New Trailer Tools Save Fuel, Raise Productivity, Firms Say

GRAPEVINE, Texas — Enhancements to trailer productivity were spotlighted recently as suppliers offered several approaches to fleets for improving productivity by either lowering fuel costs or increasing payloads.

Aerofficient LLC presented hinged side fairings and announced an order of 5,000 units from U.S. Xpress Enterprises for the new equipment during American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition here.

ATDynamics Inc. launched a campaign to install 50,000 of its “trailer tails,” while Transtex Composite Inc. and Solus Solutions and Technologies LLC also displayed their series of aerodynamic products for truck trailers.

In addition, Alutrec Inc. said it was introducing an aluminum flatbed trailer that could increase payloads by as much as 5,000 pounds.

“We are very honored by our agreement with U.S. Xpress,” said Jim Reiman, CEO of Aerofficient, Lincolnshire, Ill. “Fairings are all about maximizing fuel efficiency. The key is to make sure they stay on the truck.”

Aerofficient claimed a 7% reduction in fuel consumption with its fairings and is working to develop other drag-reducing features to cut diesel use by 12%.

“This design gave us the best fuel economy, the best service life and flexibility in temperature range,” said Max Fuller, co-CEO of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Chattanooga, Tenn., speaking at a press conference where the agreement was announced.

Another selling point was the ability to use the fairings in intermodal service without having them break during loading and unloading from railroad cars, Fuller added.

ATDynamics said it already has  sold more than 5,000 of its tail units, which fit on the trailer’s rear end and are intended to deliver $1,600 per trailer in annual savings by reducing aerodynamic drag.

“We will work with the most profitable fleets in the industry to deploy over 50,000 tails on America’s highways by 2014,” said Andrew Smith, CEO of ATDynamics, South San Francisco, Calif. “TrailerTails have become a literal and highly visible sign of which fleets are operating with the greatest fuel efficiency.”

The effort to expand sales will include several steps, ATDynamics said. They include installing the units at trailer manufacturers’ plants and an enhanced swing-door product in 2012 for dry van and refrigerated trailers in both low-mileage and high-mileage service.

In addition, a product line for roll-door trailers will be introduced, and the company will expand its trial program that allows carriers to test up to 200 TrailerTail units at no charge. Smith said individual units usually can be installed in less than an hour.

Smith said at a press conference that besides the obvious fuel and environmental benefits, the tails boost safety by creating an additional “4-foot crumple zone in the rear,” which discourages tailgating.

Transtex Composite Inc., which partners with ATD on the tails and skirts, also displayed its composite and lightweight dry van and refrigerated trailer doors, which it said are about one-third the weight of a conventional door. The products are made of polypropylene reinforced with fiberglass.

Meanwhile, Solus displayed a number of new products, including latest trailer wheel covers and split-skirt concepts. The company, based in Virginia Beach, Va., exhibited at MCE for the first time, displaying its products on a Vanguard National trailer.

The company said it offers a series of aerodynamic packages, with fuel efficiency gains of about 6% possible.

The skirts are designed in two pieces, which move independently and which Solus said enhance performance and allow easier access for maintenance and safety checks.

Solus also said the lightweight wheel covers alone boost fuel economy by 1.3% while allowing unrestricted wheel access.

“Carriers are looking for additional load capacity,” said Stéphane Labillois, vice president of business development for Alutrec, St. Nicolas, Quebec. “From now on, the flatbed industry won’t be the same.”

He said the company’s new trailer, which has a newly designed body and frame, will weigh 6,950 pounds, giving fleets 2,000 pounds more payload than other aluminum trailers and as much as 5,000 pounds more capacity when matched against flatbed trailers made with steel components.

Added capacity will allow flatbed fleets that previously had to run with fuel tanks only half full to stay within weight limits to make longer trips between refueling, said Brigitte Bernard, U.S. sales and marketing director for Alutrec.

The trailer also is 7.5 inches lower than other flatbed units, allowing fleets to carry high-cube containers or put tarps on full-size loads without exceeding height limits.

In addition, Alutrec said its trailer has an aerodynamic shape.

Labillois said the company is developing a U.S. dealer network and intends to be selling its trailers in the United States in January 2012.