Introducing Upper Wheel Deflectors
for LTL Box Trucks and Semitrailers
Null Winds Technology's Upper Wheel Deflectors are low-cost, easily installed aerodynamic deflector panels that are proven especially effective in windy conditions, precisely when fuel economy suffers the most. This patented method for optimal vehicle drag reduction proves that ALL open-wheel vehicles needlessly waste fuel, by exposing the much faster forward-moving uppermost wheel surfaces to oncoming headwinds. Road-tested on both loaded semi-trailers and on bicycles, this innovative approach uses an optimally sized rigid panel to shield ONLY the critical drag-inducing upper wheel to actually minimize vehicle drag. Economical Upper Wheel Deflectors divert headwinds outside around the tire sidewall to avoid inducing the highly magnified power otherwise lost on the critical drag-inducing upper wheel, thereby saving considerable fuel. And fuel savings actually increase rapidly with either at higher vehicle speeds or with increasing headwinds.
Null Winds Technology's Upper Wheel Deflectors gained ~¾% fuel savings on fully-loaded 53’ semitrailers under industry standard no-wind (our worst case) road conditions. Extensive road testing has proven that in headwind (best case) conditions, gains can more than double, even triple. For a much smaller class six box truck in windy conditions, fuel savings should far exceed 1%, and could easily double facing headwinds. Thus, shorter 28’ LTL semi-trucks or even 53’ trailers with too short trailer skirts (exposing wheels to crosswinds) will also benefit, especially in windy conditions. LTL fleets can now save otherwise wasted fuel with our low-cost deflector panels. And class six box truck drivers are even reporting now driving faster up long hills.
Null Winds Technology's Upper Wheel Deflectors simply provide fleet managers with a simple, economical solution for LTL vehicles to save otherwise wasted fuel from exposed upper wheels. For LTL vehicles operating at highway speeds with wind-exposed wheels, fuel waste is greatly exacerbated, since power loss is a very sensitive cubic function of wind speed. And since fuel consumption at highway speeds is much greater than at lower speeds, shielding the upper wheel can yield surprising fuel savings for vehicles that spend any significant time on freeways.
Trailer skirts also accomplish this function of shielding the critical upper wheel, but at much higher invested costs. However, recent trends for employing much shorter trailer skirts positioned far forward of the rear wheels in order to reduce invested costs, allow crosswinds to impinge directly on the drag-inducing upper wheel, largely negating any potential wheel shielding fuel savings provided by the more expensive trailer skirts.
Typical road testing of shorter trailer skirts occur in very low wind conditions (the industry test standard), typically well under 7 mph, often on a 9-mile circular track near Pecos, Texas. Since the track is circular, any potential headwinds are therefore present only on a small portion of the track. For this reason, crosswind effects common in many real world conditions are not actually measured.
So fleets relying on road tests on circular tracks under low wind conditions often reach misleading conclusions about the actual cost-effectiveness of shorter, cheaper trailer skirts for use on semitrailers. Adding an inexpensive set of Null Winds Technology's Upper Wheel Deflectors to these much too short trailer skirts can overcome these aforementioned deficiencies on semitrailers, yielding an optimum aerodynamic configuration.
Upper Wheel Deflectors Summary Flyer
Simple Installation.
For class 6-8 box truck and semitrailers with exposed cross-members, a set of panels attach directly to 3-4 inch tall cross-members (I-Beams or C-Channels) spaced around the industry standards 12-13 inches apart, directly in front of the headwind-exposed rear wheel set. (Please confirm your exposed cross-member configuration.)
Made of conventional trailer skirt thermoplastic in either black or white, Upper Wheel Deflectors properly installed can offer years of worry-free performance. And aluminum components together with zinc-coated clamps resist corrosion. A set of panels can be easily assembled and installed on a truck or semitrailer with exposed I-beams in 20-30 minutes. And the vertical position of the deflector panels can be adjusted for either the typical 5-6" top tire clearance on class six box trucks, or for the 3-4" typical tire clearance on most semitrailers.
For more detailed instructions, see our Deflector Panel Installation page.
For a Limited time, FREE sample panel or discounted full set.
Fleet Managers: Please Contact Us for a promo code to order your FREE sample panel for fit checks on your fleet vehicle, or good for an equivalent discount toward a full panel set. Code can be applied at checkout. (Offer limited to fleets with ≥10 LTL vehicles please.)
Don't wait to evaluate this new patented aerodynamic device on your LTL truck or semitrailer. Introductory pricing for early adopters will not last. Take advantage of current discounts on this patented product to outfit your fleet now. And be one of the first to enjoy enhanced fuel savings with our economical, cost-effective Upper Wheel Deflectors.
Drag Mechanics Further Explained (For those with technical interest).
Be sure to visit our technical explanation page specific to our Upper Wheel Deflectors to learn more about this innovative method for minimizing drag on trucks. Still not convinced? For those with technical interest, see our Drag Mechanics on Trucks section for more detailed explanations. Or simply download below our banner summaries from our booth presentation at TMC24 in New Orleans: TMC24 Flyer.