TORONTO, Ont. — The Government of Ontario has amended its regulations to allow the new generation of wide-base single heavy truck tires to operate at the same weights as conventional dual tires.

Tire rolling resistance accounts for up to 35% of fuel consumption. Wide-base tires have been found on average to produce between 4% and 5% fuel savings compared to conventional duals, according to a press release from the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) today. This savings equates to annual greenhouse gas reductions in the range of seven to eight tonnes per vehicle per year, the association said.

The OTA, which has been pushing for the change as part of its enviroTruck initiative, welcomed the news.

“By removing the weight penalty on wide base single tires, carriers will now have the flexibility they need to use single tires on the majority of drive and trailer axle configurations,” said OTA president David Bradley.

Regulation 435/08 will amend the current weights and dimension regulations to allow wide-base single tires to operate at weights up to 9,000 kg per axle and provide flexibility on vehicle track width so that retrofitting can take place.

“OTA has been working with the Ministry of Transportation for the last three years studying and conducting trials of the wide-base single tires,” said Bradley. “The data collected show there are major potential fuel savings to be had. This is an important step forward in our enviroTruck initiative.”

The change also harmonizes the allowable weights on wide-base single tires between Ontario and Quebec and was part of an agreement announced following a joint meeting of the Ontario and Quebec cabinets last May.