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Semitrucks tailgating? No, they’re drafting to save fuel
Motorists on Utah freeways may have noticed during the past year some semitrucks tailgating oh so closely to other big rigs.
They actually were testing a new high-tech way to save fuel.
The two trucks use radio, radar, GPS, the Internet and other means to connect each other's operations, and accelerate and brake at the same time. It allows them to draft off each other.
In fact, testing on rural Utah freeways this year — allowed by special legislation — found that the rear truck in such a drafting pair saves an average of 10 percent in fuel costs, and the lead truck saves 4.5 percent.
The front truck saves fuel, too, because "there's a tremendous vortex created behind a vehicle that accounts for about a third of the drag on it. But if you pull the second vehicle in close, it destroys that vortex," said Chuck Price, vice president of Peloton, which is developing the technology.
"You see the same thing happening in NASCAR on the racetrack," he said. "Of course, they've started touching and pushing each other, which is a little beyond what we'll be doing with these trucks."
California-based Peloton and the Utah Department of Transportation offered demonstrations of the new technology for the news media Friday along Interstate 80 in Tooele County — where much of the testing occurred this year.
Steve Boyd, a co-founder and vice president of Peloton, said the technology is sort of like using cruise control, but for a couple of trucks whose operations are connected as they travel closely together to allow drafting.
"Our technology does bring trucks together closer than the normal following distance would allow," between 30 and 100 feet, depending on weather, traffic, speed and other highway conditions.
'Drafting' technology for semi-trucks debuts on Utah roads
Discussion in 'Truckers News' started by c64basic, Nov 21, 2015.
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lol, Lets have 4-5 FedEx trucks draft on one and other, What could possibly go wrong ?
Straight Stacks Thanks this. -
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