Alcoa, N.Y., rolled out what is said to be the world’s lightest heavy-duty truck wheel. This latest innovation, the Ultra ONE, will help trucks shed pounds for increased payload and fuel efficiency. Unveiled at the mid-America Trucking show in Louisville, the 40-lb wheel is 47% lighter than steel wheels of the same size.
Ultra ONE can help save up to 1400 lb per rig, enabling fleets to carry more goods while meeting stringent federal emissions regulations. Underscoring the importance of lightweighting to the industry, TMC Transportation, is converting its fleet to the Ultra ONE starting in 2014.
Fleets increasingly convert to aluminum wheels that offset the weight of necessary pollution-control equipment used to meet federal emissions regulations. Lighter wheels also improve fuel economy, making up for rising fuel prices and helping move goods in a cleaner way. And if trucks burn less fuel, they emit fewer greenhouse gases.
Replacing steel wheels with aluminum wheels on an 18-wheeler offsets the annual carbon footprint of an average family of four in America. In addition, Alcoa’s aluminum wheels are six times brighter than competitors’ wheels, giving them strong aesthetic appeal, and because they are corrosion resistant and do not require stripping and repainting, lower operators’ maintenance and operating costs.
“As the largest privately owned flatbed trucking company in the United States, TMC Transportation trucks haul heavy loads across America every day, and each pound we can reduce helps us lower costs and move more goods,” said Harrold W. Annett, Chairman and CEO of TMC transportation. “Ultra ONE wheel is part of our total commitment to quality, through which we reduce waste and ensure customer satisfaction.”
To take out five pounds out of its lightest heavy-duty truck wheel, experts invented a new alloy, the patent-pending MagnaForce alloy. It is on average 17% stronger than Alcoa’s 6061 alloy, in similar applications.
The Ultra ONE Wheel with MagnaForce alloy is available in the industry standard 22.5 in. × 8.25 in. size for heavy-duty, commercial transportation, and is being readied in all OEM customer data books. Truck manufacturers can specify Ultra ONE using the product code ULTRAx. Ultra ONE wheels are available in all popular Alcoa finish options.
More information:
Ultra ONE Wheel
Alcoa
TMC Transportation
Image caption — What is said to be the world’s lightest heavy-duty truck wheel: The Ultra ONE forged aluminum wheel. Courtesy of Business Wire.
