Idle-Reduction Technologies
On-board equipment can be expensive, but at today's fuel prices, shutting off the engine pays fast dividends.
Tom Berg
Senior Equipment Editor
Economics are playing a big role in the national Idle Reduction movement, and fleets and owner-operators are just now beginning to jump on the IR equipment bandwagon.
That's because lots of money can be saved by using IR devices. But they cost money to buy and install, and many potential customers either don't have the cash or they don't think they can't justify spending it.
Engine idling - mostly by drivers of over-the-road tractors during rest breaks - consumes 838 million gallons of diesel fuel a year and spews thousands of tons of pollutants, fouling the air for neighbors and truckers themselves, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Idling also causes wear and tear on engines. Alternatives to idling, such as auxiliary power units and shore-power wiring, allow truckers to stay comfortable during rest breaks. But not a lot of trucks have them and there aren't that many places to plug in to shore power.
That's changing as federal and state funds begin paying for new facilities at truckstops and rest areas. There also are a handful of special programs to help truckers buy on-board equipment, according to industry experts who discussed the situation at the 11th annual Clean Cities Conference last month in Palm Springs, Calif. Higher fuel prices should help operators justify equipment investment for the potential fuel savings alone.
Participants at the conference noted that the need for anti-idling equipment has grown because rest breaks are longer. Hours of service regulations require drivers to spend longer periods in their cabs and sleepers, and they cannot be expected to freeze or bake just because some people want them to shut off their engines to reduce pollution and save fuel.
An increasing number of state laws and local ordinances demand that engines be shut down after as few as three minutes of idling. Big differences in the laws and how they're enforced are sparking a move toward a "model" law, which federal authorities hope to write by year's end.
Those are among the highlights noted during several conference sessions on idle reduction, and in conversations afterwards. Here are others:
• Idling is expensive - Surveys and formal studies show that idling is an expensive proposition. Trucks idle four to eight hours a day (or night), depending on driver habits, company policies and time of year, according to the surveys of drivers and fleet managers. And these estimates are almost always low by at least 20%, say those who study data captured in the memories of electronic engine controls. But if a truck's engine consumes 2,500 gallons a year during idling - only a moderate amount, according to a survey of drivers - and fuel costs $2.33 a gallon - the national average in early May - that amount of idling is costing its owner $5,825. Avoiding that expense would pay for idle-reduction equipment rather quickly.
Idling the main engine for 10 hours - reasonable, assuming the driver will be in the sleeper as he reads, watches TV and sleeps for the federally required rest time - now costs $25, if you factor in higher West Coast fuel prices or some wear and tear, according to Bill Warf of the Sacramento (Calif.) Municipal Utility District, which is actively pursuing Clean Air programs. By contrast, running an auxiliary power unit (APU) costs about $5 - and plugging into a shore-power outlet costs $2.50.
Truckstop parking spaces wired or otherwise equipped to sustain truckers in a no-idle mode are difficult to find, and truckers can't know if they're actually available until they pull into a truckstop, said Linda Gaines, who researchers the subject for Argonne National Laboratory. Signs should advise truckers of the availability of local idle-reduction slots or some kind of radio communications should be set up to tell truckers the current status of local shore-power parking slots.
• Builder commitments - Truck builders are committed to offering idle-reduction options by the end of 2008, said Bob Clarke, president of the Truck Manufacturers Assn. But federal and state authorities need to lead the industry toward implementing IR practices so the movement is speeded up. And truck operators should be given a chance to adopt and enforce their own IR rules with drivers before governments mandate anything.
Fleet customers believe that on-board equipment should cost $4,000 or less and weigh 400 pounds or less, said Colin Casey, manager of advanced power systems for International Truck & Engine Corp. Equipment must pay for itself in 18 months or less, and must be durable and reliable with an effective life of 10,000 operating hours. As it now stands, truckers idle their engines during rest breaks because most equipment costs too much. International now offers several idle-reduction options and is working on more.
The U.S. Department of Energy has a formal Idle Reduction plan to educate the industry and drivers on the need to reduce pollution and dependence on foreign oil. The Environmental Protection Agency has set up the SmartWay Partnership, which links fleets with shippers in an effort to save fuel and reduce pollution. Government-sponsored field tests of specific IR equipment are now running. Results are beginning to come in and their economics are not yet conclusive, so the tests are being extended.
Meanwhile, a recently formed industry group, the Idle Elimination Manufacturers Assn., promotes the buying and using of such equipment and supports legislative efforts to subsidize its use. For example, the current federal highway funding bill includes a provision giving APU owners a 250-pound exemption from the 80,000-pound weight limit, said Rex Greer, president of Pony Pack Manufacturing and an IEMA member. But he is not optimistic about the exemption surviving the congressional vetting process.
• Many solutions - There are many ways to avoid idling main engines on trucks, and no single method will be best for everybody, said several manufacturers' representatives. Product prices vary greatly, as do overall capabilities. An APU with a small diesel costs $6,000 to $10,000 installed, but supplies all the heating, cooling and electricity a truck and driver need no matter where the truck's parked. Integrated power units, a variation on the APU idea, are installed at the truck builder's plant and claim to be more efficient.
Shore-power wiring costs $200 to $500 as a new-truck option from some builders, but the driver has to find a place to plug in. A good electric inverter adds $1,000 to $1,500 - plus installation, but allows some conveniences for limited amounts of time. The sleeper needs its own electric-powered accessories and appliances, though truckers tend to have these anyway.
A fuel-fired heater costs about $1,500; it sips little more than a pint of fuel an hour and draws a few amp-hours from the truck's batteries, depending on the speed its fan is set to. It can keep the driver toasty all through a bitter-cold winter. A 12-volt electric blanket costs maybe $100 and keeps the driver warm when he's in his bunk, but the truck's batteries have to be strong. A $50 sleeping bag is a no-power alternative. None of these, of course, helps in summer, but other things can.
An evaporative cooler costs about the same as a heater; it draws a little battery current and consumes only water as it takes the sweat out of hot weather, and is especially effective in dry climates. A chemical "phase-change" cooler costs somewhat more, and can keep a resting driver comfortable for up to 10 hours with outside temperatures of up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Its chemicals must be rechilled by the truck's air conditioner, which theoretically uses extra fuel from the main engine as it goes down the road, and certainly if it has to be idled in very hot weather to run the truck's A/C.
Battery-run heating and cooling systems promise silent but strong performance to keep drivers comfortable; one uses special long-lasting batteries and others use a diesel generator to keep batteries charged. Fuel cells now under development are clean and quiet, but progress on them is slow and engineering is very costly, so they are still years away.
• Pre-cooling and insulation - Except for diesel APUs, most auxiliary coolers are only one-third as powerful as a truck's own air conditioning system, so pre-cooling the cab and sleeper and curtaining off the windshield will help them work. Owners should also install effective insulation in the ceiling, floor and walls, and order it in new trucks. The Technology & Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Assns. now has a recommended practice on how to test the effectiveness of any idle-reduction equipment.
• IdleAire progress - A unique service, IdleAire supplies filtered air that's heated or cooled, plus shore power, telephone, cable TV and Internet access. The only equipment a trucker needs is a $10 window adapter that mates with the service's venting and operating terminal, said Tom Badgett, the firm's chief information officer. Nearly 1,000 fleets employing 150,000 drivers are now under contract. Drivers use their companies' fleet fueling cards to access and pay for use of equipment during rest breaks; credit cards work, too. IdleAire shares rental revenues with truckstop owners.
Installations are complete at 23 locations, and that should climb to 100 by year's end and to 600 in the near future, Badgett said. The eventual goal is to equip 200,000 truckstop parking spaces with IdleAire. Installation costs $15,000 to $16,000 per space, and hefty government grants are offsetting the expense. IdleAire used $10 million in grant money last year and expects to have up to $60 million available this year.
• Shore power installations - Few plug-in facilities now exist but more will be installed as states like California require shippers and receivers to install them. Two truckstops now have equipment made by Shure Power that truckers can rent. Other "electrified" spaces exist at rest stops in various states, but they are generally not well known. Marketing programs will be needed to alert truckers to their availability, several conference participants said, but at least the program is being tried.
The equipment at the truckstop near Sacramento is near the terminal building, but the spaces are quickly grabbed by drivers who don't want to walk far to the buildings, and few have vehicles with shore power gear, said Warf of the Sacramento MPD. Spaces at the other truckstop north of Albany, N.Y., are at the rear of the lot, which lazy drivers ignore but thoughtful drivers, including those with shore power equipment, prefer.
Drivers not equipped to use plug-ins but who insist on parking in the spaces anyway cannot be easily kicked out, and truckstop operators won't do it, participants said. If a driver is tired from a long day at the wheel and has just spent $300 on fuel, he's going to demand a parking space and will use the first one he finds on a crowded lot. Badgett said IdleAire attendants ask non-customers to move and they generally do.
• Return on investment - Most fleet operators demand fairly quick payback of any money spent on equipment, including idle-reduction products. Often they cite 18 months as the longest ROI period they'll accept. The above example suggests that even an APU - the most expensive IR solution at about $6,000 to $10,000 installed - might be paid for in that time by fuel savings alone. Of course, an APU also has operating and maintenance costs, weighs hundreds of pounds and takes up frame space - reasons cited by fleet managers who refuse to buy APUs.
• Financing - Owner-operators are much more willing than fleets to buy expensive APUs, but seldom have the cash. The answer is financing, which is available to anyone with decent credit, but many o-o's lack that, too. If o-o's or small fleet operators can get new or used trucks financed, they should be able to include APUs in the deals, and there are ways to avoid the 12% federal excise tax on new equipment. Either way, financing an APU or any effective but expensive product adds perhaps $150 to $200 a month to a payment - an amount that's easily paid by fuel savings from not idling a truck's main engine.
Government loans and grants are available to municipalities and even individuals to help pay for idle-reduction equipment. But these are usually highly complex and come with many strings attached. For instance, a loan program in one state requires that the affected truck operate primarily within the region where the granting agency is located. That means long-haul truckers need not apply.
State and local government officials understandably want their money to show pollution-reduction results for their own citizens, and anything put on an OTR tractor is no help to them. Clarke of the TMA suggested this approach: State and local money should pay for infrastructure, such as electrification of truckstops, while federal money should pay for on-board equipment that long-haul truckers can use anywhere in the country.
