How it works: The AirWedge II pulls air under the Class 8 trailer (18 wheeler), forcing the air under the trailer axles and out the rear creating a Bernoulli slipstream that pulls the drag from the rear trailer doors.

Why it is innovative: Trailer skirts are slabs of plastic mounted on the trailer sides that seek to block airflow from flowing under the trailer. The disadvantage is in the most common driving condition, wind from the side, a skirt slows the airflow achieving between 2% and 3% mpg increases.

The patented AirWedge II is similar to an airfoil. The AirWedge II uses the under trailer airflow to control trailer flat plate drag operating from a direct headwind to ninety degrees crosswinds. It therefore stabilizes the trailer and has demonstrated average mpg increases of 11.9%.

Applications: AirWedge II is applicable for approximately 4 million clean bottom trailers, refrigerated trailers, platooning tractor/trailers, trailers connected as doubles and triples, and clean bottom tankers.

How it would be manufactured and marketed: The AirWedge II would be manufactured and assembled in a quality standard metal fabrication shop. It would be marketed by direct sales to major trucking operations, press releases to the online community, ads in trucking publications, appearances at trailer and trucking shows, discussions on LinkedIn and Facebook, and word of mouth in trucking communities like the CARB-verification-required operators, Owner/Operator Independent Drivers Association, and the Sikh community.