Rolling resistance is top priority

After several years of slumping markets and consolidation, the market for truck tyres bounced back robustly in the second half of 1994 and throughout 1995, allowing the main competitors to launch their latest developments, pitching them with promises of fuel savings of up 5% over older products. While manufacturers differ in their approach to reduced rolling resistance, they agree that lower fuel consumption is the ticket to improved sales. This realization, however, is leading to a further segmentation of the marketplace, as rolling resistance optimized tyres yield their savings most dramatically in longhaul applications. As a result, tyre makers are aiming their new fuel-saving truck tyres to that segment of the trucking industry concentrating on high distance, long haul transportation.