Chasin tails A US manufacturer plans to market its trailer
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aerodynamic device in the UK, which has been approved for new European trucks Words: Steve Sturgess Trailer aerodynamic devices that increase the length of a combination vehicle over a maximum 16.5m (for articulated trucks) look set to receive EU approval. Now US manufacturer ATDynamics plans to market its TrailerTail European Eco50 to the European market to take advantage of the 50cm length allowance and improve fuel efficiency.
Developed in the US, where there is a 4ft (122cm) length allowance, these fold-out aero devices attach to the rear of trailers and are fast gaining acceptance. By spring this year, some 12,000 trailers have been equipped and the TrailerTails are becoming a common sight on the nation's arterial highways.
There, according to CEO Andrew Smith, the fold-out tail can give fuel savings of about 5% to 7%. In Europe, the shorter tail is slightly less effective and truck travel speeds are lower so, depending on trailer configuration, the savings may be between 2% and 4%.
Fuel savings ATDynamics says the fuel economy of the TrailerTail Eco50 was tested in Europe in 2012 through a partnership with TNT Express and Dutch trailer aerodynamics company Ephicas. A 6% fuel saving was reported over a five-month period, but Smith says he wants to err on the side of caution when making claims for the device. "We should bear in mind these are still significant, as fuel prices are nearly double the American cost," he says.
"TrailerTail is a proven technology, which can be implemented immediately by the international community," says Smith. "We look forward to continued work with trucking fleets, trailer manufacturers, regulators, environmental groups and safety advocates to re-invent the shape of the modem semi-trailer."
Under the European regulation Directive 97/27/EC, the device can be fitted only to new trailers. But Smith says he will continue to press for retrofit and for approval of the longer, safer and more efficient 122cm device used in the US, to be marketed as the Eco120 in Europe. ATDynamics estimates that European operators could save an additional €2.6bn (£2.2bn) a year if the Eco120 was allowed over the 50cm device.
Smith says TrailerTails adopted on the two million long-haul semi-trailers operating in Europe would reduce transport CO2 emissions by nine million tonnes a year. The devices add additional safety benefits by improving vehicle stability in high winds, reducing spray in wet weather and creating a collapsible crumple-zone at the rear of trailers.
Using a patented, origami-style folding design, TrailerTails collapse automatically out of the way when a driver opens the rear doors of a semi-trailer to access cargo. The devices are made of flexible, lightweight thermoplastic composite materials and can be installed by two people in less than an hour. Drivers can collapse TrailerTails against the rear doors of a semi-trailer to eliminate additional length in high traffic areas.
America adopts In the US, one of the earliest adopting fleets was Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT), a company that is driven in its pursuit of fuel economy. There, the Las Cruces, New Mexico company offers quarterly bonuses for the top performing driver. At the end of the year, the top driver gets a Harley-Davidson motorbike and $5,000 (£3,220).
Jimmy Ray is the co-founder and equipment guru of this dry freight carrier. MVT operates 2,000 tractors and 3,000 trailers and is one of the largest carriers in New Mexico and western Texas. The main terminal is a stone's throw from historic Old Mesilla, where there is a monument to the pioneering west. And MVT is a pioneer in many ways; it probably has the best fleet fuel mileage of any trucking operation in North America.
Nussbaum Transportation Services, in Normal, Ilinois, is a later convert to the TrailerTail, but is committed to installing the device across the 500-trailer fleet, says CEO Brett Nussbaum. This smaller, family-run US carrier operates 2.3 trailers to each tractor and runs the trailers over a seven-year cycle.
"Based on a 40-trailer pilot, we expect a payback in 14 months," says Nussbaum, underscoring ATDynamics' claims for the fuel savings. "Driver acceptance has been very strong as the tails are so easy to operate. Drivers just walk up and pull a release. It's almost as simple as turning on a lamp," he adds.
Nussbaum says the company's 25 owner-operators have also accepted the device. "Feedback has been strong," he says, as the fuel savings go straight to the bottom line for these leased operators who bring added capacity to the fleet.
At Springfield, Missouri based Prime Inc, most of the power is provided by owner-operators. There, the decision to outfit all new reefer trailers was made to offer a significant benefit to these traction providers.
Director of maintenance Paul Higgins says: "We believe that maximising the fuel efficiency of our trailer fleet is in the long-term best interest of our drivers, the environment and the company's bottom line. Our investment in TrailerTail technology will enhance the stability and safety of our trailers and raise the pay of our independent contractors." CI ECM D 413 Competitive advantage Prime is a major carrier, but its orders will be on new trailers. MVT, meanwhile, is the nation's largest and fastest convert to the TrailerTail, retrofitting trailers as well as buying new. "This is in line with our fuel-economy culture," says co-founder Jimmy Ray. MVT's bright blue International ProStars are highly distinctive with wide single tyres on tractors and trailers, full trailer skirts, aerodynamic wheel covers and 6x2-drive configuration. "Tall 2.50 gearing in the Mentor drive-axle goes with direct-drive transmissions for every last tenth of a mile per gallon," says Ray.
MVT is a well-run fleet whose trucks have an average fuel economy of approximately 9mpg (10.8mpg imperial). However, it is guarded as to the actual numbers as it says it is part of its competitive advantage. The company's recent Driver of the Year scored better than 11mpg (US) for the year, equating to better than 13.2mpg imperial. •