AES offers trailer alignment advice
Automotive Equipment Solutions UK (AES) has provided guidance for fleet operators on the benefits of trailer wheel alignment.
The company cites a case study published by the Department for Transport in the early 2000s using Josam equipment, which highlighted that a 0.5° misalignment can reduce tyre life by up to 50 per cent.
It involved a Lancaster-based company that employed 30 drivers and ran a 12-hour operation from Monday to Friday at the time of the study. The fleet consisted of 80 semi-trailers plus other vehicles.
“The company, running trailers on super single tyres, observed a 15 per cent increase in super single tyre life on their trailers, reducing costs significantly,” explained Tom Coad of AES.
“It is estimated over 50 per cent of trailers on UK roads are out of alignment, with fleet operators often focusing on tractor units and overlooking trailers due to the nature of how they’re exchanged.”
AES believes that there are enough benefits for larger fleets to consider corrective wheel alignment on trailers, including tyre cost savings of up to 15 per cent, as well as fuel savings resulting from reduced pulling force (drag) on the towing unit, thereby lowering rolling resistance.
Safety is a further benefit, says the firm, as misaligned trailers often take up more room on the road due to ‘dog-run’ or ‘crabbing’, which can create uncomfortable and unsafe handling properties for the driver. In addition, fuel and tyre cost savings also enable concomitant reductions in CO2 emissions and tyre dust pollution.
Using data from the Department for Transport study, AES calculated an example tyre cost saving for correctly aligned trailers vs incorrectly aligned trailers.
Based on an average super single tyre cost of £300 and a fleet size of 80 trailers with an average of six tyres apiece, a potential annual tyre cost saving of £10,800 may be achieved, the company says.
“Though AES recommends annual proactive alignment checks on trailers, some fleet operators don’t have the luxury of being able to for whatever reason,” said Tom Coad.
If that is the case, he explains, there are some signs to look out for that could indicate issues with trailer alignment. These include premature tyre wear, blowouts and damage to trailer tyres, and premature wear on the towing unit; driver complaints or witnessing of ‘crabbing’ or ‘dog run’; and driver reports of behaviour such as pulling or additional drag beyond the norm.
“Wheel alignments on trailers can be carried out by trained contractors or through owned equipment,” Tom continued.
“AES recommend their Josam alignment systems which can measure all types of trailers and provide a detailed before-and-after report within the software, which also offers a tyre management system.”
