On July 1 year, the Hanover-based Continental classified all relevant commercial vehicle tyres for the new EU label that will be required by law from November 1, and informed retailers about the figures. The company tested around 500 truck and bus tyres in accordance with the test methods prescribed by the EU to determine all relevant figures and classify each type in all sizes according to energy efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise.
The EU commission agreed on these three categories mainly because of the environmental issues. It wants to create more transparency and make it easier for consumers to compare tyres in terms of safety, economy and environmental aspects.
Continental has now integrated all measured tyre data into existing internal and external SAP-supported computer systems and made it available to retailers. In future, tyre retailers will be able to provide potential and existing customers with information on the fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise emissions of individual tyres. Unlike car and transporter tyres, there will not be an EU label sticker on the actual truck and bus tyres. Instead Continental and the sales partners will list the data in the technical documents for the products, in the sales rooms, on the Internet and on invoices.
Herbert Mensching, Managing Director (Marketing & Sales), Truck Tires EMEA, says: “A large amount of studying lies ahead for the tyre manufacturers and tire retailers. Properties like mileage, handling and life are not covered by the tyre label, but are important when choosing tyres and, above all, when working out the lowest total costs in the fleet.”
The EU directive 1222/2009 for obligatory labeling of new tyres will come into force on November 1. For tyres that are produced after July 1, and sold after November 1, the measured values must be indicated in accordance with the EU tyre label regulation. This applies for all car, transporter, truck and bus tyres sold in Europe.
Continental supports the new EU tyre label because it creates more transparency in the selection of tyres. It can only provide an initial reference point, however. The label cannot replace good advice from a specialist retailer.