Mark Roush, director of engineering at Vanguard National Trailer Corp., has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,959,959 for his design of an over-the-road trailer.
The design uses specially engineered structural sidewall posts engineered to provide increased rigidity for the trailer while minimizing the thickness of the trailer sidewalls, thereby maximizing the cubic capacity of the trailer. The posts also are designed to eliminate snag points on the interior of the trailer, allowing for easier loading and unloading of cargo while minimizing damage to the sidewalls. The design further allows for interior plastic or composite panels to be removed easily and replaced if necessary, eliminating the need for plywood lining – a costly maintenance item for today’s trailer fleets.
The patented design is used in Vanguard National’s VIP MaxCube and VIP 4000 plastic-lined trailers. The Vanguard VIP trailers are designed, engineered and manufactured in Monon, Ind. Introduced in January 2005, the VIP MaxCube trailer already has sold more than 1,200 units with projections of more than 3,000 units for 2006.
Anthony Dowell of Dowell Baker, P.C., Lafayette, Ind. represents Vanguard National and prosecuted the patent before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
