European Fleets Pessimistic About Further Fuel Efficiency Savings

New Report Says That Fleets Need Support, Not Regulation, to Help Reach
20-20-20 Commitments

BRUSSELS, Belgium, 2012-01-25 10:04 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new report
released today by Goodyear Dunlop reveals that despite efforts to improve fuel
efficiency, 1 in 7 European road hauliers predict they will be out of business
within eight years unless drastic developments are made to improve fleet fuel
efficiency. At a dedicated fleet symposium that took place in Brussels today,
Goodyear Dunlop presented several recommendations to help commercial road
transport sector to improve their fuel efficiency.

www.fleet-fuel-efficiency.eu/newsrelease

The fuel consumption of a vehicle has a direct impact on its CO2 emissions.
Goodyear Dunlop's Road to 2020 report shows that a third (30%) of European
fleets currently has no plans in place to respond to expected Europe-wide CO2
regulation. In its most recent Transportation White Paper, the European
Commission gave fleets clear indications that further regulation and taxation
on fuel and CO2 emissions will be introduced in the coming decade.

At the same time, fleets are looking at industry and policy-makers to help them
achieve greater efficiency:

-- 1 in 3 want the EU to invest in fuel efficient technology and development
programs;
-- 1 in 4 want a modeling tool that predicts the cost and CO2 savings of
investments in green equipment and training;
-- 1 in 4 want more information on the factors affecting fuel efficiency;
-- 1 in 5 want European legislation that incentivizes efficient fleets.

"The road freight sector is facing enormous pressure to help meet Europe's
ambitious climate change targets, but despite their commitment to fuel economy,
we found many fleets could be better prepared to handle the cost and
operational impacts of a potential carbon regulation," said Michel Rzonzef,
Vice President, Goodyear Dunlop commercial tire business EMEA. "The research
confirmed that the overwhelming majority of fleets already have robust fuel
efficiency measures in place, and therefore struggle to see what else they can
do to improve efficiency and lower carbon emissions to achieve even stronger
goals. Low rolling resistance tires are one option to improve a fleet's fuel
efficiency amongst others, such as eco-driving training for truck drivers,
improved logistics, route planning and aerodynamics on vehicles."

Fuel efficiency, priority #1

With prices at the pump rising and 2 in 5 fleets reporting they are under
customer pressure to green their operations, it is unsurprising that over 9 in
10 fleets are already working to improve their fuel economy:

-- 7 in 10 have invested in eco-driving training;
-- 6 in 10 have procured more efficient vehicles;
-- 2 in 5 have improved logistics and route planning;
-- 2 in 5 have switched to more fuel efficient tires.

Target 2020

With only 8% of fleets having taken no action to reduce their fuel use,
Europe's road hauliers are skeptical about how much more they can do to
increase efficiency and drive down emissions.

7 in 10 European fleets currently work toward a self-imposed target for either
fuel savings or CO2 savings. With substantial efforts already underway, fleets
are conservative in estimating possible further efficiency savings:

-- 52% of fleets do not think they can achieve further efficiency savings of
more than 10%;
-- Only 1 in 10 believes the sector can achieve the 20% efficiency savings
target outlined in the EU's 20-20-20 low-carbon commitments;
-- 1 in 5 fleets are unsure as to whether any further savings can be made.

Interestingly, fleets from countries with lower fuel prices are more
optimistic. In both Poland and Spain, where fuel costs are below the EU
average, a fifth of fleets are confident they can achieve a further 20%
efficiency savings by 2020. In the UK, however, where fuel prices are higher
than the European average, a third of fleets says that they have done all they
can to improve fuel efficiency, and no more savings can be made.

Recommendations

Based on the findings, Goodyear Dunlop calls on policy-makers to consider the
following recommendations to help the commercial road transport sector reduce
emissions and improve efficiency:

-- Making tire pressure monitoring systems mandatory on all new Heavy Duty
Vehicles;
-- Investing in improved tire pressure monitoring technology for Heavy Duty
Vehicles;
-- Offering incentives to those fleet operators who invest in aerodynamic
improvements or purchase tires that achieve A, B, C grades on the new EU
tire label, in both rolling resistance and wet grip;
-- Adjusting EU restrictions on weight and height for Heavy Duty Vehicles to
improve efficiency.

This report was launched today at Driving fuel efficiency in Europe's road
freight transport - A Goodyear Dunlop Fleet Symposium.

To interview the report's authors or learn more about the symposium or the
report, please contact carola_cotronei@goodyear.com.

The complete report and biographies of the speakers can be downloaded at:
www.fleet-fuel-efficiency.eu

For more information on Goodyear and its products, visit www.goodyear.com

Free broadcast quality b-roll and soundbites supporting this press release will
be available after the Symposium on www.thenewsmarket.com/goodyear-dunlop.

About The Road to 2020 Report

Goodyear Dunlop set out to learn the challenges European fleet managers are
currently facing and conducted a quantitative survey of over 400 European
long-and regional-haul fleet managers between September and November 2011. The
survey research was supplemented by in-depth interviews with 16 fleet managers
and 20 industry experts, academics and policy makers.

Respondents from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Benelux were
contacted via e-mail and phone and were asked 20 quantitative questions about
their experiences and opinions on managing fuel efficiency. Survey results
represented a wide range of firms in the sector: 60% fleets of 1-50 trucks
(these are the fleets most at risk from rising costs), 30% managed fleets of
51-250 trucks, and a tenth managed fleets above this size. Full results will be
revealed at Goodyear Dunlop Fleet Symposium on 25th January 2012.

About Goodyear

Goodyear Dunlop Europe's range of tires for commercial vehicles, buses and
coaches includes more than 400 different tires covering in excess of 55 sizes.
Many of the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturers fit tires from
Goodyear as standard, including DAF, Iveco, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Trucks,
Scania and Volvo. Goodyear also supplies tires to all major trailer
manufacturers. With Fleet First, which includes the TruckForce service network,
ServiceLine 24h roadside assistance, Mobility, FleetOnlineSolutions Internet
management system and Goodyear Retread Technologies, Goodyear provides the
broadest range of dedicated services in the industry.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs approximately
73,000 people and manufactures its products in 54 facilities in 22 countries
around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg,
Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set
the technology and performance standard for the industry.


Goodyear Dunlop
carola_cotronei@goodyear.com

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