Vanguard Trailers debuts innovations, creates a ‘flap’

A prototype of an energy-saving 'flap' underneath a Vanguard trailer The Trucker/Dorothy Cox

The Trucker Staff

3/28/2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some visitors wanted to know what the “flap” was about at the Vanguard National Trailer Corp. booth at Mid-America today. They soon learned it was a prototype for a fuel-saving device Vanguard is doing wind tunnel testing on, according to Mark Roush, director of engineering.

And although the ‘flap’ isn’t in its final form, yet, it’s an example of what Vanguard’s Bob Taylor said was the company’s commitment to “redefining, redefining and redefining our product.”

Taylor, director of trailer sales, said Vanguard has been listening to customers and is putting advancements on their trailers to reflect what’s important to the customer.

“We understand there’s four-dollar-a-gallon diesel and low freight levels; we want to partner with fleets to help truckers eek out [saving] the pennies per mile,” said Taylor. “We want to help them be more productive.”

At some point, Vanguard hopes to have a SmartWay trailer including the flaps to eliminate wind resistance. But that’s in the future.

Right now, the trailer company is offering a number of other product innovations to save their customers time and money.

They include a microchip on each trailer that contains trailer maintenance and service information downloadable via a USB port. Owners’ and maintenance manuals are contained in a convenient format, said company spokesmen, “allowing instant access to critical trailer information.”

And for customers wanting to take the weight off their shoulders, or at least off their trailers, Vanguard debuted its “pultruded” composite floor that saves about 700 pounds on a 53-foot trailer and is also moisture resistant for an extended life cycle.

The floor comes as an option for those who want to save an estimated dollar per pound in eliminated weight.

Another innovation introduced at MATS by Vanguard are sidewalls that are fastened with a superior adhesive instead of rivets, providing additional sidewall strength while eliminating potential rust and corrosion points.

For additional coverage of this story, as well as other MATS news, events and photos, please read the April 15 edition of The Trucker.