Spotted: big rig with wheel covers and side skirts

[kafer65]

Living and working close to I-40 skirted and tapered trucks seem abundant in this state to me. I have a frequent flyer that comes through the area often that I readily recognize with covers, skirts, tapers and I noticed he drives slower than most too. Total ecomodder semi! I still think they are lots of huge gaps that I wish they would fill and the side mirrors just offend my modder sensibilities. Surely they can do a BMW i8 thing and duct a partial kammback from the back trailer wheels through the maditory bumper bracket and get some gains there.

[Hypermiler1995]

I think that a half moon shaped piece could be attached to the top of the trailer, and a crescent moon shaped piece to the top of the truck, causing them to fit together like a puzzle piece, and fill the gap between truck and trailer. The shapes of the pieces would allow turning, while keeping the gap filled. Opinions?

[AbramWagner]

Originally Posted by Hypermiler1995

I think that a half moon shaped piece could be attached to the top of the trailer, and a crescent moon shaped piece to the top of the truck, causing them to fit together like a puzzle piece, and fill the gap between truck and trailer. The shapes of the pieces would allow turning, while keeping the gap filled. Opinions?

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[Hypermiler1995]

Originally Posted by AbramWagner

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I had one when I was a kid

Yes! That's perfect! (would need a trap door to connect the trailer.)

[awcook]

Along with the side skirts, trucks could also benefit from wheel skirts connecting to the side skirts. Most of the truck drivers here that added wheel skirts saw about a 2 MPG increase. Throw some of that on a big rig, you will likely see a much larger increase.

Trucks could also probably also benefit from increasing tire pressure. I've seen far too many trucks with too low tire pressure (you can see the tire is almost completely flat on the bottom.)

[freebeard]

Opinions?

To accommodate pitching movement, one part or the other would need to pivot on a transverse line through the 5th-wheel hitch.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Or trailer designs should be mandated to be more efficient. I really can't understand why not making them in a monocoque design like it's already done with buses, which would make them lighter and more aerodynamic. And nowadays that air suspension is widespread in heavy commercial vehicles, even some fully-independent suspension setup relying in a trailing arm for each wheel (without axles) similar to what is applied to motorcycle rear wheels could be attempted in order to allow for a lower boarding height where it's possible, thus increasing the interior volume of the trailer while keeping its overall height lower.

Perhaps Sir James Dyson will take up the challenge.He likes to do revolutionary changes in the market.
He will arrive at the solution you've laid out.And he has a multi-billion dollar credit line.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Hypermiler1995

I think that a half moon shaped piece could be attached to the top of the trailer, and a crescent moon shaped piece to the top of the truck, causing them to fit together like a puzzle piece, and fill the gap between truck and trailer. The shapes of the pieces would allow turning, while keeping the gap filled. Opinions?

If the semi is turning off a thoroughfare and up an incline,into an alley for a delivery,whatever is provided for a gap-filler may be required to compensate for pitch and yaw simultaneously.
The crescents would need to be hinged along with a facility to 'ride' the face of the trailer,top included, while displacing,and provide a means to re-'center' once the turn was complete.
I ran into all these issues with my trailer.

[kafer65]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Or trailer designs should be mandated to be more efficient. I really can't understand why not making them in a monocoque design like it's already done with buses, which would make them lighter and more aerodynamic. And nowadays that air suspension is widespread in heavy commercial vehicles, even some fully-independent suspension setup relying in a trailing arm for each wheel (without axles) similar to what is applied to motorcycle rear wheels could be attempted in order to allow for a lower boarding height where it's possible, thus increasing the interior volume of the trailer while keeping its overall height lower.

I'm not advocating mandates (especially funded federal ones) but I agree a lower boarding height design has been on my mind. I think the current standard is elegant in its simplicity and probably much cheaper to construct and repair OTOH. I was thinking of side structures like the Ariel Atom but curtained smooth. Incentivize the good designs and let the free market adopt Still have to consider the cost of all of the loading docks that would need to be changed.

[freebeard]

Still have to consider the cost of all of the loading docks that would need to be changed.

That's like making a bazillion wheelchair ramps instead of improving the wheelchairs. With airbagged suspension you can just raise the whole trailer.