The Truck Industry Council (TIC), the peak industry body representing truck manufacturers and importers in Australia, believes it is time for a change in thinking, calling upon State and Local Government Transport agency regulators to allow Super Single tyres on Australian trucks, to make them safer, more environmentally friendly and more productive.
TIC’s doctrine is: “Today’s Trucks: Safer, Greener, Essential”.
In calling for regulatory change that will allow the fitment and use of Super Single tyres on Australian trucks is another example of how TIC members, the truck OEMs, are living up to this principle.
For each truck fitted with the next generation wide based tyres (Super Singles), that truck is safer because it has improved vehicle stability with a lower centre of load gravity reducing the risk of rollovers.
Other safety advantages include, making it easier for drivers to check tyre conditions including correct inflation pressures (only one valve to check on each wheel end, rather than two); and better access to inspect brake components reducing the risk of overheating brakes and wheel end fires.
Super single tyres in Australia have stubbornly remained as a niche market application due to laws formed more than 40 years ago. Regulations that were based upon studies conducted in Australia at that time.
This is despite the wide adoption of Super Single tyres for many years now in Europe and America.
The key hurdle to wider adoption in the Australian prime mover and rigid truck fleet is that current regulation does not allow a tandem axle with wide tyres the same general mass limit as a tandem axle fitted with dual tyres.
The latter having a permitted mass of up to 16.5 tonne while the former only 14.0 tonne. No such load limitation is applied to these wide based tyres in Europe and the US.
Put simply, Australian transport operators cannot afford to ‘give up’ 2,500kg of payload if they were to fit super single tyres to their truck under our current archaic regulations.
Super single tyres have another advantage that is increasingly important as Australia strives to reduce its greenhouse emissions, lower rolling resistance.
These new generation wide based tyres use less energy when running down the road. Transport Canada detail that super singles can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, by four to six per cent on a prime mover and semi-trailer.
Further, a super single wheel and tyre are also lighter than conventional dual wheel/tyre combinations, saving up to 45kg per wheel end. That equates to more payload per truck, or truck/trailer combination.
The safety and operational benefits of super single tyres for Australian trucks outweigh the long held and outdated arguments against their adoption promoted by certain road managers.
Some Australian pavement engineers believe that wide based tyres will lead to increased pavement wear. This has been proven to not be the case in European and USA studies and actual in-service use.
TIC received Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) research funding from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to conduct a study into: “The viability of fitting next generation wide based tyres onto Australian trucks”.
In partnership with the National Transport Research Organisation (formerly the Australian Road Research Board), TIC developed this project with support from key tyre suppliers Goodyear and Michelin.
Combining the real world technical, regulatory and practical experience of truck OEMs with tyre manufacturers and ARRB’s expertise in delivering high quality applied research for Australian and New Zealand transport agencies the study sought to update what is known about pavement wear noting that tyre and pavement technology has significantly improved since the 1980s and justifying equivalent axle loadings for both wide based single and dual tyre installation based upon an improved safety outcome.
The test method used by the NTRO in the TIC HVSI research project was formulated with the assistance of the AusRoads Pavements Task Force, who also provided design guidance for the test pavement used.
Over 50,000 cycles were conducted on NTROs pavement Accelerated Loading Facility machine, for each tyre combination. Both existing dual tyre and new super single tyre configurations were tested over an almost 12 month period.
The test program confirmed pavement wear is no worse, on average, for a super single tyre than today’s industry standard dual 11R22.5 tyres.
Meaning that equivalent axle loadings for the next generation wide based tyres to that of dual tyres could be allowed with no extra damage caused to the road and more importantly, with potential safety, environmental and productivity benefits.
Tony McMullan
CEO, Truck Industry Council
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