Prometeon reassures customers after government bans old HGV tyres

Tyre firm Prometeon has moved to allay concerns customers might have about new rules banning old tyres, stating that its fleet management processes already go “above and beyond” the new legal requirements.

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said it will become illegal to fit tyres that are aged 10 years or older to the steer axles of trucks, buses and coaches.

Legislation will be laid in the autumn and will also apply to retreaded tyres, which must have clearly visible marks highlighting the retread date.

The haulage industry welcomed the move, with the RHA describing it as a “reasonable precautionary measure”.

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• HGV tyres over 10 years old to be banned

Peter Fairlie, Prometeon Tyre Group MD, said it was “exceedingly unlikely” that a professionally operated HGV would be running on tyres more than 10 years old: “A typical 44-tonne tractor unit will go through a set of front tyres in about two years; those tyres are then remoulded and used elsewhere on the vehicle for 18 months to two years,” he said.

Fairlie acknowledged that the government had raised concerns about how long tyres are stored before being used and he said: “This is not a cause for concern for Prometeon and our customers: in our storage facility, once a tyre is more than three years old, it is destroyed.”

On the issue of placement of DOT codes on tyre side walls, he added: “We have asked our HQ in Milan to ensure that our production facilities produce tyres with DOT codes on both the inside and the outside sidewalls, making it easier for drivers and operators to confirm the age of their tyres.”