If you've traveled the Northeast lately, you may have noticed a series of unusual yellow tubes hooked up to trucks parked at New York state's DeWitt Plaza truckstop on I-90, just east of Syracuse.
Those giant umbilicals are the lifelines of a new "shore power" system that lets you turn off your engine but keeps the engine heated and your personal electronics turned on. There's a satellite-type connection for your television, electric power outlet and Internet access via a touch-screen computer.
The tubes, which resemble hoses used to ventilate manholes, also provide fresh air-conditioned or heated air.
The system is the brainchild of a Knoxville, Tenn.-based company called IdleAire, which says its service can help reduce the need to idle your truck to stay comfortable and to run on-board appliances.
Truck idling is an endangered species, as more communities and states take aim at the pollution it produces. Idling is also a matter of dollars-and-cents for truck owners and operators. Studies show idling uses roughly 1.1 gallons of diesel per hour and also increases engine wear and maintenance needs.
That can add up in a hurry. With a rate of $1.25 per hour for fleets and owner-operators, IdleAire believes there's a large potential market for its services. "The actual cost of idling is more like $5 an hour if you include fuel and additional maintenance and all the other stuff, said Tom Badgett, IdleAire's chief operating officer.
To help reduce emissions from idling trucks, New York State commissioned pilot IdleAire projects at the DeWitt Plaza and also at the mammoth Hunt's Point produce terminal in the Bronx.
IdleAire installed the first demonstration system at Hunt's Point in early 2002 and used the driver feedback to evaluate its performance and improve the design, Badgett said.
"As we learn what people want, we are expanding the business," Badgett said.
The Bronx system, as well as locations planned for California truckstops, will also have hook-ups for reefers, he said. People living near Hunt's Point have long complained about air pollution from idling rigs, and California's increasingly strict idling rules make it a natural for the reefer plugs.
IdleAire estimates less than 1 percent of today's reefers are equipped with shore power connections. There simply aren't many truck-parking areas that offer shore power. IdleAire officials and the federal government hope making shore power more widely available will inspire reefer manufacturers and owners to add the connectors to the units.
Besides reducing idling, running reefers on shore power can also extend the life of the temperature control units. Generally the cooling units have to be replaced long before the trailers. A longer life span would offset the cost of adding shore power connectors, IdleAire executives say.
"We hope the reefer plugs at Hunt's Point might serve as a demonstration that will stir interest in the manufacture and wider use of electric-capable reefer systems. However, we are not including them at our other locations because the market simply isn't there," said IdleAire's John Doty.
Late last summer, Road King assigned this writer to find out what truckers think of the system.
The Web access brought wows from John and Tina Eaton, who were traveling with their children in late August before the start of school. The high-speed internet connection allows for shopping, surfing, game playing or simply e-mailing your whereabouts.
"You can sit in this truckstop all day and work with this thing," said John Eaton, while daughters Sabryn, 3, and Mariah, 7 watched in amazement. Tina praised the earth-friendly environmental benefits immediately. "It will save on emissions while the truck is off," she said.
Not all drivers are ready to hook up to the service. Several traveling through Syracuse said they drive only locally, and wouldn't need the service.
Bert Stevens, who drives for DMX out of Richmond, Va., said he's skeptical about the costs, and the need for all that technology. Stevens' routes allow him to use Park ‘n' View, which he said provides all the cable television he wants for a flat fee of under $30 a month – and he simply wasn't interested in the Internet capability.
IdleAire has partnered with Instructional Technologies Inc., (ITI) of Vancouver, Wash., to provide documented, interactive computer-based training to drivers in their cabs. ITI provides the only documented, Professional Truck Driver Institute-compliant truck driver training curriculum, TREAD-1. Topics would include emergency maneuvers and night driving to speed management, accident procedures, defensive driving, cargo handling and skid control.
IdleAire also has announced it has teamed up with InnVision Networks of Plano, Texas, to offer offering 44 premium satellite channels in three different television packages of television service and pay-per-view movies.
Basic service includes 20 channels, including the Weather Channel, CNN, TBS, TNN, A&E and TCM, and will be free with basic IdleAire service. The Expanded package includes 14 more channels, such as ESPN, ESPN2, NBATV, USA, Discovery and TLC, for an additional charge; and the Deluxe package includes 10 movie channels, such as HBO, Showtime and STARZ!, also for an additional charge. IdleAire also plans to test on-demand movies spanning new releases to classics.
