Fleet Evaluation and Factory Installation of Aerodynamic Heavy Duty Truck Trailers

Technical Report · Mon Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1158764· OSTI ID:1158764

Beck, Jason; Salari, Kambiz; Ortega, Jason; Brown, Andrea

The purpose of DE-EE0001552 was to develop and deploy a combination of trailer aerodynamic devices and low rolling resistance tires that reduce fuel consumption of a class 8 heavy duty tractor-trailer combination vehicle by 15%. There were 3 phases of the project: Phase 1 – Perform SAE Typed 2 track tests with multiple device combinations. Phase 2 – Conduct a fleet evaluation with selected device combination. Phase 3 – Develop the devices required to manufacture the aerodynamic trailer. All 3 phases have been completed. There is an abundance of available trailer devices on the market, and fleets and owner operators have awareness of them and are purchasing them. The products developed in conjunction with this project are at least in their second round of refinement. The fleet test undertaken showed an improvement of 5.5 – 7.8% fuel economy with the devices (This does not include tire contribution).

• Research Organization: Navistar, Incorporated
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: EE0001552
• OSTI ID: 1158764
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English