Trucking costs have skyrocketed due to fuel price increases and those costs have been passed onto the companies, which pay the shippers to ship their products to market. In doing so those companies will pass these costs onto consumers in the form of higher product costs. Now before you say; Yah, obviously, so what? Well it affects you in a big way, because everything you buy gets there by truck.
In fact trucking companies have a saying; “If you bought it, then a truck brought it!” So it behooves the consumer, the companies, which pay to have their products shipped and the trucking companies to look at ways to improve fuel efficiencies and as they do everyone wins. Including you and I with more money in our pockets to improve and/or maintain our quality of life and standard of living.
One of the biggest things a trucking company or shipping company can do to improve their fuel costs is to have aerodynamically streamlined trucks. I propose having dual shell designs for the tops of truck trailers, which are like a wave, which are slightly offset. The structural integrity will be maintained with the inner shell or normal skin on top of the flat trailer, but the outer skin will be a super lightweight material which will be designed for the best aerodynamic co-efficient of drag for cruise speed. Thus allowing the truck to move thru the airflows in the most natural way.
To pay for the tops of all the trucks to be outfitted with these; I further propose the laws of economies of scale to keep the costs down along with advertising companies to sell ads for the tops of trucks. Anyone in a multi-story building will see them or even someone sitting in traffic or driving over an over pass. Think on this in 2006.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington