Green around the gills

“Going green” has become a symbol of hope and environmental compassion, with the transport industry taking this fully to heart. However, “all that glitters is not gold” and everything that’s green doesn’t mean growth …

An example of this is the implementation of a “Green Fee” on new tyres. Bandag says that this introduces yet another challenge that will likely see an increase in operating costs, as the cost per kilometre on tyres will rise.

But all is not lost. According to communication from Bandag, it is possible to absorb the Green Fee once while achieving two to three lives for each truck tyre casing, if the correct retreading programme is used. This dramatically reduces the impact of the Green Fee, which is expected to be around four percent of the cost of a TBR Tyre.

If a “new tyre only” policy is followed the Green Fee has to be paid along with every tyre purchased, which adds up to 52 percent more than the retread alternative – when the average cost of the new tyres and the Green Fee is included.

So, by selecting new tyres with a higher retreadability ratio and proper casing management – which increases tyres performance by focusing on maintenance – one could take away your green gills and make the world seem rosier.