trailer world issue Two 2008

The breakdown service of the tyre manufacturer Continental helps get wheels back on the road in all of Europe.

28 Issue Two 2008 Aﬂat tyre can happen to anyone, any- where. Despite their size, strong casing and heavy rubber proﬁles, even truck and coach tyres are not immune to this problem. Commercial vehicles are continually on the move, and often with heavy loads. A nail or screw can easily become lodged in the proﬁle when manoeuvring in loading yards or when turning round at the coach terminal. Back on the road, the metal bores its way deeper into the casing with every revolution of the wheel. The inevitable ﬁnally happens: the truck tyre can no longer maintain pressure, and ﬁnally forces the driver to make an emergency stop. A blessing in disguise if the man at the wheel can then make it to a parking place or emer- gency lay-by. On the motorway, the hard shoulder often remains the last resort. Even with the right spare wheel on board, many truckers still need to rely on outside assistance. Continental AG has been provid- ing such professional breakdown assistance in case of tyre damage to its customers for 30 years. The so-called ContiEuroService (CES) was established for this purpose in 1978, and has since been successively extended. The tyre manufacturer is therefore one of the ﬁrst to oﬀer a European tyre breakdown service. Today, customers have access to a network of around 1,800 contract workshops in Germa- ny and 7,000 partners in 24 European coun- tries, who in an emergency can provide fast and expert assistance. “We have in this respect reacted primarily to internationally active ﬂeet operators, who wanted a reliable tyre partner and calcula- ble costs in the event of a breakdown outside their own country”, recalls Patrick Leuschner, Manager of the ContiEuroService for Germa- ny, Austria and Switzerland. With his 20-man team, the 34-year old Leuschner looks after the two service programmes “ContiTireMa- nagement” for individual tyre management and “ContiBreakdownService” for rapid as- sistance in the event of tyre breakdowns. In the current breakdown statistics of the ADAC Truck Service, tyre damage stands at the undisputed top of the list. Almost one in three involuntary stops by trucks in Germa- ny are due to a defective tyre. Places two and three in the most frequent causes of break- downs, at around 25% and 20% respectively, go to the electrics and the engine. The axles however hardly ever cause a breakdown. The suspension is responsible for breakdowns in only slightly over 2% of cases. And even the hard-working brakes of trucks only ﬁgure in the middle of the ﬁeld at 5%. This order can also be conﬁrmed by the tyre manufacturer from Hanover. It has con- tinually modiﬁed its network and the serv- ice oﬀered to the economic, national and international changes taking place in the transport sector. “Our “ContiBreakdown- Service” has long been available outside western Europe, and can now also be used in Poland, the Baltic states, the Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary – 365 days a year and all around the clock”, explains Leuschner. All that is needed is prior registration. A service contract is concluded with ContiEu- roService, and the customer receives from the tyre manufacturer the vehicle EuroServ- iceCard with the printed customer number and vehicle registration number. “This is the personal permit for obtaining tyres and service from us in the event of a breakdown, without the need for cash”, summarises the ContiEuroService National Manager. In the event of a breakdown, the driver calls the ContiEuroService in his own lan- guageandidentiﬁeshimselfwiththecustom- er number. If his vehicle is still roadworthy, he can use the special “GoTo-Service”. A ContiEuroService employee describes to Professional help throughout Europe Mobile deployment force Being stuck somewhere out on the road because of a ﬂat tyre is equivalent to a catastrophe for a haulage company. In an era of just-in-time transport, nobody can afford long downtimes. Fortunately, hauliers can rely on the fast tyre and breakdown service of Continental AG. Vehicle service card Portrait Illustration:Frömmer

trailer world issue Two 2008

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