According to a new Trucking Efficiency Confidence Report that has been released by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency and Carbon War Room, low rolling resistance (LRR) tires in dual or wide-base configurations can reduce fuel consumption. The report documents the benefits and challenges of low rolling resistance tires, defines and explains how to measure rolling resistance, explores what makes a tire more efficient, and offers recommendations for fleets wanting to invest in low rolling resistance tires.
The report’s findings include the fact that low rolling resistance tires save significant fuel when compared to tires not designed specifically for low rolling resistance. More and more fleets are recognizing that the benefits of low rolling resistance tires outweigh the challenges, and that LRR tires represent a good investment for managing fuel economy.
The cost of the fuel that a tire consumes due to its rolling resistance can be five times greater than the initial purchase price of the tire. While the typical upfront purchase price of a tire is only approximately $0.04 per mile, given the range of rolling resistance among dual tires, tires could account for anywhere from $0.14/mile to $0.28/mile in fuel costs.
The Confidence Report also offers two key tools to help in the decision-making process:
- A Decision Guide to assist fleets in making choices on low rolling resistance tires in dual or wide-base configurations.
- A Total Cost of Ownership Calculator to allow users to calculate the total cost of ownership impact of various user-supplied alternatives such as the axle configuration of their tractor and trailer and associated miles driven, as well as tire-specific data for the steer, drive, and trailer tires that are under consideration.
The full report can be found here.
