With fuel prices high and going higher, truck owners and designers are rethinking truck specs with improved fuel economy in mind. Among them is Glen Rice, whose forward-looking sketches are pictured on these pages.
Glen and his wife and codriver Jan are well known to many expediters. In his thirty-year career as a truck driver, Glen drove a variety of big rigs; including reefer, flat bed, step deck, household goods, race car trailers, and most recently, straight-truck expediters. For a number of years he was involved full time in drag racing and was the Mid-America Super Comp champion two years in a row. He studied racing technology at college. Since boyhood, he has maintained an active interest in racing in one form or another. As a motorist, he has modified and customized every vehicle he has ever owned.
The Rices’ custom-built Lil’ Deuce Coupe was a sensation when it was unveiled in 2002, at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville. Sadly, the truck was destroyed and both Glen and Jan were permanently disabled in a tragic accident on the Florida Turnpike in December, 2003. The accident took their bodies out of trucking but Glen’s heart and mind remain very much in it.
At Expedite NOW’s invitation, Glen got to doodling one day, to share his fuel economy and truck of the future ideas with our readers. Emphasizing that he is talking hypothetically and that certain regulatory and technological advances are required to make these concepts work, Glen sketched out three trucks, which he named; Jetson’s Truck, The Wedge and The Rat Rod. All of these concept trucks share some of the same features.
Flush mounted cameras and in-cab screens will replace outside mirrors to reduce wind drag. For safety, backup cameras will be included. The camera system and windows will eliminate blind spots and provide 360 degree visibility around the truck.
Already seen in many of today’s trucks, headlamps are flush mounted. There are no external air cleaners. Door handles are recessed. No exhaust stacks protrude. Skirts run bumper to bumper. Hoods are smooth and taper to a center point. There are no external steps. When the doors open, an electric motor extends steps out for people to use. Where used, mud flaps are louvered. Rivets are not used. The sides are smooth. All these features smooth air flow and reduce wind resistance.
To further reduce drag, the underside is smooth front to rear. Ducting is used to route air to cool disk brakes. Disk brakes are used instead of drum breaks to reduce weight and stopping distance. Some air will be ducted to turn “hamster wheels” that will charge batteries. The batteries will also be charged with solar panels. The battery system will be lightweight, long lasting and powerful enough to eliminate the need for a generator.
Glen likes today’s wide-single tires for their decreased weight and rolling resistance. His trucks of the future take it a step further. Air ride will totally isolate the suspension, allowing smaller, hard-rubber tires mounted on lightweight, spun-aluminum wheels. The smaller size reduces wind resistance. The harder rubber reduces rolling resistance.
Glen says it takes 60 horse power to keep an 80,000 lbs. truck moving at 55 mph in favorable wind and terrain. His straight trucks of the future are hybrids. Load-sensitive sensors shut off fuel flow to two or four cylinders when they are not needed. The above-mentioned battery and charging system will play a role in moving the truck.
Borrowing an innovation used in NASCAR cars, Glen’s truck engines use near-zero viscosity oils and lubricants to reduce parasitic drag. This is made possible by coating moving parts like pistons, ring and pinion gears, timing gears, etc. with anti-wear compounds.
The Wedge truck includes a “whale tale” to reduce aerodynamic drag. Such devices are already in use today on some big-rig trailers.
The Jetson’s truck rides low to the ground, and will adjust to lower levels as speed increases. The lower the truck, the lower the wind resistance. Sensors will gauge speed and road conditions to determine the proper height. Similar to some cement trucks seen today, the cab consists of a single driver’s seat in the center. The cab opens to the sleeper behind. This truck’s skirts are made of flexible ABS polymers to survive certain road hazards.
Mechanically, The Rat Rod shares features with the Jetson’s Truck and The Wedge. Its shape differs for those who may prefer that look.
