The Province of Ontario has removed its weight penalty on wide-base medium truck tires, which are now allowed to operate at the same weights as conventional dual tires.
The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) has been pushing for the change. Its president, David Bradley, says "by removing the weight penalty, carriers will now have the flexibility they need" to use wide-base tires "while maintaining the same cargo payload as obtained when operating dual tires."
Wide-base truck tires yield 4% to 5% increased fuel savings compared to regular dual truck tires, say OTA officials.
"OTA has been working with the (Ontario) Ministry of Transportation for the last three years studying and conducting trials of the wide-base single tires. The data collected shows there are major potential fuel savings to be had."
