Designing for Maximum Fuel Efficiency in Last-Mile Trucks

Design plays a vital role in improving the fuel efficiency of any vehicle. Last-mile delivery vehicles have a lot to gain from a few improvements in trailer design dimensions. Since fuel efficiency depends on several factors, it is essential to understand how each component works and contributes to covering more miles per gallon. Here are several design improvements trucking and delivery organizations should consider.

Why Transform Last-Mile Delivery Vehicles?

Last-mile delivery is the final stage in the order fulfillment phase. Logistics companies rely on delivery vans, cars, riders and postal workers to ensure every package reaches its destination. It is a crucial but often costly process.

A Statista study shows last-mile deliveries contribute to 41% of supply chain costs globally. Organizations engaging in order fulfillment would be wise to improve fuel efficiency to reduce operating expenses and comply with evolving emissions laws and regulations.

Improve Aerodynamics

Improving the aerodynamics can help trucks and other delivery vehicles travel further on a single fuel tank. By reducing the drag or air resistance that slows vehicles down, aerodynamic upgrades significantly reduce fuel consumption, resulting in lower operating costs and carbon emissions.

Some aerodynamic upgrades logistics businesses should consider in trailer design dimensions are body modifications that include the following:

• Adjustable spoilers: These offer a variable approach to reducing the drag coefficient of delivery vehicles. Massive trailer trucks are typically bulky and heavy, contributing to heavy fuel consumption and higher air resistance. Drivers can retract or extend spoilers depending on the wind speed. The mechanism enables them to increase the downforce, which helps improve handling and stability, thus increasing fuel economy on long-haul drives.
• Active air dams: As an additional aerodynamic improvement to trailer trucks, active air dams reduce drag by controlling the airflow under the front end. Drivers can activate dams in transit to support other aerodynamic parts for better mileage.
• Active diffusers: Trucking brands can use them to improve the performance of their vehicle fleet. Like active spoilers, diffusers extend or retract to reduce the airflow under the rear end of trailer trucks. This new technology improves fuel efficiency and is a worthy investment for enterprises looking to optimize their fleet and reduce long-term fuel costs.
• Grill shutters: High-speed driving pushes wind through truck components and can affect performance. Active grill shutters can open or close — depending on the speed — to regulate airflow and reduce drag. It may look like a small add-on but every bit helps when hauling thousands of pounds of cargo across different states.

The automotive aerodynamic market is poised to grow into a $35.6 billion industry by 2029, pushing innovations that can drive growth for many firms. Some businesses also supercharge their vehicle fleet by introducing computing technologies. Active aerodynamics can monitor truck performance, and gather and analyze data to optimize semi-truck trailer design depending on factors like speed, drag, brake force, steering input, and more.

Reduce Weight

Semi-truck trailer design can benefit from weight reduction in more ways than one. Delivery and trucking companies can spec their vehicle fleets with new lightweight materials that improve durability and fuel efficiency. Here are other advantages of weight reduction in delivery vehicles:

• Lower costs: Like many other upgrades, weight reduction technologies require significant investment to be effective. However, long-term usage of durable, lightweight materials in trailer design dimensions decreases operational expenses by enabling drivers to haul more cargo using less fuel.
• Regulatory compliance: Making semi trucks lightweight may seem like an overrated solution to some, but new regulations may be the deciding factor in weight reduction upgrades. Emission laws, rules on vehicle weight and a focus on efficiency can help future-proof the industry.
• Sustainability: Trailer trucks are essential in the global supply chain. Leaders should look into improving their vehicle fleets by adding weight reduction measures to their sustainability goals. More lightweight semi-truck trailer designs enable organizations to haul the same cargo loads — or more — with fewer, better-equipped vehicles, increasing freight efficiency in the long run.
• Driver retention: Life on the road can be challenging, even for the most experienced trailer truck drivers. Amenities that improve driver conditions are becoming more popular and weight reduction upgrades can help offset the added load. With many aging drivers on the road and fewer younger replacements, retaining skilled staff is more important now than ever.
• Freight efficiency: Moving more with less is a mantra in the trucking industry. Lighter but durable truck components can shave valuable pounds off trailers. Skilled drivers hauling maximized payloads on leaner, high-performing rigs is an excellent optimization strategy that improves freight efficiency.

Improve Tire Quality

Truck drivers understand the importance of fitting high-quality tires on their rigs, mainly since it affects how the vehicle reacts to different road conditions. Tire tread design plays a vital role in ensuring superb rolling resistance. Optimized tread patterns reduce friction and dissipate heat evenly to maintain proper road grip and braking performance. Tires with improved tread design have lower rolling resistance, increasing fuel efficiency.

Many tire manufacturers offer specialized tires for trailer trucks and other delivery vehicles. Some variants are specifically designed to be fuel efficient, maximizing rolling resistance with every launch, turn and step of the brake pedals. In addition, drivers with extensive experience regularly check their rigs’ tires for proper inflation, damages and tread wear to ensure performance on long drives.

Embrace Electrification

Many industry leaders in fulfillment and e-commerce are shifting to electric vehicles (EVs) for their last-mile deliveries. These offer an enticing solution to rising fuel costs and consistent supply chain issues that hamper productivity and efficiency. Innovative companies use lighter composite materials for most of their EVs, ensuring better mileage and more capacity for cargo storage.

Logistic brands can also use electrification to modify existing semi-truck trailer designs with electric motors to augment driving capabilities. Hybrid trucks use electric power to support traditional internal combustion engines and improve performance. Integrating old and new technologies enables drivers to enjoy an extended range while saving on fuel wherever possible. Some new devices even allow hybrid trucks to alternate fuel types, maximizing power transfer to the wheels based on different driving conditions.

Fuel-Efficiency: A Workable Challenge in Last-Mile Deliveries

Global supply chains depend on last-mile delivery vehicles like trailer trucks and short-range vans to fulfill customer orders. Organizations that wish to become industry leaders must invest ample resources into research and upgrades to increase the fuel efficiency of their vehicle fleets. It is a worthwhile investment that addresses environmental concerns and positively impacts their bottom line.

Emily Newton is the Editor-in-Chief of Revolutionized Magazine, an online publication that explores innovations in science and technology.