XTRA Lease has ordered approximately 5,000 new trailers for 2014, most of which will be built with corrosion-fighting galvanized steel components. The company is adding a mix of dry vans, liftgated vans and reefers equipped with new fuel-saving Thermo King Precedent reefer units.

For the first time, XTRA Lease will offer dry vans built with galvanized rear door frames, rear bumpers, and landing gear bracing and wing plates. Some units also will receive galvanized landing gear legs. These improvements will provide greater durability and resistance to corrosion that often plagues trailer components in harsh road and winter conditions.

As with recent XTRA Lease purchases, all 53-foot trailers will receive fuel-saving aerodynamic side skirts, low-rolling resistance tires and trailer tracking units to help fleets attack utilization and costs.

XTRA Lease has invested heavily in new trailer orders in recent years, adding more than 35,000 new trailers since 2010. The provider is believed to have the largest fleet of skirted trailers in the U.S. at more than 25,000 trailers.

XTRA Lease’s 2014 purchase includes a mix of:

• 53- and 48-foot dry vans

• 53-foot reefers

• 53-, 48- and 28-foot liftgated vans

• 48-foot pintle-hook vans

New reefers feature Thermo King’s Precedent S-600 unit, which provides 8-10% more fuel efficiency than older models, including:

• Faster cooling pull-down;

• More efficient temperature control; and

• Evergreen compliance with the California Air Resource Board’s requirements.

Fuel-saving aerodynamic side skirts and low rolling resistance tires are standard features on new XTRA Lease trailers. Side skirts save fleets an estimated 5% in fuel costs, based on EPA verification and depending on number of miles and speed traveled. Low-rolling resistance tires can save an additional 1.5% in fuel, again based on a carrier’s trucking operation. Combined, the two features can save fleets 6.5% in fuel costs.