Laterally inset trailer skirt reducing vehicle drag

An apparatus for reducing drag on a terrestrial vehicle in forward motion on a horizontal plane, said apparatus comprising:

• a vehicle skirt assembly of one or more contiguous non-horizontal panels disposed wholly on a first lateral half-side of the vehicle, said vehicle having a rearward wheel assembly disposed wholly on said first lateral vehicle half-side positioned wholly apart from a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle, and said wheel assembly comprising a laterally outermost wheel;
• the skirt panel assembly suspended under the vehicle forward of the wheel assembly;
• at least one said non-horizontal panel aligned directly ahead of a forward-facing uppermost portion of the wheel assembly, said forward-facing uppermost portion spanning between a top of the wheel assembly and a midmost level of an axle of the wheel assembly;
• the skirt panel assembly furthermore comprising at least a forwardmost paneled portion extending forward of an intermediate longitudinal position, said forwardmost paneled portion comprising any paneled portion of the skirt assembly that is disposed forward of the intermediate longitudinal position, and said intermediate longitudinal position being located directly ahead of the wheel assembly a distance equal to twice the diameter of the wheel assembly;
• the forwardmost paneled portion disposed no further from the longitudinal centerline than a laterally outermost position, said laterally outermost position of the forwardmost paneled portion being located laterally inside a laterally outermost sidewall of the outermost wheel no less than a lateral distance equal to the lesser of one-half the lateral width of the outermost wheel or one-quarter the lateral width of the wheel assembly;
• the forwardmost paneled portion furthermore disposed no closer to the longitudinal centerline than a laterally innermost sidewall of any laterally innermost wheel of the wheel assembly;
• the forwardmost paneled portion limited in overall lateral extension to a distance equal to not more than one-half the lateral width of the wheel assembly;
• the forwardmost paneled portion furthermore extending downwards to at least a lowermost level along a substantial length thereof, said lowermost level being positioned no higher than an elevation above a bottom of the wheel assembly equal to one-third the diameter of the wheel assembly, and said substantial length being not less than one-quarter the length of the forwardmost paneled portion;
• a forwardmost end of the forwardmost paneled portion, said forwardmost end being disposed no further rearward on the vehicle than the intermediate longitudinal position;
• the forwardmost end of the forwardmost paneled portion furthermore disposed no further from the longitudinal centerline than a laterally intermediate position, said laterally intermediate position being located laterally inside a laterally outermost sidewall of the outermost wheel no less than a lateral distance equal to the lesser of two-thirds the lateral width of the outermost wheel or one-third the lateral width of the wheel assembly;
• a rearmost end of the forwardmost paneled portion, said rearmost end being disposed no further forward of the wheel assembly than the intermediate longitudinal position;
• the forwardmost paneled portion furthermore comprising a flat section extending longitudinally along the vehicle wholly within the forwardmost paneled portion more than a distance equal to 125 percent of the diameter of the wheel assembly;
• the flat section extending forward of the intermediate longitudinal position;
• the forwardmost paneled portion furthermore comprising any paneled portion of the skirt panel assembly that is substantially coplanar with the flat section;
• the skirt panel assembly furthermore comprising a laterally extending rearmost wheel deflector panel aligned directly in front of the wheel assembly that is contiguous with the forwardmost paneled portion and extends laterally outside the rearmost end of the forwardmost paneled portion;
• the rearmost wheel deflector panel disposed non-parallel to the flat section;
• the rearmost wheel deflector panel extending rearward of the rearmost end of the forwardmost paneled portion;
• a forwardmost end of the rearmost wheel deflector panel disposed no further forward of the wheel assembly than the intermediate longitudinal position;
• a laterally innermost end of the rearmost wheel deflector panel disposed no further rearward on the vehicle than a laterally outermost end of the rearmost wheel deflector panel;
• and
• the rearmost wheel deflector panel disposed above the lowermost level along a major lateral width thereof.