FleetFirst, a tyre management solution offered by Goodyear which is currently taking care of over 200 000 trucks in 28 European countries helping fleet operators to reduce both downtime and total cost of ownership, has arrived in the South African market for the first time through TrenTyre, one of the largest commercial tyre service providers in Southern Africa.
FleetFirst provides quality tyres and service support as well as round-the-clock roadside assistance. This cradle-to-grave approach ensures optimised fuel economy and longer tyre life as well as reduced down-time through the efficient maintenance and roadside assistance that TrenTyre will be able to offer its customers in the commercial segment.
Through FleetFirst, which comprises a one-stop service solution, TrenTyre will be able to offer customers a comprehensive range of fleet efficiency services that are built around customer needs and the versatility to choose between services. In addition to this tyre management solution, Trentyre says it gives fleet customers price security, peace of mind and reduced paperwork.
FleetFirst service comprises TruckForce Mobile Vans network, supported by ServiceLine 24h national roadside assistance as well as the FleetOnlineSolutions. This range of services has been developed in direct response to real-time needs of customers, both local and abroad, and entails:
- TruckForce Mobile Vans – a premium truck tyre service provision, specialising in the complete lifecycle management of commercial truck tyres. Each location provides trained personnel and the equipment necessary to take care of any tyre-related situation.
- ServiceLine24h. TrenTyre’s emergency roadside assistance service, operated in a 24/7 call center, uses a mapping system and leverages the company’s knowledge and understanding of truck tyres, ensuring downtimes are kept to a minimum.
- Fleet Online Solutions (FOS) – an internet-based fleet management system with the latest development in tyre maintenance enabling work to be carried out in locations across South Africa. Complete with an integrated management reporting suite and key performance indicator tracker, FleetOnlineSolutions is adaptable and can be tailored to the specific needs of customers.
Talking at the launch of FleetFirst, Stephen Smith, TrenTyre operations director said: “In a service industry such as ours, we need to be sure that our service keeps pace not only with the technological advances being made but also that we deliver our service in a manner which demonstrates innovation. And that innovation has come to South Africa through TrenTyre which has enabled us to push our boundaries and move from simply being one of the largest tyre service providers, to becoming Number One in service with our customers.”
He added that in our current socio-economic climate, cost-efficiency is top priority, “not only for us but also for our customers. If our customers’ productivity – and ultimately their profitability – are compromised due to issues of maintenance, then services such as ours become essential. We believe such investments are able to contribute to local economic growth and sustainability in an invaluable way,” he concluded
FleetWatch welcomes such services to our market. For one, it is a well-known fact that very few operators allow spare wheels to be carried on their trucks due to the high risk of theft. While this is understandable, it does put drivers at risk when they have tyre problems on the road. Getting them up and running in the shortest possible time – as FleetFirst proposes to do for its clients – is essential not for the operational efficiency of the fleet but also for the safety of the drivers. It’s a good move.
