Aperia's Josh Carter (left) and FlowBelow's Josh Butler discuss the new brackets that link Aperia's Halo Tire Inflator with FlowBelow's wheel covers. (Photo by Sean Kilcarr for Fleet Owner)
NASHVILLE. A new partnership announced at the 2017 Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) annual meeting will now combine the “halo” automatic tire inflation system (ATIS) offered by Aperia Technologies Inc. with the aerodynamic Tractor AeroKit produced by FlowBelow Aero Inc. for Class 8 tractor wheels.
The deal, wryly dubbed “a double dose of Josh” as the chief executives of both companies share the same first name, aims to combine the fuel savings potential of Aperia's ATIS technology and FlowBelow's tandem axle tractor aerodynamic package into one kit.
Josh Butler, president of FlowBelow, said a fleet investing in a package featuring the Halo ATIS device, plus his firm’s Tractor AeroKit, could see combined fuel savings totaling up to 3% or 4%.
“That’s why it made perfect sense for us to team up and work together to deliver the combined FlowBelow-Halo package,” he said.
“After seeing the demand from mutual fleet customers we partnered with FlowBelow to develop a Halo-compatible aerodynamic wheel cover system,” noted Josh Carter, CEO of Aperia. “It means that our customers can realize the fuel saving benefits of a total efficiency package.”
The two combines are also going to jointly market new hardware that enables customers to install both Halo and FlowBelow’s Tractor AeroKit as a single kit.
The upshot, said FlowBelow’s Butler is that the Tractor AeroKit, which reduces aerodynamic turbulence and drag around the rotating wheels of a truck, will be combined with the benefits of the Halo Tire Inflator, which provides additional miles-per-gallon improvement, extended tire life, and increased uptime and safety through reduced tire blowouts.
