Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/555101
82 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | AUGUST 2015 W ithout a trailer, a tractor is meaning- less. A trailer, the argument could be made, is the piece of equipment that actually brings revenue in for a fleet. While it's easy to dismiss a dry van as simply a "box on wheels," the reality of trailer design is a never-ending series of compromises between cargo space and unit weight. Today, as savvy fleet managers understand that any money saved in fuel costs adds to their bottom line, new aerodynamic aspects are being added to the trailer design mix. Also, new technologies – such as telemat- ics, GPS tracking and real-time logis- tics information – are pushing trailer OEMs to reevaluate longstanding designs and look at how their prod- ucts will be used in the future in a new light. Strick Trailers in 2011 was selected as Daimler Trucks' trailer partner for its 2015 SuperTruck project, a five-year development process in conjunction with the U.S. Depart- ment of Energy and other leading industry manufacturers and suppli- ers. Daimler's highly sophisticated and sleek vehicle was showcased in the Freightliner booth at this year's Mid-America Trucking Show. "The opportunity to work with the best engineering minds in the business has been a privilege and a gift," says Charlie Willmott, chief sales officer with the Strick Group. "We have learned much about what to look for and where to begin. There is no question that the trailer is the 'Final Frontier' for major aerody- namic improvement in the combined truck-trailer configuration." Willmott says Strick now is focused on key areas where the biggest im- provements can be made quickly and easily. "It is a lengthy, expensive and New laws, new technology and pressure from fleets are reshaping the traditional dry van trailer BY JACK ROBERTS