Hailed as the industry's most advanced aerodynamic trailer, Cartwright's new Cheetah Fastback achieves fuel savings of 9—10%, according to trials at MIRA.
Those figures are the comparison against a standard box trailer and tractor unit, fitted with air management kit.
According to director John Cartwright, the new trailer is the result of months of development, with assistance from Manchester Metropolitan University university, which used CFD (computational fluid dynamics).
The resulting trailer has a conventional straight line roof to the front, while the rear 50% tapers – maintaining internal capacity via its wedge chassis.
A new side guard design has also been fitted, keeping to the original Cheetah test principles.
As for loading operations, Cartwright says that, when the trailer is presented on a loading bay, the air suspension lifts to suit the height, using a simple push/pull valve in the rear frame.
"Other innovations are to follow, as we endeavour to design and manufacture low carbon, energy-efficient road transport products," says Cartwright.
