History

It all began during the gasoline shortages of 1973 when dwindling fuel supplies sharply inflated the price of fuel.  That's when a product conceptualized years earlier by Joseph FitzGerald found a niche for his 1965 discovery. He found that a relatively simple change to the leading face of the upper wall of a moving trailer could dramatically improve the efficiency and stability of large vehicles moving down the highway

Although early on FitzGerald sensed its potential, the true impact of his discovery remained relatively dormant for about 8 years because the economic circumstances of the nation  were not yet in place to reveal his product's true calling.

As Sales Manager for Carrier Transicold in 1965, FitzGerald suggested, as a way of providing more cargo space for his customers, that the evaporator unit mounted inside a refrigeration trailer could be relocated to the outside front wall of the trailer .  At the time, when  evaporator units were typically placed inside of a  refrigeration trailer,  FitzGerald convinced the engineers at Carrier Transicold to develop a new design placing the evaporator unit to the new exterior location.

The first prototype design, as Fitzgerald envisioned, saw the evaporator unit mounted on the front end of a trailer but it was encased in a rectangular sheet metal enclosure. FitzGerald not satisfied with the first look  instructed his designers to reduce the squared face of the unit to  softer angles to improve its aerodynamic flow.

Road testing of the second design yielded unanticipated yet very positive empirical results:  test drivers consistently reported better trailer pull response than ever before and that fuel mileage had also improved. FitzGerald's suggestion proved to be beneficial two-fold:  Increasing available cargo space and  reducing trailer drag.

Sensing he was on to something quite revolutionary, FitzGerald decided to consult with several leading aerodynamicists to perfect his product . But even so, it took 8 years of advocating his product and the great oil embargo of 1973 to compel the transportation industry to seek more efficient ways to conserve fuel. A paradigm shift pioneered Joseph FitzGerald had sprouted.

Indeed, when the transportation industry was ready, Joseph FitzGerald was waiting. That's when his sales experience paid off. He single-handedly educated a fuel strapped nation that by adding a basic change to a trailer's shape would payoff in big dollar fuel savings. And more impressively, he did all that one door at a time. He became the founding father of the world's first  aerodynamic add-on for trailers. Along with his son, Jim FitzGerald, a trained expert in fiberglass mold development, the FitzGerald team went on to develop over 145 different aerodynamic configurations - Nose Cone® was born and still thrives today.

For over 40 years the Nose Cone® Manufacturing Company has been the leading source for aerodynamic add-on products for heavy-duty and light-duty vehicle manufacturers. Setting the industry standard in the design of fiberglass molded, aerodynamic products, the FitzGerald team has perfected Nose Cone® products.

At  Nose Cone® combining wind tunnels studies with over-the-road empirical driver evaluations have been crucial to the development of correct aerodynamic configuration for maximum efficiency without operational drawbacks. And with 40 years of experience in this niche market, only Nose Cone® can tell you what works and what doesn’t.

Take a look        

Road testing of the second design yielded unanticipated yet very positive empirical results:

truck wind resistance

How it works