More than one in 10 (12%) of fleet cars and vans are being run on underinflated tyres, racking up additional costs for operators.
The research was carried out by ATS Euromaster on vehicles inspected under its fleet Mastercare programme. And the national tyre and maintenance provider warns that affected fleets will be suffering increased running costs; up by between 3-10%.
“That’s a significant loss on fuel,” said Gordon Robertson, mobile area operations manager – north, ATS Euromaster. “It can also change the driving quality of a vehicle which puts extra driving demands on the driver as well.”
Based on a current average of 186p per litre for diesel, a 10% increase in costs across a 100-van fleet could cost £1,300 a month.
But underinflated tyres also increase other running costs – as well as potentially making the vehicle dangerous to use, putting drivers and other road users at significant risk, according to the TyreSafe organisation.
ATS Euromaster inspects 5,800 vehicles each month under its Mastercare service – including dotcom grocery fleets such as Tesco – and finds that on average 32% of vans need actionable maintenance.
“Mastercare is about managing tyre life and ensuring vehicle downtime is minimised,” added Robertson. “Fleets fulfil their duty of care with regular maintenance and inspection, which means we can offer advice on cost-saving measures to prolong tyre life.”
