LOUISVILLE, Ky – Great Dane Trailers says its ThermoGuard refrigerated trailer insulation, unveiled at the Mid-America Trucking Show, will substantially extend the useful life and value of reefers.

Designed and engineered by Great Dane, ThermoGuard is a glass-reinforced, thermoplastic liner available exclusively on all of the company’s refrigerated trailers. This strong yet lightweight lining is superior to traditional liners, the company claims, because it helps maintain the thermal efficiency of the trailer.

"The development of this innovative material is a huge, huge, breakthrough. Refrigerated carriers now have the option to purchase a trailer that will operate more efficiently year after year, mile after mile," according to Phill Pines, chief operating officer of Great Dane Trailers

As a refrigerated trailer ages, the effectiveness of its insulation system continually decreases. Traditional liners do not completely seal the insulation and allow "out gassing" effects that cause the foam insulation to degrade over time. ThermoGuard contains an innovative composite layer that seals the trailer’s insulation and significantly reduces this traditional loss in insulation performance.

"Reefer owners have always been in a race against time to get the most usefulness out of their trailers before the insulation got too old," Pines said. "Until now, the only way to compensate for the decreasing insulation performance has been to make sure the cooling unit had enough excess capacity to maintain temperatures over the course of time. But not anymore. ThermoGuard just changed the rules." A refrigerated trailer lined with ThermoGuard dramatically slows down the loss in insulation performance, extending the useful life and increasing the value of the trailer.

"When installed as original equipment, ThermoGuard helps trailers continue to insulate efficiently as they get older, allowing better fleet utilization with more options for specific temperature-controlled hauls," Pines said.

ThermoGuard’s construction offers numerous benefits in addition to the reduction in foam degradation, the company says.

A reduction in operational costs will be realized through decreased cooling unit run-time due to less fuel consumption, less maintenance and extended life of the unit. Extended productivity and longer useful lifecycles are also obtained as ThermoGuard assists in the insulation performance of a trailer as it ages, it is claimed.

In addition, ThermoGuard offers strength, durability and extreme puncture resistance in a lightweight package, saving up to 200 pounds. The building block of ThermoGuard is Great Dane’s PunctureGuard, a product exclusive to Great Dane that is available as a scuffband and a liner and features extreme puncture resistance in a lightweight package.

With its smooth, uniform surface, ThermoGuard also helps to maintain an attractive appearance on the interior walls year after year.

"The value of a refrigerated trailer is contingent on its thermal performance. It is imperative that a reefer operates efficiently not only today, but also for the life of the trailer," said Chris Adkins, senior unit capacity, decreasing unit maintenance downtime and expanding its productivity."

ThermoGuard is available as an option on all Great Dane refrigerated trailer models.