Bridgestone and Webfleet Solutions – the former TomTom Telematics which the tyre giant acquired last year – have hinted that joint developments are “in the pipeline” for later this year.
Bridgestone was due to show its ‘new generation’ Ecopia and Duravis ranges at this year’s CV Show, which offer improved fuel efficiency over previous versions.
“The challenge for fleets – and us – is how we measure these improvements,” said Bridgestone retread business development manager, Terry Salter. “That is where Webfleet Solutions comes in.”
Webfleet Solutions sales director Beverley Wise added: “We can work with Bridgestone to prove their tyres give the best return on investment.” Pence per kilometre (PPK) contracts now represent 40% of Bridgestone’s truck fleet business and are still growing, and Webfleet Solutions’ telematics systems will help the tyre company manage these contracts, which can be risky if not carefully controlled.
Remote tyre pressure monitoring is key to maximising the life of tyres and this could be one area of future cooperation.
Despite the prevalence of OEMs fitting proprietary telematics systems to their trucks before they leave the factory, the lack of standardisation means Webfleet Solutions still needs to install its own black box in most cases, according to Wise.
“OEMs are getting better and are increasing the number of vehicles that can be connected,” she said. “But there is no standard box and we all use different algorithms. All fleets want is one set of data they can turn into useable information.”
Also in the pipeline this year from Bridgestone is a puncture-free airless concept tyre; as well as tyres for electric vehicles, which need low rolling resistance to maximise range and resistance to kerb damage in urban multi-drop operations.
