Con-way Freight to Deploy Trailer Skirts to Improve Fuel Efficiency, Reduce Carbon Footprint
Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), has announced it is outfitting its line haul trailer fleet with DuraPlate® AeroSkirts® to increase overall fleet fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Commonly known as “trailer skirts,” the DuraPlate AeroSkirt was developed by Wabash Composites, a division of Wabash National Corporation (NYSE: WNC).
The specially designed DuraPlate AeroSkirts improve trailer aerodynamics, reducing wind drag and contributing to improved fuel economy and trailer stability.
“Enhancing environmental sustainability, reducing operating costs and improving safety don’t have to be mutually exclusive goals,” explained 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,” he added.
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. Combined with the company’s other fuel-savings initiatives and technologies, the addition of the trailer skirts is expected to help reduce fleet carbon emissions by some 80 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
The EPA SmartWay® approved DuraPlate AeroSkirt is a durable aerodynamic solution for over-the-road trailers. Its proven structural composite material, DuraPlate, consists of two external steel skins thermally bonded to a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) core, for superior strength that resists damage.
A proprietary spring-bracket design allows for inboard and outboard deflection, to further resist potential impact damage, leading to longer service life.
Category: Cab, Trailer & Body New, General Update
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