FORT MILL, SC - Just over 90 days since standards were announced, Continental Tire the Americas, LLC’s Commercial Vehicle Tire Business Unit received word from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership last month that two of its ContiTreads were part of the first round of retread tire products verified for low rolling resistance in the program’s history.

The EPA announced September 13 via its SmartWay Transport Partnership email service and Website that it had completed the first verifications of retread tire products for low rolling resistance. Continental’s HDL Eco Plus ContiTread was verified for low rolling resistance in the drive axle position, and the HTL Eco Plus ContiTread was verified for both drive and trailer axles. The SmartWay Transport Partnership Website states, “EPA estimates that using verified low rolling resistance tires can improve fuel consumption by 3 percent when used in all axle positions on line-haul class-8 tractor trailers.  Verified retreads, when used in the drive and trailer axle positions in combination with EPA-verified steer tires, can reduce fuel consumption by 3 percent relative to the most common retreads.”

Continental had submitted the products to the EPA’s Technology Assessment Center on the first day that standards for verification were announced, June 12.

“We would like to thank the SmartWay Transport Partnership for their efforts in making sure that trucking has a retread solution in their program. SmartWay's verification now reinforces what we have been saying since we first introduced our premium ContiTread products: you can reduce operating costs through retreading and reduce fuel usage too. Now these products have been verified by SmartWay under strict testing protocols to meet their rigorous standards,” said Paul Williams, Continental’s executive vice president for truck tires, the Americas.