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| Add a trailer outfitted with a Nose Cone, side skirts,wheel covers, and a trailer tail to the already sleek Cascadia Evolution and be prepared to experiance fuel mile you could have only dreamed about a few years ago. |
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| Other tricks I have used are from top to bottom... plated crossmembers from skirts to rear of trailer, mud flaps cut down to width of wide-base single tires, plated rain gutter and relocated trailer license plate. All of the above is way beyond Smart-Way or CARB requirements. |
During truck shows I often hear the comment from attendees "I don't go to California" when looking at my truck and trailer. My response to them is "It works equally well in Texas, North Carolina, Michigan or any other state." What really bothers me about this statement is how much fuel is needlessly wasted every year.
The fact that California made these regulations when coming into their state is the reason many of these aero devices are not being taken advantage of. The gains and efficiencies these aero devices could afford them is measured in tens of thousands of dollars a year. I realize there are exceptions where many of these devices will not work in certain applications.
An aerodynamic truck such as the Cascadia Evolution with a fully aerodynamic trailer can be two to three miles to the gallon improvement over a un aero truck and trailer. At 120,000 miles, 9.5 MPG with fuel at $3.70 compared to a truck that gets 6.5 MPG the savings is $21,571 dollars a year.
I embraced the full aero package on the truck and trailer due to business reasons not due to any Smart Way mandates. With all the battles we have to fight as drivers such as government regulations, brokers, shippers, dispatchers, weather conditions, traffic, road conditions, parking lots where trucks are not welcome, why pick a fight with the air itself?