For the past 15 years, Joe David Garza has made his share of key decisions at Spirit Truck Lines as he worked his way up the ladder to his current position as head of compliance, overseeing IT as well as accounting and special projects. 2011 marked one of those opportunities, and Garza was ready to act on one of those pivotal points in his career.
That year, Spirit Truck Lines was approached by the Department of Energy with an invitation to participate in the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Vehicle Technologies Program. They were looking for two fleets nationwide and felt that Spirit was an excellent candidate for one component of the program based on its fleet size, geographic footprint and driving characteristics. The challenge was to evaluate, compare and make recommendations regarding several new aerodynamic technologies available for U.S. trucking fleets. The research program involved assessing these new solutions across several key criteria, most notably usability, fuel efficiency and savings, ease of installation, driver visibility, and each technology’s impact on overall trailer handling and stability.
“We were one of two fleets given the opportunity to test a variety of different fuel efficiency technologies to see what worked best for our company,” said Garza. “It was exciting to be involved in a project that not only had the potential to impact the future of Spirit for the foreseeable future, but also stood to benefit the entire trucking industry and even the health of the environment.”
Based on EPA-verified fuel economy track testing, reducing the aerodynamic drag behind tractor-trailers has the potential to decrease freight industry fuel costs in the United States by $20 billion over the next decade and eliminate the emissions of 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Armed with some background information on the program, and having conducted his own assessment of some of the best fuel efficiency technologies on the market at the time, Garza was ready to move. His decision was to retrofit one-third of Spirit’s trailers with ATDynamics TrailerTails, a trailer rear-drag aerodynamics technology designed to reduce fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
His management team was supportive of the project, as it not only represented the opportunity to experiment and test some of the industry’s most advanced fuel efficiency solutions for possible fleet-wide deployment, but also to gain an early adopter advantage and potentially leverage that knowledge to boost their competitive edge.
“Companies who are not a part of fuel efficiency changes will struggle at a minimum, or worst case they’ll simply not be a part of the future of trucking,” Garza said. “It was an obvious choice to adopt TrailerTails as they had a positive impact on fuel efficiency and a relatively quick ROI.”
TrailerTail is a lightweight, thermoplastic composite fairing installed at the back of a tractor-trailer to streamline airflow behind the trailer, reducing aerodynamic drag and reducing fuel consumption by 6.6% (at 65 MPH). It requires less than 45 minutes to install, and once installed each TrailerTail delivers the equivalent annual fuel and emission savings of replacing one standard combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle, yet at one-fifteenth of the capital cost.
“We have not had a problem with installation or operation. ATDynamics’ TrailerTails are easy to install and require little maintenance,” said Garza. “Our installation crew and our drivers love the product because it does what it claims to do, with no issues whatsoever.”
In addition to fuel savings, TrailerTails improve highway safety for both professional drivers and the public. They improve trailer stability in high winds, improve visibility for drivers through reduced trailer spray in wet conditions and reduce injuries and vehicle damage from rear end collisions with tractor-trailers.
“Initially, drivers were skeptical of the TrailerTails. They had concerns about maintenance issues and performance, and didn’t think the product was going to deliver the purported benefits,” said Garza. “However, after really adopting the technology and seeing the benefits and an increase in fuel efficiency, I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback. Drivers also have told me TrailerTails make the trailer more stable, significantly reduce the amount of road spray, which increases visibility, and dramatically reduce turbulence and wind buffeting.”
TrailerTails are compliant with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s length restrictions for tractor-trailers, which allow up to a 5-ft., non-cargo bearing extension for aerodynamic fairings.
Spirit stated it plans to expand its deployments of the technology in the future, making sure that any new trailer added to the fleet is equipped with a TrailerTail.