Vehicle cab configuration effecting reduction of air drag and enhancing storage space capacity and convenience

Claim 1

In a tractor-trailer combination vehicle having a gap between the tractor and the trailer, and an engine assembly mounted on said tractor between the front and rear axles thereof, a cab mounted on said tractor and having a flat horizontal roof at an elevation below the elevation of the trailer roof, and said cab having flat vertical side walls spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the side walls of the trailer, said cab further having a flat front wall interconnecting said cab roof and said cab side walls, said front wall sloping in a rearward direction of vehicle travel, said cab having panels extending transversely outwardly of the lower edges of said side walls, vertical side panels extending downwardly of said transversely extending panels, under panels interconnecting said side panels, and a vertical bumper panel interconnecting said side panels and said under panels, radiators on said cab being operatively connected to said engine assembly and extending laterally outwardly of said cab side walls, said radiators further extending rearwardly of said cab toward said trailer, whereby said radiators function in cooling the engine of the engine assembly as they are directly exposed to the oncoming air moving alongside said cab walls during movement of the vehicle in its forward direction of travel, and said radiators serve to partially close the gap between said cab and said trailer, thereby also functioning as an air shield at said gap, and whereby the configuration of said cab results in reduced horespower needed to overcome aerodynamic drag during vehicle travel in the forward direction.