By Reagan Payne

As companies race to deliver the best fuel economy to its company drivers or to help the profit margins of its owner-operators, each new tech piece promises placement in the puzzle. Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions (MVTS) is an industry leader in fuel economy.

Utilizing three Transtex products, MVTS increased fuel efficiency by over 10 percent. This is huge compared to a previously noteworthy increase of six percent in fuel efficiency by TruckLabs’ TruckWings. Transtex Edge Skirts and Edge Topkit+ trailer devices were paired with the Edge Flaps aerodynamic mud flaps for this testing.

“We were able to show that Transtex products offer increased fuel efficiency, whether utilized together or separately,” said Daryl Bear, lead engineer and COO of Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions.

These fuel-saving achievements marked a new track record at MTVS; buyers of this system can expect to save thousands of dollars per year per trailer. Not only will this save money, but significant amounts of fuel.

"With these changes, we continue to fulfill our mission of bringing efficient solutions to transportation,” said Mathieu Desjardins, General Manager of Transtex.

Cost-Efficient Competiton

However, Transtex is not the only company with fuel-saving skills in their skirts. Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company is also working with MVTS to test the effectiveness of their own aerodynamic technologies. Utility’s side skirt and tail combo pale in comparison with fuel savings of only five percent, half of what Transtex products offer.

While the fuel savings may not compare, the pricing apparently does. “Compared to other trailer tails, the UAT is lighter in weight and is a low-cost option,” said Craig Bennett, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Utility. “Fuel economy is the easiest and fastest way to increase your bottom line and see the return on your investment (ROI)."

Much like the Transtex products, these items are minimally protrusive and operate without user interaction. The Utility side fairings open and close with no driver interaction. Even with different shapes and sizes of trucks, buyers can purchase these Utility products directly from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). This streamlines customization and they even offer a five-year warranty.

In 2014, Utility was the only company to develop its own side skirt. This was a pioneering feat and has been followed by many companies since. “There are thousands of patents that have been issued, a lot of rabbit trails and dead ends people have gone down. You need something that's practical, not too heavy, repairable and structurally sound, and integrated into the trailer design,” said Bennett.

Competition breeds innovation; these companies exemplify this perfectly. Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions is known for being a pioneer in fuel efficiency. It offers its drivers quarterly and yearly bonuses for top fuel numbers fleet-wide.

Mesilla Valley president and CEO Royal Jones’ passion is racing and he has brought the engineering and fuel-saving concepts in that sport to the trucking industry.
 
The company average, discounting local drivers or owner operators, swings about 9 mpg, equating to an annual savings of about $22 million against the industry average. Just the difference between 8 and 9 mpg saves about $7 million.
 
“People for years were just accepting of the fact trucks got four miles to the gallon,” Jones told Wright Media earlier this year. “When I first started this business, the truck I used to drive I could get five and a half out of them and we’ve just continued down that path and taken fuel to another level and understanding. Fuel mileage is nothing more than the lack of need for horsepower to propel this object on flat level ground from A to B.”

Working with both these companies so closely makes perfect sense in their effort to continue being the leader in reducing carbon emissions and still seeing a return on this noble investment.

Reagan Payne is a staff writer for Wright Media. She can be reached at rpayne@wrightmediacorp.com