LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Goodyear’s Smart Fleet program, launched in Canada this month, gives owner/operators and small fleets the big-fleet treatment.

The program has seen double-digit monthly growth since its launch last year in the US. Now it’s available in Canada. Jose Martinez, Goodyear commercial digital and solutions manager, told Trucknews.com at the Mid-America Trucking Show that the main benefit for members is published pricing that’s better than any O/O or small fleet could negotiate on their own.

There’s no cost to join the program.

“The main purpose of the program is to give the owner/operator some of the same benefits we’re giving the big fleets,” Martinez said. “When they sign up, they become a national account of Goodyear, dealing directly with Goodyear. They get published pricing on tires, tire-related services and retreads.”

Members also enjoy consistent pricing across Canada, so they won’t get taken advantage of if they suffer a blow-out in a remote location. Goodyear also waives the dispatch fee for roadside assistance through its fleetHQ program for Smart Fleet members.

All program literature and support is available in both French and English, Martinez noted. Currently the Canadian and US programs are not integrated, but the hope is to soon combine them so that the benefits members from both countries enjoy can be offered right across the US and Canada.

“We’re working on a way to manage cross-border transactions so it becomes a North American program,” Martinez said. “We’re testing the systems to make sure everything works. We believe by the middle of this year this will be a North American program.”

Anyone with a truck can qualify. Fleets with up to 100 trucks will likely be able to lower their tire and service costs, Martinez said. Fleets with more than 100 trucks may be better served by creating a national account with Goodyear. Martinez said most members in the US have about five or six trucks.

Martinez stressed there is no cost to join – at any time. It takes a couple weeks for Goodyear to process new applications, so customers would be better off signing up before they need tires, to ensure the lower pricing is available on their next purchase. To entice people to join, Goodyear is also offering $25 per tire off the initial purchase made under the program, on up to 10 tires. So members can save $250 off a 10-tire purchase, beyond the lower published price they’ll be buying them at.

It must be redeemed within six months of joining, Martinez added. That promotion will be launched at ExpoCam in April. Customers can sign up for the program at www.GoodyearTruckTires.ca.