Some ??'s for the L/P drivers

Meant to ask Injun....that skirt under the trl. do any good ? Fuel ? Rain ? Snow?

 

it is basicly to improve fuel mileage. Some say it dont help, but actually it does. It cleans up the drag in front of your tandems. BUT it gives you more surface area for side wind to blow you around. Do you really see an improvement on mileage as a driver who might happen to pull that trailer on a 500 mi load? maybe a little. on a 500 mi run, you MIGHT save .5 mpg. Dont mean much to the company driver OR the lease/op's.....BUT if swift can save 2,000 trucks (just throwing a number out there) half a mile a gallon, and all those trucks do 500 mi loads....swift would shell out 166,666 gallons for those trucks doing 6.0mpg. now if they pulled those skirt trailers and got 6.5mpg? swift saves over $40,000 in fuel. take that times 365 days, and swift saves $1.5 million just in fuel for 2,000 trucks pulling trailers with skirts.

now those numbers are for agruments sake....actual numbers are going to be different.....

 

Thanks Dick, sounds like the same argument for super singles...... and if it does save fuel........ but then if the ATA has their way we'll all be grossing 88k and that will be the end of the skirts. ( all gain would be lost ) IMO

 

88K...not unless at least 75% of trucks are upgraded to handle that weight. Have y'all seen the "trucks" Prime is subjecting drivers to these days?

Trailer skirts: in some cases, it helps with wind drag, but it really bites going across Wyoming with a light load. I will say, though, that cars notice them more than non-skirted trailers. They make the trailer look bigger and scarier, so 4-wheelers are more inclined to avoid them. If conditions are right, they do save a little on fuel.

 

88K...not unless at least 75% of trucks are upgraded to handle that weight. Have y'all seen the "trucks" Prime is subjecting drivers to these days?

Forget Prime !! Have you seen the roads around Detroit ? I don't think it will ever fly. The Feds beech now that we're too heavy and tearing up the roads and bridges as it is.