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Under-inflated truck tyres are costing hauliers thousands of pounds in extra fuel, according to manufacturer Michelin. The tyre-maker has launched a campaign to alert drivers to the potential costs of under-inflated tyres and although it is mainly aimed at car drivers, Michelin says the same principles apply to trucks. Michelin's researchers say truck tyres under-inflated by 10%  reduce fuel efficiency by 1.5%. Under-inflated tyres are dangerous as well as uneconomical, adds the tyre maker.

Department for Transport figures suggest that 6% of all fatal motorway accidents are caused by under-inflated tyres. Many hauliers have already acted to cut fuel bills by being more attentive to tyre pressures. They include Teesside-based Bulmer Logistics, which discovered many of its tyres were running at incorrect pressures and addressed the problem by building regular pressure checks into its maintenance and tyre contracts.

Bulmer estimated that a saving of just 0.15 miles per gallon would translate into an annual saving of £183,000 a year in its 244 strong fleet. Jonathan Bulmer, managing director, says many tyres were formerly running at incorrect pressures. He adds: "They ranged  between 50% under-inflated and 20% over-inflated. Lots of the over-inflated ones were in new trucks." The new tyre-pressure checks are part of a range of efficiency measures by Bulmers, which include extra driver training.