Q: There are many aerodynamic products on the market, trailer skirting. With the new regulations in California what is the best technology to go with?
A:With the recent California regulations on skirting and tires, many fleets are scrambling to find what will work the best in fleet with the lowest cost of ownership. Luckily we have had the chance to speak with hundreds of fleet managers on the issues as well as witness first-hand what has been happening in this market since 2006. The first products on the market where made of aluminum and plastic, which is still the case. The benchmark in the industry has been wind tunnel testing, not real-world, which they soon learned was much different as many of the products designed where damaged, ripped off bent etc.
Fast forward to the present. Now that the industry ran into all the issues described above, the manufacturers decided to build a skirt that bent and could take abuse. Well as they say "close but no cigar." These products still hang to low, get damaged, bent, etc. They have only extended the cost of ownership with this idea. The only product/company that we know that has addressed all the issues correctly is Silver Eagle Manufacturing. These skirts are a new, patented double-wall technology which is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and sits 18" higher then everyone else returning the same fuel savings.
This company has been in the industry 73 years, where most have only a few years. In our opinion Silver Eagle is the best solution as everyone is sitting at the 5-6 percent fuel savings.
I hope this helps.
