Overall hood cost - Aerodynamics

For the aero stuff you could reach out to Raider Express or a similar company and just ask them what their fleet average is. Then reach out to Western Distributing or Fleenor Bros and ask them what their fleet average is.

It will be somewhat difficult getting an apples to apples comparison for aero and hood because the aero trucks will likely be spec’d differently than the hood. Plus the driver is a huge factor. About the only way to get a true test of what you’re after would be two trucks with identical specs except the body style on a dedicated run hauling the same loads. The same driver would have to drive each truck for at least 30 days to get a good average.

Some employees would happily drive an aero truck for more money, some would rather have a hood and make less. Keeping drivers happy seems to be never ending. You could do one thing and half would like it and half wouldn’t. All things equal, the potential is there to save $20k or more per year on fuel so you’d have money to pay the driver more without really feeling it. You also have to think about the differences in purchase price and resale especially if you’re not big enough to get discount pricing on new and guaranteed trade/buy back on the used.

 

If you're pulling boxes get an aero. Trucking is trucking and a pretty truck ain't gonna retain drivers.

 

An aero truck starts to yield less advantage in aerodynamics once the load sticks out around the truck too.

 

I’ve been running aerodynamic freightliners for years hauling everything from wood chips, logs, and flatbed and doesn’t matter how I drive or how heavy I load the best I’ve seen was with flatbed with about a 3rd of my miles empty at 6 mpg and the worst was heavy loaded around 86,000 driving flat on the floor everywhere loaded about half the time was 5.5. I’ve got to where I just drive the truck on the floor. Doesn’t matter enough to pay to take it slow and easy.

 

When KW and Volvo got more into aerodynamics around the late 1990s, they had advertisements stating that it took 75hp more to run a hood through the air at 55 mph.

Now, so many options, but today the aero trucks are probably 30% more efficient than than were almost 30 years ago.

So, lets say it takes 100 more hp today at 55 mph, then at 75, even much more hp required.

Just imagine fueling a 100 hp diesel engine running at 100% all day long, everyday, for the life of the truck, not to mention even more at speed…that is the difference.

One can easily understand this on a 2-lane hyway. Meet an aero truck and barely any air blast. Meet a hood and about get knocked over. I ride motorcycles and it is very noticeable.

 

Just offer hoods for flease purchase for drivers, then the fuel cost is not on you

 

I remember something similar.

Take wind resistance out of the equation and you'd only need 10 horses to go 100 mph.

 

Truck Aerodynamics - Enhancing Performance & Fuel Economy | Neural Concept.

 

All things equal, that's 1 mpg in my own recognition but that's all empirical. 5.5 mpg - 6.5 mpg.
I don't have any science to back it up, except sheer miles divided by gallons. Based on the old Friegliner Classic vs newer at the time Freightliner Century on the same runs.