Heavy Duty Trucking, June 2017
HDT JUNE 2017 64 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM applications Luckily several recent highprofile studies have made it easier for fleet managers to identify the best devices for their applications and to determine both fuel savings and a realistic ROI timeline A particularly valuable information packet was recently released by SmartWay Canada and it takes an extremely deep dive into the science of tractor trailer aerodynamics But on an elemental level the principles of clean vehicle design can be readily understood by anyone whos ever stuck their hand outside the window of a car moving at highway speeds Air is a mass that creates resistance to the objects moving through it Surfaces with sleek rounded edges move through this air mass more efficiently Engines moving vehicles through the air mass dont have to work as hard and therefore burn less fuel A dding aerodynamic devices to smooth airflow over the vehicle at highway speeds is a relatively cheap and easy way for fleets to improve fuel economy in longhaul tractor trailer applications But calculating fuel savings and return on investment for aerodynamics can be notoriously tricky Moreover not every aerodynamic device on the market today is appropriate for all Falling acquisition prices proven performance and fast ROI times on aerodynamic add ons can translate into fast fuel savings for even cash strapped fleets By Jack Roberts Senior Editor jroberts@ truckinginfo com MONEY FROM THIN AIR SPECIAL ISSUE CUTTING FUEL COSTS PHOTO NUSSBAUM TRANSPORTATION This trailer owned by Illinois based Nussbaum Transportation has both an aerodynamic boat tail from Stemco TrailerTails and extra long trailer side fairings it developed with Wabash
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