ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Con-way
Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of
Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), today announced it is outfitting its line
haul trailer fleet with DuraPlate®
AeroSkirts® to increase overall fleet fuel efficiency
and reduce carbon emissions.
Commonly known as "trailer skirts," the DuraPlate AeroSkirt was
developed by Wabash Composites, a division of Wabash National
Corporation (NYSE: WNC). The specially designed DuraPlate
AeroSkirts improve trailer aerodynamics, reducing wind drag and
contributing to improved fuel economy and trailer stability.
"Enhancing environmental sustainability, reducing operating
costs and improving safety don't have to be mutually exclusive
goals," explained Tom Clark, senior
vice president, operations for Con-way Freight. "We continually
look to invest in technologies and adopt business practices that
can accomplish these objectives. The addition of the DuraPlate
AeroSkirt to our line haul trailers will help improve fuel
efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, as well as improve trailer
stability which will make our equipment safer for our drivers and
the motoring public."
Con-way Freight has contracted with Wabash to retrofit some
16,000 trailers used in the company's line-haul operations.
Installation of the skirts began earlier this year and is expected
to be completed by August. Combined with the company's other
fuel-savings initiatives and technologies, the addition of the
trailer skirts is expected to help reduce fleet carbon emissions by
some 80 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
"We continually look for opportunities to help fleets lower
their total cost of ownership," said James
Scarcelli, vice president and general manager, Wabash
Composites. "As a leader in trailer aerodynamics with more than
100,000 DuraPlate AeroSkirts built and sold, our expertise
translates into aerodynamic products that provide the greatest
combination of durability and fuel efficiency, while contributing
to reduced carbon emissions. Our team is looking forward to our new
partnership with Con-way Freight and applying our past success to
this 2014 installation project."
The EPA SmartWay® approved DuraPlate AeroSkirt is a
durable aerodynamic solution for over-the-road trailers. Its proven
structural composite material, DuraPlate, consists of two external
steel skins thermally bonded to a high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
core, for superior strength that resists damage. A proprietary
spring-bracket design allows for inboard and outboard deflection,
to further resist potential impact damage, leading to longer
service life.
Con-way Freight is a SmartWay approved carrier and a winner of
the 2013 SmartWay Excellence Award.
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http://twitter.com/Conway_Freight
Con-way equipment images are available at
www.con-way.com/en/about_con_way/newsroom
About Wabash National Corporation
Headquartered in
Lafayette, Ind., Wabash National
Corporation (NYSE: WNC) is a diversified industrial manufacturer
and North America's leading
producer of semi trailers and liquid transportation systems.
Established in 1985, the company specializes in the design and
production of dry freight vans, refrigerated vans, platform
trailers, liquid tank trailers, intermodal equipment, engineered
products and composite products. Its innovative products are sold
under the following brand names: Wabash National®, Transcraft®,
Benson®, DuraPlate®, Walker Transport, Walker Defense Group, Walker
Barrier Systems, Walker Engineered Products, Brenner® Tank, Beall®,
Garsite, Progress Tank, TST®, Bulk Tank International and Extract
Technology®. To learn more, visit www.wabashnational.com.
About Con-way Freight
Con-way Freight is the
industry's leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation
company, providing guaranteed, day-definite regional and
transcontinental service with exception-free delivery, on-time
service performance and faster transit times through a single,
unified network of 425 operating locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto
Rico. Con-way Freight offers LTL freight transportation
across North America and through
Global LTL™ delivery in the
United States from around the world. Global solutions
include international less-than-container load (LCL) ocean
shipments from Asia through its
OceanGuaranteed® service; direct service to more than 30
Bahamian and Caribbean ports
through TropicalDirectSM; and domestic offshore
transportation to Alaska,
Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Con-way Freight is a
certified FAST highway carrier and is C-TPAT/PIP-, ACE- and
CSA-certified.
Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), a
$5.5 billion diversified freight
transportation and logistics services company. For more
information, visit www.con-way.com/en/freight.
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SOURCE Con-way Freight