Stanley Travel is one of the first coach and bus companies in the UK to trial the latest tyre safety technology, offering its customers added reassurance against the risk of wheel loss – widely recognised as a global road safety issue.
The family-run company – which has been in operation for more than 50 years – is testing the Michelin Wheel Security and Tyre Pressure Management System (TPMS) Heavy Fleet on two brand new Volvo B8R Plaxton Panther 3 coaches, with a view to rolling out the product across the rest of its fleet.
Designed by UK technology company Wheely-Safe, a global Michelin licensee, the Michelin Wheel Security & TPMS Heavy Fleet is the world’s first in-motion driver alert system which detects the onset of wheel loss before detachment.
“It was very easy to fit and we think it will be a great safety feature for us,” says Ian Scott, Director, Stanley Travel. “It’s so important to have that added reassurance. We provide transport for thousands of people so, of course, tyre and wheel safety is absolutely imperative for our business.
“Across the coach industry wheel loss is an unfortunate occurrence, and it does happen to fleets. It’s normally always on the nearside rear wheel and can be disastrous. This new technology gives us another form of security to combat that.”
The product set up is simple. A sensor straddles two wheel nuts thanks to a specially designed bracket – with a pair fitted to each wheel – and if a nut starts to loosen by just 1mm of movement, a signal is instantly transmitted to the solar-powered display unit, alerting the driver to pull over.
Due to its location next to the wheel rim and braking mechanism, the system’s onboard heat sensor can also detect brake issues involving low or high temperatures, including when they exceed 90ºC – a reading that could indicate maintenance issues such as sticking brakes or hub failure.
An inbuilt TPMS is also provided, using the same technology which has already made a big impact with the Michelin TPMS Light Fleet system for LCV operators. It comprises a set of robust TPMS sensors which replace the traditional valve caps and auto-pair with the display unit, which fixes onto the windscreen.
“As far as I know there isn’t another product that offers this kind of reassurance,” says Scott. “There’s plenty of wheel nut security devices but nothing that actually tells you if you have a loss of torque on the wheel nut.
“Michelin has always been the best tyre you can get in my eyes, their service and quality can’t be matched. If Michelin is putting its name on this product they must have great confidence in it – and if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.”
With a varied fleet of more than 100 assets, including taxis, minibuses, large coaches and double-deckers, Stanley Travel is a major employer in the north Durham region. The company is a member of the Guild of Coach Operators and a founder member of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Earned Recognition scheme for exemplar operators.
In 2009, Stanley Travel joined the UK coach industry’s most elite operators by becoming one of only 38 in the country to be granted the Coach Marque, awarded by the Confederation of Passenger Transport in recognition of the quality and consistency of its service.
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Notes to editor:
Wheely-Safe Ltd is a technology start-up founded in 2010 by two lifelong friends – Gary Thomas, a Director of his own transport compliance consultancy, and Gary Broadfield, a Director of Technology and serial inventor for a large Japanese electronics manufacturer. Together they brought the marriage of skills required to help solve wheel loss issues in the automotive sector, and to tackle the huge number of vehicles driving every day on under-inflated tyres. The early years of Wheely-Safe concentrated on attaining worldwide patent protection and technology small enough to fit near the wheels of all vehicle types, from cars and vans to trucks and trailers – with its first products launched into the market during 2018. www.wheely-safe.com
For further press information please contact:
James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR on 020 8647 4467 or by email to james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
To access Wheely-Safe’s online newsroom please visit https://www.gk.news/wheelysafe
WS/025/19
