LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 22, 2013) — TBC Wholesale Group has launched a fleet national account program for the Sumitomo brand, offering dealers a package of advantages such as quick delivery, competitive pricing, flexible billing options, wide product selection and nationwide warranties.
"Consolidation and growth in the trucking industry has supported a trend toward fleets requiring direct relationships with their tire suppliers," said Richard Purol, vice president of marketing, TBC Wholesale.
"The (Sumitomo) Fleet Select program addresses that need by providing a conduit between Sumitomo's dealer network and fleets that require national account tire programs."
TBC said a long-standing advantage of the Sumitomo truck tire program has been to allow distributors the freedom to develop the brand in ways that fit their own markets.
TBC said the Sumitomo brand—supplied by Japan's Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.—offers a broad range of truck tires. The Sumitomo Premium Series, featuring "S-Tech" design, consists of three tread designs verified as SmartWay fuel-saving components under the Environmental Protection Agency's program. They also are engineered to deliver long mileage, fuel savings, retreadability and value, TBC said.
TBC sales representatives will be introducing the program to distributors and fleets over the coming months. An overview of Sumitomo Fleet Select is available online at Sumitomo's website.