Putting APUs in reach
Environmentally sensitive small fleets and owner-operators running along the West Coast’s I-5 corridor have a new friend in Oregon-- the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (LRAPA).
According to Sharon Banks, manager of air quality and planning for the agency, LRAPA has launched a pilot program designed to promote the use of auxiliary power units (APUs) on trucks equipped with sleepers that operate primarily along I-5. The lease-to-own program gives qualifying drivers a choice of five different APUs, which they can finance and install through LRAPA.
“We have about $860,000 available through this program,” Banks said. “Drivers make low monthly payments, typically over a period of 60 months. Payments range from a low of about $114 per month to a high of about $176, depending upon the APU they select and the APU installation costs for their particular truck. All the installation work is done at various facilities here in Oregon. Some drivers tell us they can make most of their lease payment with the money they save by reducing idling, which reduces their fuel and maintenance costs.
“We are also encouraging drivers to add a shorepower connection package at the same time,” she continues. “We have them available for as little as $200, so it adds only about $2.00 more to the monthly payment, but it enables drivers to take advantage of shorepower where it is available.”
APUs from five suppliers are offered through the LRAPA program, including Auxiliary Power Dynamics, Idling Solutions, Pony Pack, Rig Master and Teleflex Canada. More information and an application form is available online at www.apucentral.com or by calling Gordon Griffin at LRAPA: 541-736-1056 ex. 221.
