- Haulage firm’s switch to exclusive Michelin tyre contract increases uptime, slashes costs and boosts sustainability.
- Transition to MICHELIN’s X Multi range follows success of partnership with MICHELIN Connected Fleet.
Clarke Transport, the Midlands-based specialist in hazardous goods transport, has moved its 475-strong fleet of trucks and trailers to a full MICHELIN X Multi New and Remix policy to cut costs and reduce downtime.
Under a contract managed via Michelin’s Services & Solutions division, the family haulier has fitted X Multi tyres on the drive and steer axles of its 240 tractor units and rigids. The company’s 235 trailers have also moved onto tyres from the X Multi range.
Ray Sandle, Fleet Manager at Clarke Transport, says: “Switching to a Michelin tyre policy has transformed our operations. We are experiencing vastly reduced downtime through tyres wearing out and rapid deflations, which were some of the issues we experienced with our previous supplier.
“We were spending a lot of money on replacing tyres and had no management reporting. Partnering with Michelin has allowed us to significantly reduce costs.”
Clarke Transport opted to switch to an exclusive Michelin tyre policy after reaping the benefits of its three-year partnership with MICHELIN Connected Fleet, which notably improved its fleet tracking and driver behaviour. The move comes as the company celebrates its 90th anniversary.
Sandle says initial talks with Michelin Key Account Manager Fraser Greer “reaffirmed my confidence in Michelin tyres and it’s multi-life policy”.
“Michelin offered a great package and we were impressed with its ‘zero to landfill’ promise, which is particularly important to us. As an operator, we are determined to reduce our impact on the environment as much as we can, and Michelin ticked all the boxes on sustainability,” he says.
Service provider Tructyre supplies and fits the X Multi tyres, whilst the company also uses Tuf Treads in South Wales for some of its local work.
Clarke Transport, which operates eight depots across the UK, is benefitting from Michelin’s multi-life policy. Once the tyres are worn, the fitments will be regrooved and retreaded as Michelin Remix tyres and fitted to the company’s trucks and trailers to maximise the performance from each new Michelin casing.
“Through this multi-life policy, we have dramatically improved our tyre management approach and reduced the total cost of ownership of the X Multi tyres,” Sandle adds. “We are now able to track the life cycle of tyres across all our trucks and trailers and ensure Remix tyres are used appropriately. I’m proud to say we are a fully Michelin managed fleet.”
Established in 1933, Clarke Transport has specialised in transporting hazardous goods for many years. Operating one of the largest privately owned ADR pallet networks in the UK, it also provides a wide range of haulage services, as well as delivery and warehousing solutions.
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About Michelin
Michelin’s ambition is to sustainably improve its customers’ mobility. The leader in the mobility sector, Michelin designs, manufactures, and distributes the tyres best suited to their requirements and uses as well as services and solutions to improve transport efficacy. With its offers Michelin allows its customers to enjoy unique moments when traveling.
Michelin also develops high-technology equipment intended for multiple fields. Based in Clermont-Ferrand, Michelin is present in 175 countries, employs 132,200 people and operates 67 tyre factories that, together, produced approximately 200 million tyres in 2022. (www.michelin.com)
More information on how Michelin assists transport businesses achieve its sustainability goals and run more efficiently can be found at business.michelin.co.uk.
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