Anyone who travels up and down the West coast or in the Northeast knows that law enforcement is getting serious about idling. Fortunately, options to reduce idling are increasing and becoming more convenient for truckers.
IdleAire Alternative
The truckstop-based IdleAire system recently got a boost when TravelCenters of America signed an agreement to install the electrification system at its company-owned locations.
Nationwide, IdleAire is offered at 22 locations, and the company has 21 sites under construction.
IdleAire offers drivers comfortable climate control, electrical power, Internet access and cable/satellite TV for less than would be spent on fuel during idling. The air is filtered to remove atmospheric pollution and diesel fumes. Other than a window adapter, which is available at the truckstop offering the service, no additional hardware is needed to use IdleAire.
IdleAire already has more than 400 fleets under contract. In August, it provided the 2 millionth hour of IdleAire service, saving the trucking industry about 2 million gallons of diesel and keeping better than 21,000 metric tons of emissions out of the environment.
"After three years of researching technologies that allow fleets to eliminate extended idling and save fuel and money," said TA Senior VP, Development and Franchising Peter Greene, "our study shows IdleAire provides the single best solution. IdleAire requires minimal investment in truck retrofits, is reliable and, with over 2 million hours of service already delivered to drivers, is a proven, popular system."
Studies have shown that it's cheaper for truckers to run the IdleAire system and turn off their trucks than to idle all night.
Shore Power
When asked about idling reduction, most drivers think of generator sets and fuel-fired heaters. OEM technical development trucks are equipped with such devices, but they aren't the only technologies, nor the best, to achieve government and society goals.
For decades, pleasure boaters and recreation vehicles have enjoyed household electricity, "shore power," when they stop. Among the advantages electricity offers is that owners don't need to invest heavily in generators or heaters and trucks can be wired for shore power relatively inexpensively.
Air conditioners can be powered with household current, using an inverter when running down the road. This can save weight, eliminate redundancy and improve reliability. Truck Stop Electrification (TSE) will also keep batteries topped off and engine blocks warm, virtually eliminating concerns about starting.
Going Forward
Earlier this year, the first National Idling Reduction Planning Conference was held in Albany, N.Y. The Conference marked the first time the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) jointly sponsored and participated together in such a program.
The location was chosen because it was near the first commercial shore power Truck Stop electrification (TSE) facility in New York State, 25 miles north of Albany on I-87. The project was completed under the auspices of Conference co-sponsor, NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
The Federal government recognizes the need for drivers to stay warm in winter and cool in summer. But the agencies also emphasized societal needs to conserve energy and breathe clean air. Make no mistake; the government is serious about reducing idling. You would not otherwise see agencies that are usually rivals cooperate to the extent they do on idling.
The government representatives reiterated the need to cut idling, according to each agency's perspective, but went much further. EPA spoke about cleaning the air. DOE focused on fuel savings. DOT discussed driver factors, including the safety aspects of a good night's sleep.
The agencies and attendees formed working groups to study the industry's needs and propose meaningful actions to make idling reduction practical. Groups will examine alternatives to idling and incentives for implementation. They will make recommendations on technology issues, regulatory needs and limitations, and financial impediments to widespread idling reduction. I'm a participant in the process, and will be involved in a group to spread the word to drivers.
