Truck, trailer aero interest growing as fuel prices rise alongside ESG expectations

Rising fuel prices, an embattled economy and growing pressure to cut carbon has buoyed interest in trucking aerodynamics despite some trepidation that remains over driver-deployed boat tails.

While frequently delivering impressive fuel gains exceeding 5%, manually deployed boat tails mounted on rear trailer doors can be crushed at loading docks if drivers neglect to close them – even when drivers remembered to open them in the first place – and struck in busy lots by other trucks. 

California-based TruckLabs passed over boat tails and instead focused on decreasing the air gap between truck and trailer with its back-of-cab mounted TruckWings. Drag reduction results in an advertised fuel savings of 4% to 6% at highway speeds.

Though TruckLabs advertises a 3 to 6% fuel savings with TruckWings, it's the C02 reduction that takes center stage on their website's homepage. TruckLabsTruckLabs is among those aero companies enjoying brisk business as fleets and owner-operators consider ways to not only cut costs by reducing fuel consumption but also increasingly seek paths to meet stringent carbon reduction requirements set by the California Air Resources Board and EPA SmartWay.

[Related: No magic bullet for trailer aerodynamics]

In addition to being able to track live fuel reduction metrics, TruckWings also allows for live carbon tracking at a time when major investment groups and government agencies alike are more closely monitoring company progress around ESG goals.