AirFlow’s BulletTruck prototypeAerodynamics is getting more attention these days now that diesel has risen fairly steadily for about four months to top $4. You can read a lot more about it in the November Overdrive, where columnist Kevin Rutherford will examine the aero trailer benefits for owner-operators. Also in that issue, our fuel-saving tips list will devote a big section to aero features.
Those who attended the Mid-America Trucking Show this year got a glimpse of aero’s possible future if they stopped by the AirFlow Truck Co. exhibit. The company’s website also has plenty of info on what they’ve done and are trying to do.
Most impressive is the results from a test run from Connecticut to California in June. AirFlow says its BulletTruck prototype averaged 13.4 miles per gallon. The website documents the effort and has good shots of the truck, which was originally a 2003 Kenworth T2000. It’s powered by a Cummins 15-liter ISX, with 450 hp and 1,450 ft.-lb. of torque, writes AirFlow President Bob Sliwa. Gross vehicle weight for the test run, which included actual deliveries, was 65,000 pounds and below.
“If we get the investors, we intend to build AirFlow Trucks from scratch and sell them in the (hopefully) near future,” Sliwa says. He points to the 2015 concept vehicle, which will be similar to the cross-country test model.
