Michelin Americas Truck Tires has announced that Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is being added to Michelin commercial truck tires and retreads, enabling fleets to better manage their tire assets throughout the full life cycle. In addition, the Michelin Tire Care tire maintenance program is being upgraded to include new features providing fleets greater visibility, assurance and ease around the maintenance of their tires.

“Michelin is the first manufacturer to integrate RFID into its full commercial truck tire portfolio. Technology is transforming the trucking industry and Michelin is leading this effort to improve fleet performance and bottom line,” said Ralph Dimenna, chief operating officer of the Michelin Americas Truck Tires division. “We continue drive innovation for fleets by integrating technology and enhancements to our services that add significant value to our fleet customers’ business.”

Michelin first introduced the Michelin Tire Care service in 2015 to proactively assist fleets in identifying and addressing tire issues that lead to downtime, low mileage, high fuel costs and safety risks. In the past year, 20% of vehicles inspected in the Michelin Tire Care program comprised a Red Tag event, or critical issues that require immediate attention to avoid an ERS event or CSA violation, while 63% of vehicles inspected reported a Yellow Tag event, an issue that results in additional long term costs. The Tire Care program has been instrumental in maximizing uptime and reducing cost for participating fleets.

“Since implementing Michelin Tire Care, Transervice has seen a definite reduction in our monthly emergency road service calls,” said Ron Reid, operations manager of Transervice Logistics, based in New York. “We are averaging 2.5 tire-related ERS calls per month—down from 5.5 per month last year—which helps us save $2,000 per month. And the Michelin OnCall program has reduced our average downtime by 35 minutes per ERS event.”

Currently Michelin services over 260 fleets and more than 36,000 commercial vehicles nationwide. Upgrades and options being introduced to Tire Care include the following (with descriptions by Michelin):

• Improved program hardware and software: RuggedCAT Smart device has Android smartphone look and feel with 4G capability and PDA Windows App for agile and customer-friendly operation. New measurement devices allow for faster and more accurate readings than ever before.
• Actionable Fleet dashboard: Shows in-depth tire summary including critical analysis of Red Tag and Yellow Tag events, number of vehicles inspected, number of tires inspected and top 10 issues. The comprehensive reporting provides guidance for effective decision making.
• Red Tag Resolution: As Red and Yellow tag events are identified during an inspection, Tire Care helps ensure that all critical issues are corrected. The vehicle history shows the work performed and when it was completed.
• Pricing: A new hourly pricing option is now offered.
• Self Fit: An in-house solution that allows fleets to perform their own inspections via a flat monthly fee with no restrictions on the number of inspections.
• Road Ready: This option utilizes a Love’s TirePass lane to perform Tire Care inspections, optimal for line haul fleets running coast to coast.