."

This test served to reinforce the benefits of Michelin's Energy tyres, which are fitted to those vehicles in the fleet which are used for long distance transport operations, where the majority of the journey takes place on trunk roads and motorways.

The remainder of the fleet, which is required to drive on country lanes and farm tracks, is fitted with Michelin's E range of tyres, which are designed with medium distance operations such as regional haulage in mind.

"Our policy to fit Michelin tyres across the fleet has certainly paid dividends over the years, as this test shows," adds Mr Nash. "It also demonstrates that despite the cost of tyres being just three per cent of a commercial vehicle's total running costs, specifying the right tyre can have a significant impact on reducing one of our main expenditures - diesel!"