Technology Options: Tractor-Trailers

The document outlines technical options for reducing fuel consumption in heavy-duty trucks, focusing on aerodynamic enhancements for tractors and trailers and the reduction of rolling resistance through tire technology and inflation systems.

• Aerodynamic drag accounts for approximately 50% of the power produced by a truck engine when traveling at highway speeds. Aerodynamic designs for tractors—including low-profile mirrors, roof and fuel tank fairings, rounded bumpers, trailer gap reducers, and hidden exhaust stacks—can improve fuel economy by 15 to 20 percent compared to classic style trucks.
• Improving the aerodynamics of box van trailers, which are used for over 65% of heavy-duty combination truck miles, can further increase efficiency. Combining trailer aerodynamic technologies with single wide tires or low-rolling resistance tires can improve overall tractor-trailer fuel efficiency by 10 percent or more.
• Rolling resistance accounts for 15 to 33 percent of fuel consumption in heavy-duty trucks. Efficiency can be improved through the use of low rolling resistance tires, 'super single' wide tires—which provide aerodynamic, rolling resistance, and weight reduction benefits—and auto tire inflation systems, the latter of which the EPA estimates can provide a 0.6 percent gain in fuel efficiency.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2008). Technology Options: Tractor-Trailers. https://www.ucs.org/resources/technology-options-tractor-trailers

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Technology Options: Tractor-Trailers. 2008. https://www.ucs.org/resources/technology-options-tractor-trailers.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Technology Options: Tractor-Trailers |date=2 January 2008 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/technology-options-tractor-trailers |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2008technology, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Technology Options: Tractor-Trailers}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2008}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/technology-options-tractor-trailers}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }