Long-Haul Truckers: Idle No More

by Terry Costlow

Heavy trucks consume billions of gallons of fuel each year, much of which gets burned by powerful engines left idling to run heaters or air conditioners for the cab. Legislators and manufacturers are looking for alternatives that will keep long-haul drivers comfortable while reducing fuel consumption dramatically.

U.S. truckers often run their engines constantly on hot summer days and in cold weather to maintain comfortable cab temperatures. Many habitually idle their vehicles, even on days when simply opening a window would do the trick. But in the past few years, groups wanting to improve air quality by reducing fuel consumption have taken notice of this practice, and want to put it to an end.

The Economics of the Practice

The benefits of finding alternatives to idling could be substantial. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that long-haul trucks idling overnight consume about 1.2 billion gallons of fuel each year, at a cost of about $1.8 billion. An often-quoted Argonne National Laboratory study stated that the average heavy-duty freight-hauling truck idles six hours a day for 43 weeks per year, or about 1,830 hours. If auxiliary temperature control devices replaced idling for 1,450 hours and used 85 percent less fuel, operators would save 1,230 gallons of fuel, or at least $1,500. They would save another estimated $275 in annual maintenance costs by reducing engine wear.

What Are the Alternatives?

Auxiliary devices include Caterpillar, Inc.’s MorElectric, a climate control system that plugs into what are commonly called “on-shore lines,” much like recreation vehicles and yachts connect to electric lines. Caterpillar noted that operators who choose an auxiliary device will recoup their investment costs in about a year and a half, based on the savings estimates.

IdleAire Technologies Corp., a Knoxville, Tenn. startup, is among several others moving forward. IdleAire, for example, has developed a cooling system that can be attached temporarily in a vehicle’s window. The company estimates that with only about one million operating hours in just 535 parking spaces, its truck electrification/cooling equipment has already conserved about one million gallons of diesel fuel.

But before these technologies can actually be commercialized, drivers will need to be able to connect to the nation’s power grid. The U.S. Department of Transportation and EPA are promoting a truck stop electrification project that will bring electrical connections to many of the 320,000 parking spaces found in 5,000 truck stops around the country. Along the same lines, IdleAire just signed an agreement with Pilot Travel Centers, which plans to install IdleAire’s technology in its 264 travel centers nationwide.

Legislation Likely to Force Change

Operators who aren’t intrigued by the financial incentives are finding other reasons to avoid unnecessary idling. The California Air Resources Board has proposed a regulation to reduce idling emissions from 2007-and-later-model heavy-duty diesel vehicles. If passed, the regulation would require vehicles to be equipped with a system that will shut down the engine after five minutes of continuous operation at idle. In addition, many cities have passed anti-idling legislation.

The EPA has also strengthened its conservation efforts by lowering allowable emissions levels for 2007 and beyond. And environmental groups are encouraged that legislators are taking action to curb truck idling. “Diesel engines emit roughly two-thirds of vehicle-related particulate (or soot) emissions nationally, and almost one-fourth of the country’s total emissions of nitrogen oxides,” said Rich Kassel, senior attorney at the National Resources Defense Council in New York, NY.

 

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Terry Costlow has written about the electronics industry for more than 20 years, covering a wide range of technologies and topics.