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Overview
TrailerTail™

ATDynamics TrailerTails™ are patented tractor-trailer rear drag reduction devices which provide fuel savings of 5 to 6% for tractor-trailers traveling at highway speeds. TrailerTails™ are designed to meet the usability and durability needs of a modern fleet operation while providing thousands of dollars of fuel savings per trailer per year.

TrailerTailTM fuel savings have been well documented in SAE J1321 third party testsand are components of EPA SmartWay certified trailers. They are currently available as retrofits to any existing swing-door trailer application or as factory installed options for select OEM trailers.

Built for Fleets, Designed by Truckers

TrailerTails™ do not inhibit the use of a trailer's rear doors, require minimal person-movements for opening and closing and meet the Department of Transportation length regulations for aerodynamic extensions. (TrailerTailsTM open in 6 seconds and close in 8 seconds.) Drivers think that the devices "make trailers look like rocketships" and make driving easier by providing additional stability and reduced spray at the tail end of the trailer. The device collapses when a driver opens the rear doors of the vehicle and easily expands into its aerodynamic shape once the doors are closed.

Patented TrailerTailTM hinge systems allow swing door trailers to access loading bays normally. Patented roll-door applications of the TrailerTailTM technology will be available commercially in 2009.

ATDynamics will launch TrailerTail™ technology with select fleet operators in 2008. Fleets should contact ATDynamics Director of Fleet Relationships, for more information at: fleets@atdynamics.com

Testing and development of TrailerTail™ technology depended on the forward thinking leadership of industry partners such as Logistics Management, Robert Transportation, GE Trailer Fleet Services and Utility Trailer.

TrailerTails™ are concave, rigid structures extending up to four feet off the rear of a trailer which collapse effortlessly to ensure easy access to frieght and docking facilities. Initial development and patenting of the ATDynamics technology was conducted by ATDynamics Advisory Board members, Dr. Kyril Calsoyas, Founder of Aero-Truck, and David Calley, President of Southwest Windpower. The TrailerTail™ aerodynamic shape was exclusively licensed by ATDynamics in 2006.

Wind tunnel and on-road tests conducted in partnership with major fleet vehicle operators have shown the TrailerTail's™ ability to reduce tractor-trailer drag by 12-20%. At diesel prices of $3 per gallon, the long-haul trucking industry will realize savings of $1,000 - $5,000 per trailer per year. (Based on a baseline long-haul trailer traveling 40,000 to 200,000 miles per year at 62 miles per hour.)

The ATDynamics device creates a smooth airflow behind a tractor-trailer to reduce rear drag and enhance truck power and performance characteristics. The images below illustrate the results of computational fluid dynamic modeling of a tractor-trailer (top view) without, and then with, the TrailerTail™ device. The truck is moving from left to right. The lines on the left hand side of the image below represent turbulence and the low-pressure zone created by the truck passing through air at highway speeds.

Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling – With & Without TrailerTail™

The lines flowing smoothly off of the tractor-trailer illustrated in the next image illustrates the lack of turbulence and smooth flow of air at the rear end of the truck when the ATDynamics device is installed.