Bandag teams with U.S. Xpress

Dec. 16, 2004

Bandag Inc. has signed an expansive, six-year agreement with the fifth largest publicly owned truckload carrier in the United States.

Beginning in January 2005, Bandag will manage a total tire

program for Chattanooga, Tenn.-based U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. The agreement covers approximately 5,500 tractors and 14,500 trailers.

"Our tire management services will help U.S. Xpress better predict and manage tire costs, and allow them to focus more time and resources on their core strength of meeting shipping customers´ needs," says Martin Carver, Bandag´s chairman, CEO and president.

"By consolidating all of our of tire management tasks, we will reduce operating expenses," says Max Fuller, co-chairman of U.S. Xpress. "We also believe we will increase our fleet´s uptime, which will ultimately lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction."

Bandag will manage the entire fleet’s wheels, tires, retreads and tire-related services. "We plan to proactively manage the condition of the fleet´s tires and thereby help U.S. Xpress improve upon equipment utilization. We are also addressing this customer´s objective for optimal fuel efficiency through the use of application-specific Bandag retreads and new tire products," adds Carver.

Bandag will utilize several proprietary services, such as Bandag Yard Check, to help reduce the number of incidents and the time a truck may be out of service.