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Print ArticleATDynamics announced today the launch of two new products designed to improve the fuel efficiency of trucking fleets throughout North America, and to help long-haul fleets operating in California to comply with upcoming requirements for aerodynamic devices and low rolling resistance tires. Side skirts now offered by ATDynamics demonstrated a 7.4% fuel-efficiency improvement at 62 mph, based on SAE J1321 testing validated by the U.S. EPA SmartWay program. The SuperSpare™, a wide-base tire mount, simplifies the adoption of fuel-efficient tires by enabling either tractors or trailers to carry spare super single tires.
“The commercial launch of these products is the result of close collaboration with fleets,” said ATDynamics CEO Andrew Smith. “ATDynamics is dedicated to reducing fuel consumption in the trucking industry with trucker-tough products designed to save our customers money.”
The side skirts, branded as ATDynamics-Transtex Skirts, are sold by ATDynamics through a corporate partnership with Transtex Composite, Inc. Made of flexible thermoplastic panels, the side skirts are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and uneven terrain. They have an expected life of 10 years and carry the industry's longest warranty for side skirts of five years. One set of ATDynamics-Transtex Skirts weighs 175 pounds and requires two people three hours to install.
“Performance means nothing without durability,” said Jeff Grossmann, Director of Customer Fulfillment for ATDynamics. “We looked at the landscape of side skirts that are on or almost on the market. Over the long term, the panels used in the Transtex design should provide the lowest cost operation to fleets.”
ATDynamics is now the only company to market side skirts and a rear-mounted aerodynamic device that each achieve SmartWay-validated fuel savings of greater than 5%. ATDynamics' patented rear-mounted TrailerTail® improves fuel efficiency by 5.1% at 62 mph based on SAE J1321 testing. Under first-of-their-kind standards for trailer aerodynamics approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), effective in phases beginning in 2010, most 53-foot dry vans operating in the state must be equipped with aerodynamic devices that improve fuel efficiency by at least 5%, while for refrigerated trailers the benchmark is 4%.
ATDynamics-Transtex Skirts or the TrailerTail® alone, therefore, will meet CARB standards for trailer aerodynamics. Long-haul fleets can combine both technologies to achieve optimal fuel savings.
ATDynamics-Transtex Skirts are compatible with all common trailer specifications. Like the TrailerTail®, they will be available for retrofit and for factory installation by select trailer OEMs. At the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) held in Louisville, Kentucky, March 19-21, ATDynamics-Transtex Skirts will be showcased on a Great Dane trailer at the Great Dane booth (#34075), and the TrailerTail® will be displayed on a Hyundai Translead trailer at the U.S. EPA SmartWay booth (#11045).
