Nose Jobs, Weight Loss & Skirts. And other Beauty Secrets of Fuel-Efficient Long-Haul Trucks.

Long-haul trucks (Class 8 in the US) have been getting more efficient over the years. Recent reports put their fuel economy over 7.5 miles per gallon. The pathways to reduce fuel consumption are the usual suspects – higher thermal efficiency engines, lighter weight trailers, improved aerodynamics, lower rolling resistance, electrification and a few other advanced features such as predictive cruise control.

Volvo Trucks has recently shown that their new European “FH Aero with I-Save” has 5% lower fuel consumption through improved aerodynamics.

The key is a new design with the front extended by 24 cm to take advantage of a recent update to European regulations which allow for longer truck lengths – as long as they improve fuel efficiency (and are not used for extra load carrying capacity). Note that this is pertinent to trucks in Europe, which have the cab-over-engine design to maximize trailer length. The truck has other aerodynamic features such as the replacement of mirrors with cameras.

Interested in learning more of heavy-duty CO2 standards? Check out the regulatory section and download the summaries (Member-only)

In the US, trucks have had a similar makeover. Side-skirts are now common and improve fuel efficiency by as much as 5%. The key improvements from the SuperTruck 2 program are making their way to commercialization. The target of doubling the freight efficiency has been exceeded by all participants using a host of technologies shown here.