OTTAWA, Ont. — Michelin is lauding an agreement by Canadian transport regulators to allow for the widespread use of super-single tires in Canada.

As Trucknews.com first reported in early May, amendments to Canada’s Memorandum of Understanding on Vehicle Weights and Dimensions will remove the weight penalties previously slapped on the wide-base super-single tires in most jurisdictions.

The changes are expected to come into effect July 1 and will be in line with current rules in the US. There are several regional exceptions, in: the Northwest Territories; secondary roads in Newfoundland; and some roads in New Brunswick.

The new weight allowance is 7,700 kg for single axle vehicles and 15,400 kg for tandem-axle groups on the tractor. For trailers, the minimum track width requirement of 2.5 metres has been reduced to 2.3 metres for trailers built in 2007 or earlier.

“In the wake of soaring fuel costs, this news is welcome relief to truckers and fleets operating between the two countries,” said Marc Laferriere, vice -president of marketing, Michelin Americas Truck Tires “Michelin X-One tires can improve fuel efficiency by up to 10% and allow for significantly larger payloads. This revised MOU offers a boost to fleet profitability and helps control rising transportation costs for the goods each of us buys each day.”

Michelin’s X-One super-single tire was found to improve fuel mileage by 9.7% during independent testing to TMC SAE Type III standards conducted by FPInnovations.