On 12/15/08 probably between 11 a.m. and noon, EST, on "The Call" on CNBC cable financial channel there was a brief segment, Margaret Brennan's "Powering The Planet" report about
:
Wal-Mart is cutting costs by hiring Peterbilt to make 1,000 trucks with
1) big flaps (skirting) underneath the trailers for improved aerodynamics
2) "Super Single" tires instead of pairs of less-huge tires on the trailers
3) boat-tail in-tapering flaps on the rear edges of the trailer
Wal-Mart fellow Chris Soltzenmayer (sp?) also explains how Wal-Mart is inducing suppliers to use packaging that weighs less and is using logistics computers to lessen even further unused space inside trailers.
Wal-Mart claims these changes together make delivery 21% more efficient than it was just 3 years ago.
([it was unclear to me if that 21% improvement was entirely from weight and logistics changes, i.e. not the "aero" stuff])
The segment closes with "Wal-Mart hopes to roll out their first hybrid tractor-trailer early [2009]. For more on future energy, check out "Powering the Planet" on
Stock Market News, Business News, Financial, Earnings, World Market News and Information - CNBC.com "
Whenever I was driving around last summer during the height of the fuel price spike I personally never saw ANY company's tractor-trailer with ANY aer-mod besides the now-commonplace shroud/bubble on top of the cab/ front face of the trailer. i.e. I still haven't seen a 1) or a 3)
Seems like Wal-Mart's changes would be quite beneficial on a colossal scale