Why do some trucks have side skirts and some don't

Reduces wind resistance and helps conserve fuel.

 

California requires US carrier fleets [that choose to operate] there to have a certain percentage of their trailer fleet outfitted with "fuel saving technologies". California is solely responsible for a lot of the crap trucking companies have to endure on a regular basis. CARB and engine technology. Today's engines cost about $15,000 more than they need to to meet California CARB requirements. That's money that gets diverted from potential driver pay increases and bottom lines.

 

There is some fuel savings to those things under the trailer.

However I tend to go places that you really should not have those skirts, they will get ripped off, get damaged, bent or create a liability trying to cross Wyoming in a wind driven storm. Turns the trailer into a huge sail.

I refuse to put anything under the trailer except just a landing gear, reefer fuel and a couple of tool boxes at most. The ability to get into places and the storm winds to flow under the trailer among other benefits I think is a defense against trying to save a fraction of dollars per mile.

Unfortunately it's not my choice anymore in some states.

Houses in some areas are being required when built new now in my county not only to meet code but exceed same in a very specific way by specific HVAC, Water, Electric service attachments and solar etc. etc etc. You cannot build a new home anymore just the way you think it ought to be built. That will drive up the prices of older homes that were in existence before this code was changed by the county and several cities.

Essentially my freedom to choose to have skirts under there or not is being removed if I was a truck owner and as a company driver I would not join a trucking company that uses these trailers.

Most people would think I am just being contrary and difficult, almost a troll. However I will tell you that I have had extensive experience with a type of curtain sider trailer that went from the roof to almost about roughly 20 inches above the pavement with mini european tandem set under the rear of that trailer. It was a huge huge huge sail in winter weather wind and snow conditions crossing the mountains in JIT service for GM baltimore with auto glass from Ky Lexington (Building astro vans on that assembly line)

The Mini European tires and special suspension and so on under there back in the 80's for me was a little bit of a abomination to my eyes because it's not natural. There were frigging cars that had taller wheels and tires on than I had on that trailer. HOWEVER... it was special purpose built and engineered very carefully for the work we put it through and believe it or not it did well. I suppose once we plowed through some icy sleet, then some deep wet snow and back into the valley rain and icing again piling and packing the weight on the bottom frame from 5th wheel all the way back to those tandems that trailer gained enough weight to resist the sail effect from the winds.

If it was really bad I'll get on the radio and ask a heavy truck weighing more than I do to ride between the side the wind is shoving from and me for a while it gives me a rest. We generally did not make a habit of doing this on two lane interstates but when you are the only two or three westbound in the night at 3 am it's not difficult.

So Bottom line I don't do skirts on trailers. If they are interested in saving fuel, I rather them buy 800 horse engines that are adequately governed where you can put down enough horses at cruise to exceed or meet the speed limit on a 6% interstate grade. The more beef you have, the less work, and less FUEL burn per hour getting up and over is my strategy. And when you can maintain 75 going upgrade it is less of a pressure against the ELD and less gallons burned per hour for the pull.

You can prove this concept with a powerful car and very little adding of gasoline fuel to get over a steep hill. Or in a airplane from ground to cruise altitude. You save fuel by having more horses. If you have a little bitty engine that you have to wind out and crawl up there at 20 mph burning up all sorts of fuel, those skirts aint gonna help.

Anyway that's enough thinking from me on this. Im not all bad, if you have a little something that is worth putting on a big truck for a particular reason in a particular way, for example a T2000 without grab rails and with a clean formed skirt covering everything from Steer around fuel tanks all the way to catwalk steps ahead of the drives and no grab rails etc. It will do a good job getting whatever trailer you have on there into the wind with pretty good fuel rating. Our Freightliner Century for FFE had half skirts from fuel tanks back to drives under cat walk and it did pretty good with fuel mileage at about mid 7's most days and also pooled and conserved heat in winter so the sleeper floor is not too cold under there. The batteries would do better as well protected by them.

 

My pro star has load locks on the right rear of the cab but no step or platform. So I have to go under the snakes on the left to get to them. Well designed.

 

California requires trailers to have skirts. The skirts increase fuel economy. Trailers that never go to California may not have skirts.

 

That sounds lower than a snake's belly!

 

it's what the new college grads that get hired on as experts, that don't know a darn thing about trucking, recommend to the companies to install to save little fuel.

then the brainiac bean counters have them installed and the trucking company is happier than you, until you go over a high curbing or steep driveway and tear them off, causing you an accident...

in the future, they will be used as commercial ad space,,,,

i have a regular stop in Chinatown Boston...it is a VERY STEEP downgrade driveway...my company wanted to install those insipidly useless trailer skirts. my boss said NO, we go to too many tight areas. (sometimes for MY route, I HAVE TO CLIMB a traffic island, in BOSTON, as well)

owner DID NOT believe him, so boss and owner followed me on my route. owner saw MY steep driveway.....and the traffic island i have to climb, and gave up on his stupid suggestion for trailer skirts.

 

I see some in California without them and think how did they get there

 

9+mpg club on fb?

 

Best thing the trucking industry could do is just rip the California pages out of the atlas and pretend it doesn’t exist. Too bad it’ll never happen...