Spring Suspension advocate Schneider thinks air-ride suspensions are over-rated…Find out why…

Schneider argues that spring suspension on trailers are every bit as good at protecting freight as air-ride suspensions. The paper, titled Spring Ride vs Air Ride: Ignore the Inflated Myth of Air-Ride Suspensions, highlighted test results that showed under most circumstances, spring-ride suspensions provided a better ride quality than air-ride.

Per the article loads of 10,000, 30,000 and 40,000 lbs. the perceived benefits of air-ride are minimal at best.

Air ride vs Spring ride…Maybe not as popular as Coke vs Pepsi, but, definitely in the world of trucking a popular debate.

Hutch Spring Suspension with EWP Warepads installed

Schneider backs up their theory with results that they found from a comprehensive testing that their company had done.  Of course, not every fleet can spend the time and money to have their own independent studies, such as Schneider did, but, isn’t that how you find out the facts?

Those two words “Air Ride” have you imagining that the load is floating on a cloud.  But, is it really?  And…does it make sense to ad unnecessary costs when you don’t need to?  What’s the objective here?

I like the fact that Schneider hired an independent company to check out the facts.  They definitely put their money where their mouth is.

As a form fleet owner, it was always to keep an open mind.  Trends come and go…and cycle back in some instances.  Recently, I heard that fleets are taking a closer look back at that old work horse…the spring suspension.

Information found:   June 24, 2014 Article by James Menzies is executive editor of Truck News and Truck West magazines and equipment editor of Motortruck Fleet Executive.  He has been covering the Canadian trucking industry for more than 13 years and holds a CDL.  Reach him at jmenzies@trucknews.com