Trailer Tails

The black ones Prime started using are suppose to be auto deploy. If I remember correctly the mpg increase is slight, but over 500,000 miles they pay off. I asked someone at prime, they said 3% on average. I see Prime trailers without them out, but considering most of Prime's fleet is fleece operators who are buying the fuel, I doubt Prime cares.

 

The only plus is its the only tail some wheel holders get to play with on a regular basis...lol

 

500k? Hmm, how many times will they get crushed by something and replaced during that time? Take the safety bonus away for a few years and you can buy new ones.

 

They contribute 3% in fuel savings based on a 7mpg baseline from the test data I’ve seen. To gain 2-3/10 of a mpg is not unreasonable. It adds up over time. I’m not sure if this new design Prime is using. By eliminating two of the panels you’re basically reducing the effectiveness by half. My trailer tail is the four panel design.
You can see them in action any time a trucks passes you on wet roads. Look at a trailer with no tail vs with and you’ll see the water no longer forms two cyclones behind he trailer. These act as a vacuum, pulling you backwards. The trailer tail works very well. The problem is getting drivers to open and close it accordingly. The auto deploy systems work in the beginning but once they age it doesn’t. I was a dispatcher go Maverick and they originally bought auto deploy tails. Over time though, they ended up converting them to manual deploy only and eventually not ordering them at all. Too many drivers damaging them or not opening them.

 

Sounds like they are only effective for large fleets. I think for an o/o the cost outweighs the savings.

 

It depends on your fuel cost. If your fuel cost is already .35 CPM or greater you can pay for it in 1.5 years or less. After that, it’s just money in your pocket.

 

I see nothing wrong with a little tail.