Continental recently offered truck fleet customers the chance to go inside the complexities of fuel efficiency during its new “Beat the Best” fuel savings workshop held at its proving grounds in Uvalde, Texas.

Fleet executives from large and small companies, both potential and existing customers, received a course in understanding all the factors that affect fuel efficiency, says marketing director Clif Armstrong.

Company engineers, product managers and territory sales managers worked hand-in-hand with fleet managers to discuss the myths and realities of fuel efficiency as well as conducting tire demonstrations.

“While originally conceived as a fuel savings competition, ‘Beat the Best’ today is more than just a contest. It represents everything that Continental can do to help our fleet customers lower their driving costs, including education and evaluation,” according to Armstrong.

“At the ‘Beat the Best’ workshop in Uvalde, we gave fleets a thorough understanding of the factors that affect fuel efficiency and how their truck tires are an integral part of the equation. Our goal was to demonstrate in the workshop, and out on the track, that fuel savings is not only the most impactful strategy to lower driving costs, but that it is more easily attainable than they might think,” Armstrong explains.

The workshops included a presentation and question/answer session from Continental truck tire research and development staffers, who discussed the aerodynamic, driving and rolling resistance factors that work together to determine a truck’s fuel consumption. The engineers also gave a glimpse into truck tire research and development, discussing the potential technologies being pursued that will decrease rolling resistance without sacrificing durability, he reports.

The company also gave the fleet managers the opportunity to see the fuel consumption of a tire of their choice on a professional test track. Both retreaded products and new tires were challenged in a fuel efficiency demonstration along the eight-mile high speed oval course at the Uvalde Proving Grounds, which is one of the only General Motors-certified testing facilities in the U.S.

Participants also got the chance to try some Continental passenger car tires in diverse driving conditions, including high performance automobile competitions at the wet- and dry-handling road courses.

“Although tires are our business, we recognize that there is more to fuel savings than just changing your tire to a different model or brand,” says Armstrong.

“After attending ‘Beat the Best’ we think that our fleet customers not only understand what they can do to control their fuel costs, but also that Continental is a committed partner they can count on to help them in every aspect of this challenge. Fuel is their second-largest operating cost, and we’ll do everything we can to help them lower it,” he points out.

For more information, visit www.continental-truck.com.