US transport company, Con-way Freight, has announced it is outfitting its line haul trailer fleet with DuraPlate AeroSkirts developed by Wabash Composites, a division of Wabash National Corporation.
According to Con-way, the specially designed DuraPlate AeroSkirts can help improve trailer aerodynamics, reducing wind drag and contributing to better fuel economy and trailer stability.
“Enhancing environmental sustainability, reducing operating costs and improving safety don't have to be mutually exclusive goals,” said Tom Clark, Senior Vice President Operations for Con-way Freight.
“We continually look to invest in technologies and adopt business practices that can accomplish these objectives. The addition of the DuraPlate AeroSkirt to our line haul trailers will help improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, as well as improve trailer stability which will make our equipment safer for our drivers and the motoring public.”
Wabash’s AeroSkirt is built from a structural composite material, DuraPlate, which consists of two external steel skins thermally bonded to a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) core. A proprietary spring-bracket design allows for inboard and outboard deflection to further resist potential impact damage.
Con-way Freight has contracted with Wabash to retrofit some 16,000 trailers used in the company's line-haul operations. Installation of the skirts began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by August.