Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/42794
(Continued from Page 46) efficiency gain of 6.6 percent, while the Trailer Skirts' posted gains in the 4-6 percent range. Each can deliver fuel savings of 0.3 to 0.4 mpg, he estimates. Brett Tobin, an independent contractor from Medford, Ore., who runs under his own authority, estimates he returned the cost of the TrailerTail and side skirts in less than five months. He estimates a 0.9 mpg improvement. When he's fully loaded hauling produce from California to Florida, he averages 6.75 mpg. When he deadheads, which is often, he gets 9.5 mpg or better. "I do my own dispatch and look for high-mileage loads," says Tobin, who usually runs at 55 mph. "It's a good business decision. If I can save $600 to $900 on fuel a month, that's a pretty good investment." Buzz Lovelace, leased to Landstar, paid $948 to have a Nose Cone with lights installed on his 2008 Stoughton 53-foot van in May. He estimates that reducing his average speed to 62 mph from 67 and adding the device, which includes side panels attached to the front of his trailer, has helped improve his fuel economy to 6.3 mpg from 5.5-5.8. He figures he saved $300 in fuel in the first month and a half. Rose, of Nose Cone, calculates Lovelace's return on investment at just 17,000 miles. Lovelace and Fleig didn't consider side skirts because they each have a belly box carrying wrapping pads and a ramp rack for unloading trade show equipment and other special loads. "I did this for my own benefit," says Pinson, Tenn.-based operator Lovelace, who is unfamiliar with the CARB regulations. After procrastinating about adding a Nose Cone for years, Fleig finally paid $1,600 to install the product in May. After his initial fill-up and run with the new equipment, he logged 6.5 mpg. "I was dumbfounded," Fleig says. "I figured I'd be below 6. On my next fuel up I got 7.3 mpg. Since then I've been in the high 6s and low 7s." Rose estimated Fleig's ROI after 35,000 miles. "I wish I had done it years ago," says Lake Villa, Ill.-based Fleig, leased to Landstar. For Larson, the combination of a new tractor and trailer has made a big difference. With the old tractor, he was getting 5.5-5.8 mpg. With the new truck, his fuel economy increased 0.5 mpg, and the trailer outfitted with aerodynamics improved it another 0.5. He estimates that 1 mpg improvement increases his profit by 12-14 cents a mile. 76 OVERDRIVE OCTOBER 2011 California jump start TRUCKING OPPORTUNITIES