Tractor Truck: Don't blame me for the fuel consumption! Trailer is the culprit

Nowadays, the global oil price keeps rising, and truck drivers are paying more and more attention to the fuel consumption of their trucks. If they can save a little fuel consumption, they will make more money. But those who drive tractor trucks are always puzzled: driving the seemingly same tractor truck, their own fuel consumption is several liters higher, which costs more money. Does it hurt? After a year’s hard work, and earnings are less than others', what went wrong? Bought the wrong tractor truck? Bad driving skills? You may have overlooked it - the semi-trailer.
 
Tractor manufacturers have worked hard to reduce the wind resistance, improve the performance, and do driver training in order to maximize the performance of tractor trucks and minimize fuel consumption. But some "teammates" are not willing to cooperate, what can you do? Non-standard box trailers, ultra-wide and ultra-high loading, mismatched tractor trucks and trailers, etc., are the reasons why you do not make money. Don't think that the tractor truck is more expensive than the trailer, so it’s the culprit.
 
▎These positions are not well matched, your fuel consumption remains high
 
1. The influence of air resistance
 
First of all, we must pay attention to the outer dimensions of the tractor truck and trailer. If the width and height are consistent, and the wind resistance of the whole truck will greatly reduce, which is why many truck drivers are more willing to choose high-roof models.
 
When the truck drives forward, the airflow comes from the front, forming resistance to the truck's forward movement. When designing the product, the truck manufacturers will fully calculate the wind resistance coefficient, the curvature of the front of the cab, the air guide grooves of the doors on both sides, the size of the bumper, etc. , which will play a role in diversion of wind resistance. If a non-standard box is hung or the loading is ultra-wide and ultra-high, the windshield will be enlarged several times.
 


In addition, the gap between the tractor trucks and trailers is too large, and the air flow generated during driving will enter the gap to form a cyclone, causing driving wind resistance to the whole truck. The gap of European trucks is very small, which is to consider this problem.
 
In fact, the front of the trailer has a great relationship with the position of the saddle and traction pin of the tractor truck. The gap of the tractor truck and the trailer should not only consider the reduction of the wind resistance, but also consider the turning radius of the main trailer .
 
2. The influence of the braking system
 
The braking system is the most critical component of all vehicles. The quality of the braking system directly affects the safety of people and vehicles, so the matching of the braking system is particularly important.
 
The braking system of the semi-trailer is divided into the main truck brake and the trailer brake. The drum brake has strong braking force and a slightly slower response speed, while the disc brake has a fast response speed and balanced braking force, but the braking strength is not as large as that of the drum type. So if the two are used together, it is easy to push the head or tail on the wet road.
 
Similarly, the differences of EBS and ABS systems will also affect the safety of the whole truck. In the past, the supervision was not strict. Many truck owners had ABS in their trucks, but the trailers did not. As soon as the brakes were stepped on, the trailer tires locked up, and tail drift often occurred.
 
The wheels of the three-axle silo-type and fence-type semi-trailers need to be equipped with disc brakes. If the drive axle of the tractor truck is purchased as drum brakes at this time, the distribution of braking force is likely to be unbalanced, thus forcing the tractor truck to choose disc brakes .
 
The disc brakes on the whole truck, the consistency of braking performance is indeed there, but the total weight of the truck is more than 40 tons, and the mountain roads have a large demand for braking force, so the importance of the retarder is highlighted, which can reduce the braking effect of the brake disc. Pressure is also a consideration for the matching of the tractor truck and the trailer.
 
3. The influence of comfort and shock absorption performance
 
The previous trucks were all steel plate suspensions, but now many trucks are equipped with air suspension. If the tractor truck still uses a steel plate suspension at this time, the shock absorption effects of the tractor truck and the trailer are inconsistent. Whether the comfort or the effect of shock absorption to the cargo is awful, which may cause bumpy damage to the cargo.
 
Therefore, many truck drivers choose the air suspension of the whole truck, so that the vibration amplitude is greatly reduced during the driving process, which can reduce the inconsistency of front and rear vibrations. At the same time, the air suspension can also adjust the height, and it is more convenient to deal with various road conditions.
 


4. The influence of tire matching
 
If you drive heavy trucks, economy must be your biggest concern, which is more reflected in fuel consumption. In addition to the wind resistance discussed above, the choice of tires also greatly affects the fuel consumption of the vehicle.
 
The choice of tire type and tread pattern is very important for trucks. Since the drive axle of the tractor truck has to take into account the driving force, a tread with a slightly larger friction force can be selected.
 
In terms of trailers, whether it is a large single-tire or a twin-tire design, you can choose tires with low rolling resistance and smooth patterns as much as possible, which can reduce rolling resistance and save fuel consumption.
 
▎Afterword:
 
Chinese trucks are becoming more and more standardized, and the combination of a tractor truck with a trailer is still the mainstream. For the matching of tractor trucks and trailers, you can refer to the article Choose the Right Trailer for Your Tractor Truck
 
If you are operating a truck that combine a tractor and a trailer, you’d better match them correctly. Don't let the trailer hold the tractor truck back, or let the tractor truck hinder the performance of the trailer's carrying capacity.
 
In a word, when buying a truck, it is still necessary to fully consider the matching of the tractor and the trailer to minimize the cost and maximize the benefits.