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148 
Reaping the wind of change
Page 48
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Air management kits save fuel by cutting wind resistance, but are only effective if they are constantly and easily adjusted.
Words: Louise Cote
Correctly-fitted air management kits, or spoilers, reduce wind resistance and save fuel. However, if your trailers are different heights, drivers constantly have to adjust the spoiler, which is usually a two-man job involving a platform. It's time-consuming, a health and safety nightmare, and quite often impossible.
A driver at a strange RDC might not have the help or equipment he needs, and many spoilers don't extend to the top of the highest trailers. Faced with these difficulties,
many lone drivers might not bother to adjust them. David Fox Transport in Middlesbrough was N. committed to investment in air kits in order to reap the substantial fuel savings it believed were available. Frustrated
by losing the benefits unless drivers could easily and safely alter the height of the spoiler, managing director David Fox challenged design engineer Chris Tanner at Scarborough-based Commercial Vehicle Technology (CVT) to solve the problem.
The AMC system CV!' has developed an AMC (Air Management Control) system on which it has already applied for a patent (GB 0819472.2).The AMC is an electro-mechanical system with a pair of operating rams that automatically adjust the spoiler to within a millimetre of the trailer height, either through a bulkhead fitted operating pad, or a handheld unit, all from ground level. Adjustment takes moments, and, like all bright ideas, it's fairly simple but effective.
The AMC means deflectors can easily be matched to the trailer, but also dropped down entirely when the tractor unit is running uncoupled. As well as minimising drag, this makes it easier for the vehicle to pass under low bridges or into low-roofed loading bays.
A sticker on the cab reminds the driver of the maximum and minimum heights, and CVT is developing a version that will automatically display the spoiler height in the cab as the suzic is connected.
CVT has also developed a 'high-lift' version to extend the reach of some factory-fitted deflectors for UK operators. Tanner says: "There is a limit to how high manufacturers' spoilers go, because European trailers (and bridges) are lower than ours, so we have added actuators to extend the height."
The AMC can be retrofitted to existing air management kits, offering either standard or high-lift. CVT will also sell you a spoiler kit already fitted with the AMC system, and says most deflectors are suitable for retro-fit.
CV1"s first kit has been developed for the DAF XF. The retrofit kit, plus fitting, costs £470. "We can fit them or train an in-house fitter if you have a large fleet," explains Tanner. "It's not a difficult job. The first one takes about an hour-and-a-half, and the second will take about an hour." II