Lightweighting Can Help Haul More Freight, But Few Carriers Interested, Study Finds

Emissions control devices, auxiliary power units, trailer side skirts and driver amenities have added about 2,000 pounds to the average weight of tractor-trailer rigs over the past decade.

And while the extra weight cuts into freight-hauling capacity, few carriers seem willing to invest in lighter-weight equipment, according to a report issued Aug. 25 by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

For many carriers, so-called lightweighting is “not important or necessary,” said Mike Roeth, executive director of NACFE, who led a team of industry experts to conduct a four-month study of weight reduction technologies for Class 8 tractors and bulk, dry van and refrigerated trailers.

Based on interviews with truck and trailer makers, suppliers, organizations representing fleet operators and truck dealers, and regulatory agencies, the NACFE study team identified more than four dozen options for reducing weight, saving as much as 4,000 pounds per rig.

Lightweighting does increase fuel economy, saving about 0.5% to 0.6% of fuel per 1,000 pounds of weight reduction, but the bigger payoff for many carriers is the ability to haul more freight and to meet demands from shippers to haul denser, heavier loads, Roeth said.

Currently, the benefits of lightweighting are limited to a small number of carriers hauling petroleum and other liquid or dry bulk commodities — an estimated 2% of all trucks. Those vehicles carry a maximum payload at some point on all of their routes and are willing to pay higher upfront costs for lightweight equipment, he said.

Another group of trucks, mostly refrigerated and flatbed haulers, are fully loaded about 10% of the time and represent about 10% of the industry. A third category, representing 88% of the industry, is dry van carriers that typically cube out before they weigh out, Roeth said.

Over the next five to 10 years, he said that the percentage of loads that max out for nonbulk haulers will double to 20%.

“Fleets will have two options — add more trucks to the road or explore lightweighting so that at least some of their trucks will be able to carry more freight,” Roeth said.

For now, though, a lack of interest in saving weight is putting a damper on sales of new products.

Pat Whiting, president of Whiting Door Manufacturing Corp., said his Akron, New York-based company has gotten little response to the introduction in 2014 of a lightweight steel panel, called airCELL, that saves 70 pounds when used in a door and more than 400 pounds if used as part of a trailer sidewall.

“We can’t get any traction,” Whiting said, in part because falling fuel prices have dampened interest in saving fuel.

“We’re waiting for something to trigger demand,” Whiting said.

Since 2005, the average weight of tractor-trailers has risen from 33,500 pounds to 35,500 pounds, effectively reducing the maximum freight-hauling capacity of 80,000-pound rigs from 46,500 pounds to 44,500 pounds.

Some of the things that can be done to reduce weight, Roeth said, is to order trucks with smaller engines and fuel tanks, fewer batteries and horizontal exhaust pipes, converting to wide-base single tires and using aluminum in place of steel for wheels, the truck cab and other components.

“The biggest opportunity may be had in addressing the running gear, as lightweight brakes, hubs and suspensions can deliver 600 to 700 pounds of [weight] savings,” the NACFE report stated.

Using aluminum or a wood laminate for trailer floors can reduce weight by 360 pounds or more but may result in trailers with a weight rating lower than laminated hard wood, which is used in 95% of all dry van trailers, Roeth said.

The use of more exotic materials, such as carbon fiber, also is not likely to take hold due to high costs.

To encourage adoption of lightweighting technologies and to bring down costs, Roeth said there needs to be more collaboration among component suppliers, truck makers and fleets.

A spokesman for The Aluminum Association, based in Washington, D.C., said production of aluminum for use in trucks, buses and trailers in the United States and Canada reached a peak of 1.98 billion pounds in 2006 and fell precipitously to 814 million pounds in 2009. Since then production has recovered to 1.58 billion pounds.

“The aluminum industry is developing higher-strength alloys and improved componentry to continue driving significant fuel-economy gains in the heavy-duty vehicle market,” spokesman Matt Meenan told Transport Topics. “The industry is also pursuing new joining methods that will enable increased integration of aluminum and nonaluminum components into next-generation, heavy-duty vehicle design.”