A report and online tool developed by a group dedicated to promoting truck efficiency offers objective analysis of 19 technologies designed to keep drivers comfortable in a sleeper while reducing or eliminating idling. Using the tool to choose the right system for a fleet’s particular operation can reduce fuel costs to $4,000 a year per tractor, according to the report’s sponsor, Trucking Efficiency.
The report also outlines five fleet strategies for successfully implementing an idle reduction program, documents weaknesses and strengths of each technology, offers fleet user perspectives, and provides detailed specifications for 40 system suppliers. It helps users evaluate the various systems based on their duty cycles, fleet business models and operating climates, as well as detailing performance costs and additional weights for each.
Onboard idling reduction technologies covered include automatic shutdown/start up system, idle limiters, auxiliary power units, fuel-fired heaters, inverter/charger systems, and integrated solutions offered by truck manufacturers. The report also evaluates the benefits of truck-stop electrification systems and idle management training for drivers.
In addition to evaluating idling technologies, the report outlines various state and local regulations covering truck idling and provides links to economic models for estimating cost savings and return on investment for various solutions.
The idling project is the latest in a series of “Confidence Reports” issued by Trucking Efficiency to offer unbiased information on technologies and systems offering fleets potential efficiency gains. Previous reports addressed tire pressure systems and 6x2 drive axle configurations. A fourth report on automated transmissions is scheduled for release later this year.
Trucking Efficiency is a nonprofit joint project created by the North American Council on Freight Efficiency and The Carbon War Room to promote a doubling of freight efficiency by 2016.
