A Canadian trailer maker is entering the U.S. market with a lightweight aluminum flatbed it says can save about 2,000 pounds over a regular aluminum flatbed, with additional cargo-capacity, aerodynamic and maintenance benefits as well.

Alutrec, based in Quebec, has been designing and manufacturing aluminum platform trailers for the Canadian market for over two decades. It says it has a revolutionary new way to manufacture trailers. The result is its Capacity flatbed, which it says is the first aluminum monocoque trailer in the world.

Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin. The term is also used to indicate a form of vehicle construction in which the body and chassis form a single unit.

In Alutrec's case, the monocoque body is built around the concept of a tube. This allows weight stress to be distributed throughout the structure and has the extra benefit of creating an aerodynamic underside of the trailer.

"We have been building trailers with parellel beam and crossmembers for 150 years," explained Stephane Labillois, vice president of business development. "Now this trailer is more like a tube. That's why it's so strong in torsion resistance. If you try to twist a bottle or tube, it's very difficult to twist or break."

High-density composite materials are used between all steel and aluminum contact points. And electrical and air components are located inside the tube, so they are no longer exposed to the elements, protecting them from corrosion and thus saving on maintenance costs.

Five years of research and development that involved two Canadian universities went into the product, which Alutrec says is the most aerodynamic, lightweight aluminum trailer in North American history.

In addition to the extra payload capacity offered by the lighter weight, the Capacity trailer is also 7-1/2 inches lower than a traditional flatbed, offering more height for loads as well as weight.

Two- or three-axle models are available. In addition, the third axle can be removed in just three hours for greater flexibility.

The trailer is more expensive than a traditional aluminum flat, but Alutrec's goal is for the extra up front cost for the Capacity to pay for itself with fuel savings, additional payload and maintenance savings within 18 months.