The Economist science and technology blog “Babbage” ran an article on the development of new technologies being developed for the long haul trucking industry.  A company in South Carolina called Smart Truck has designed a system that draws in air from under the trailer of a truck and uses it to create airflow in the rear of the truck. This makes the trucks more aerodynamic and saves fuel.

Click here for the full article.

In the US large 18-wheel trucks carry most of the nation’s freight using a tractor unit where the driver sits and a trailer. The terms “tractor-trailer” semi-trailer” or just “semi” is used to describe the 1.3 million of these trucks that travel the nation’s highways. The Economist story reminds us that terminology is essential in understanding the basics of these systems. A “truck” in the US is a “lorry” in Britain and Australia. Semi-trailers are “articulated lorries” in Britain in the Commonwealth.