If you were an artic operator what would you say if Biglorryblog offered you a fuel saving on your fuel bill 8%?

You'd say, 'I'll have some of that!' And you'd be right to say it too. But where can you get that kind of saving nowadays? Well the clue can be found over the next few days on the Iveco stand at the IAA show in Hanover where the Italian truck maker is showing its super slippery 'Transport Concept' artic which (thanks to a whole raft of fuel-saving ideas) is said to be no less than 20% more aerodynamic than your average artic.

To achieve this Iveco not only has optimised the aero kit on the Stralis tractor up front, including extending the bumpers, but it’s also added inflatable spoilers between the back of the cab and the trailer.

For good measure it’s also gone to town on the slightly longer trailer, smoothing the passage of air around the sides and more importantly at the back of the trailer.

But why go to all this trouble? Because at motorway speeds above 85km/h far too much power is wasted just pushing the truck through the air—so the more slippery you can make it, the less fuel you end up using. And that means more money on your bottom line.

Meanwhile, Biglorryblog would dearly love to bring you more on the Transport Concept artic---indeed he was desperate to get up close to it to bring you pictures of those clever aerodynamic tricks.

Only some bright spark in Iveco clearly thought it would be a good idea to display its major IAA attraction by placing it 12ft up in the air on hydraulic workshop jacks…you know, sometimes words fail me.