ATDynamics, the leading global supplier of tractor-trailer rear-drag aerodynamics technologies, and Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT), a top 100 U.S. trucking fleet, jointly announced that MVT has completed the retrofit of its entire fleet of 4,000 tractor-trailers with fuel saving TrailerTail aerodynamic technology, manufactured by ATDynamics. MVT has operated the TrailerTails in its fleet for more than one year and the fleet wide deployment of TrailerTails now saves, in excess of, one million gallons of diesel fuel annually. The fuel savings realized will result in a payback period of less than 14 months on the capital investment.
Trucking accounts for approximately 15 percent of fuel usage in the United States and over 70 percent of all U.S. goods are transported by truck, including everything from food and clothing to electronics and major appliances. Moreover, fuel costs account for approximately 30 to 40 percent of a trucking company's operating expenses. ATDynamics projects that TrailerTail technology will save the trucking industry over $20 billion in fuel expenditures over the next decade.
TrailerTail is a lightweight, thermoplastic composite fairing installed at the back of a tractor-trailer to streamline airflow behind the trailer, reducing aerodynamic drag and reducing fuel consumption by 6.6 percent (at 65 mph). TrailerTails reduce fuel costs for trucking companies and ultimately help control rising costs for consumers as transportation costs can account for up to 15 percent of retail prices.
MVT transports products for dozens of well-known brands including Sony, Toshiba, Dell, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Budweiser, Lowes and Home Depot.
"We were an early adopter of this technology when nearly two years ago, many of our industry peers raised an eyebrow at our decision to retrofit our entire fleet with TrailerTails, but today virtually every sizable fleet on the road is evaluating or beginning to adopt ATDynamics' technology," said Royal Jones, CEO of Mesilla Valley Transportation. "ATDynamics' TrailerTails have been an integral part of our strategy to operate 25 percent more efficiently than the industry average in order to benefit our bottom line, our drivers' compensation, the national economy and consumers' wallets."
Independent, third party agencies have tested and verified TrailerTail performance, including the Goodyear Proving Grounds in Texas, FPInnovations Energotest in Canada and the Automotive Research Center (ARC) in Indiana. ATDynamics has won numerous clean technology awards, such as California's highest environmental honor, the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) presented by California's Governor, Edmund G. Brown in 2011.
TrailerTails are compliant with the U.S. Department of Transportation's length restrictions for tractor-trailers, which allow up to a five-foot, non-cargo bearing extension for aerodynamic fairings. In addition to fuel savings, TrailerTails improve highway safety for both truck drivers and the public. TrailerTails improve trailer stability in high winds, improve visibility for drivers through reduced trailer spray in wet conditions and reduce injuries and vehicle damages from rear end collisions with tractor-trailers.
"ATDynamics is committed to redefining the shape of the modern semi-trailer," said Andrew Smith, CEO and Founder of ATDynamics. "In a few years, a company using box-shaped, un-aerodynamic trailers without TrailerTails will be as strange as a company choosing to use typewriters instead of email. Mesilla Valley Transportation's 4000 trailer fleet wide retrofit is setting a new course for the industry. Each installed TrailerTail is a moving billboard on highways advertising to the American public which are the greenest fleets in the trucking industry."
A TrailerTail requires less than 45 minutes to install and in one year will offset the annual average fuel consumption of a typical passenger vehicle.
