I regret that I do not have this sitting on the back of a tractor trailer rig. However that is where it would ride if it was not an outdated product. The truncated trapezoidal shape was designed by a fellow named Kyril Calsoyas. Kyril came up with the idea to effectively reduce the drag placed on a rig by the square back shape of a trailer. What it does is change the shape by providing a virtual cone of air at the back simply by changing how the air flows behind the trailer. Kyril called us up, and I thought it was such a great idea we built one to test. Reality set in when it was difficult to remove and access the goods inside the trailer. At this time DOT rules would not let a hard component like sheet metal ride on the back of a trailer. That is why we were trying to make it inflatable. The rules must have changed when this concept proved to work. JPW is proud to be part of a process that led to the rule change, and to the development of something as significant as 6% fuel savings on long haul trucking.
Read an article from the Arizona Republic about the latest design made with sheet metal components that slide out of the way easier.