Reduce, reuse, recycle—it’s a mantra that many businesses are embracing as they look for ways to reduce their impact on the environment. This is especially true of the trucking industry, which is an integral part of the global economy but can also have a major environmental footprint.
One way that manufacturers are looking to reduce their environmental impact is by switching to eco-friendly tires.
What are eco-friendly tires? And for truckers and those looking to enroll in truck driver training, what do you need to know about this sustainable switch?
We’ll break down the details of eco-friendly tires and why they are an advantage to the trucking industry.
Skip to What You Need to Know:
- Sustainability Check: Tires in Trucking
- What Are Eco-Friendly Tires?
- Breaking Down The Benefits of Sustainable Tires
- What Does This Mean for the Trucking Industry
Sustainability Check: Tires in Trucking
In truck driver training, an emphasis on safety will be placed, as well as following the laws and regulations. But as every trucker knows, there’s always more to running a safe and efficient vehicle.
TIP: This spring, make it a habit to regularly check 511 Alberta for the latest traffic updates.
- A manufactured 17.5-inch new tire produces 86.9kg of CO2 emissions.
- The materials used in producing one new tire account for about 49 kg of CO2.
Take note that these numbers just measure a single new tire. In Canada alone, tire manufacturers produce approximately 16 million tires collectively. Considering the carbon footprint it emits, gearing toward sustainability is a choice to make.
What Are Eco-Friendly Tires?
Eco-friendly tires are those that are made from sustainable or recycled materials and that do not contain hazardous substances. They are designed with the intention of being used for a long period of time, reducing their environmental impact compared to traditional tires.
While traditional tires are made from rubber and other petroleum-based materials, eco-friendly tires are looking to make use of rice husks, soybean oils, and dandelions.
These will look and feel the same as traditional tires, but they are more sustainable and have a longer life span. They also produce fewer toxic emissions than traditional tires when in use.
The Race to Decarbonizing Tires
Michelin
The goal is to use 80% sustainable materials for their tires by the year 2030s
Goodyear
Offers sustainable commercial tire that incorporates 15 out of 20 components as sustainable materials.
Continental Tire
Currently recycles 3% material in tire production and is looking to increase that to 10% by 2025.
These are just a few of the major tire manufacturers making strides toward sustainability, but there’s still more to do.
Breaking Down The Benefits of Sustainable Tires
In a nutshell, here are the key benefits of shifting towards sustainable tires for truckers:
1. Reduced Fuel Consumption to Maximize Efficiency
Eco-friendly tires have improved rolling resistance, allowing for fuel to be conserved.
2. Reduced Emissions
Since tires are mostly made of rubber, eco-tire manufacturers found an interesting, renewable replacement for latex from a rubber tree: Russian dandelions.
While rubber trees are renewable, it takes up to 7 years before it produces sufficient rubber for latex production. Meanwhile, Continental Tires found that dandelions’ roots can also produce natural rubber on a shorter life cycle compared to rubber trees.
3. Increased Safety
Safety in truck driver training is the utmost priority, and eco tires can help ensure better performance capabilities. Eco-tires are specially designed for better performance and increased durability, making them safer and more reliable.
4. Improved Traction & Braking
The improved performance capabilities of eco-friendly tires provide better traction and braking for better handling.
What Does This Mean for the Trucking Industry?
As a truck driver training school that shapes the truckers of tomorrow, it’s important to educate and stay up-to-date on the shift toward sustainability in the trucking industry.
That said, here’s food for thought: In Canada, 165 million metric tons of CO2 are produced by the transport sector alone.
Thus, taking steps towards decarbonizing the trucking industry can help reduce those numbers.
The trucking industry has a huge responsibility to reduce its emissions and protect the environment, and shifting towards sustainable tires is one way of achieving this.
Sustainable tires are a green initiative to promote earth mindfulness and eco-friendliness in the transport sectors. As electric cars are starting their way to the market, with their efforts to reduce fuel consumption, the use of eco tires paves the way to sustainability, one tire at a time.
Shifting to the use of sustainable tires in the trucking industry will also reduce fuel consumption, as these tires are designed to reduce rolling resistance against the asphalt.
Going green also offers advantages in terms of safety. Drivers with properly maintained vehicles are safer drivers; since sustainable tires also last as long as conventional ones, they also ensure better performance capabilities over long distances.
Rolling Into a More Sustainable Future
With ever-evolving technologies influencing transportation sectors, shifting to sustainable tires is an essential move for the trucking industry to pursue its sustainability goals.
It can be beneficial not only for the environment but also for truck owners and operators in terms of cost savings, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions.
While the trucking industry has taken great strides in its efforts to incorporate this practice into its vehicle, it is also important that drivers, operators, and fleet owners learn how to maintain their sustainable tires. Educating truck drivers and operators on the importance of eco-friendly tires will help set them up for success in the future.
The right truck driver training from Gennaro Transport Training can help owners, operators, and drivers stay informed, properly educated, and up-to-date on the latest developments and trends in the trucking industry. This kind of knowledge and understanding can help you better adapt to new technologies, increase safety, reduce fuel consumption, and navigate their way to a more sustainable future.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you and your trucking operations stay ahead of the competition in the industry.
