US Patent 9789916 Pneumatic tank trailer

A pneumatic tank trailer includes a carriage and a tank supported on the trailer that can selectively discharge fluidizable material through hoppers of the tank. A nose portion of the trailer has a generally conical shape. The nose portion has a top that slopes downward and sides that taper inward as it extends forward. A cross-sectional center point of a front end of the nose portion is lower than a cross-sectional center point of a rear end of the nose portion along the height of the trailer. The length of the nose portion is at least 15% of the length of the trailer. Adjacent hoppers intersect at hopper crotches. The hopper crotches have short heights and the hoppers are arranged relatively close together.