FlowBelow Aero Inc. announced that FlowBelow’s locking aerodynamic wheel cover will become standard on all Freightliner Cascadia trucks beginning January 1, 2021. The teams at FlowBelow and Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) recently signed an Amended Long-Term Agreement (LTA) to achieve standard position with the product.
Freightliner started offering FlowBelow’s patented quick-release aerodynamic wheel covers on the Cascadia in 2016. In 2020 an updated version with a locking feature was released. Over the last few years, the product’s high customer satisfaction, fuel efficiency improvement, and emissions-reductions benefits led to it becoming standard on the Freightliner Cascadia tractor base model.
“The demand for aerodynamic wheel covers on regional and on-highway trucks has been very strong with a high number of customers requesting this technology from the factory,” said Toby Halter, heavy duty platform product strategy, Daimler Trucks North America. “The partnership with FlowBelow and the opportunity to make their product standard on the Cascadia allows us to continue to deliver trucks with superior fuel efficiency.”
Whether or not an aerodynamic product is capable of success in most customer applications depends on many factors. “Driver acceptance of wheel covers has been excellent because of the patented quick release design, which allows instantaneous removal when necessary for inspection,” said Gordon Virginski, executive vice president of OEM and dealer programs, FlowBelow. “Fleets have seen improved fuel efficiency with the wheel covers and they have proven to be extremely durable over the useful life of their equipment.”
