Equipment

SmartWay cites tires from two suppliers

July 23, 2007

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized tires made by Continental Tire North America, Inc. (www.continentaltire.com) and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Wendy Leavitt

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized tires made by Continental Tire North America, Inc. (www.continentaltire.com) and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (www.goodyear.com/truck) for meeting the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership tractor-trailer equipment specifications. Eligibility is based on a comprehensive set of tire performance requirements, including environmental design and fuel consumption performance.

Continental’s HSL (premium long-haul steer), HDL Eco Plus (premium long-haul drive), and HTL (all-position trailer) tires were recognized, as were commercial tires from Goodyear featuring the company’s Fuel Max Technology, including the Goodyear Unisteel G395 LHS (steer), Unisteel G305 LHD (drive) and UnisteelG316 LHT (trailer) tires in standard (11R22.5) and low-profile (295/75R22.5 and 285/75R24.5) sizes plus UniCircle and precure retreads.

According to Goodyear, the fuel-efficient linehaul tires deliver up to 4% improved truck fuel economy and, when used with other SmartWay-qualified components, enable trucks to produce savings of up to 4,000 gal. of diesel per year, or more than $11,000 per vehicle annually.

“Obviously we’re pleased that these Goodyear tires are recognized for their fuel efficiency by the EPA,” said Steve McClellan, vp, commercial tire systems for Goodyear. “We’ve enhanced fuel economy in our platform of linehaul tires, so this is a win-win for our customers and the environment.”

“As one of only four tire manufacturers being recognized by the EPA for meeting the requirements for the SmartWay tractor-trailer equipment specifications, Continental Tire is especially proud of this achievement,” noted Clif Armstrong, director of commercial marketing for Continental. “This honor validates our work in developing quality products that continue to meet the needs of today’s fuel conscious fleets.”

The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a collaborative program between the EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. Specifically, the SmartWay Transport Partnership aims to save between 3.3 and 6.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year by 2012, the equivalent of taking nearly 12 million cars off the road.

For more information, go to www.epa.gov/smartway.

About the Author

Wendy Leavitt

Wendy Leavitt joined Fleet Owner in 1998 after serving as editor-in-chief of Trucking Technology magazine for four years.

She began her career in the trucking industry at Kenworth Truck Company in Kirkland, WA where she spent 16 years—the first five years as safety and compliance manager in the engineering department and more than a decade as the company’s manager of advertising and public relations. She has also worked as a book editor, guided authors through the self-publishing process and operated her own marketing and public relations business.

Wendy has a Masters Degree in English and Art History from Western Washington University, where, as a graduate student, she also taught writing.