NACFE Finds 5% Aero Gain Could Save 714 Gallons a Year

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency says tractor-trailer aerodynamics remain underused even after years of equipment improvements. TheTrucker.com reported October 30 that NACFE’s new combined tractor-and-trailer report evaluates sleeper and day cabs, side skirts, gap management, rear devices, wheel treatments and other configurations as one operating system rather than isolated components.

NACFE estimates that a 5% fuel-economy improvement on a long-haul tractor traveling 105,000 miles annually at 7 mpg would save about 714 gallons. Its example bundle of skirts, rear devices and wheel covers costs roughly $6,000 to $7,500 installed and could pay back in 19 to 30 months depending on diesel prices and realized savings. Those figures are a modeled example, not a guaranteed result for every duty cycle.

For typical dry-van and refrigerated fleets, NACFE recommends starting with trailer skirts, then managing the tractor-trailer gap and considering rear devices only after evaluating maintenance and yard damage. Weight-sensitive operations need a different calculation because added hardware can reduce revenue payload. The report also says removing aerodynamic features from an OEM aero base model can cost about 10% in fuel economy.

Fleets should test devices on representative routes and track fuel use, speed, weather, payload, maintenance and downtime before expanding a specification. Drivers can support the evaluation by reporting damaged skirts, fairings and gap equipment instead of treating them as cosmetic items. Procurement teams should compare installed cost with verified savings and the time equipment will remain in service. Aerodynamics can lower operating expense, but the best package depends on trailer type, route profile, payload sensitivity and whether the fleet can keep the equipment intact and properly adjusted.