Tech Tips and Tid Bits...

NO MORE IDLING
ONE POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE IDLING CHALLENGE

Most people (truckers included) would probably agree that idling a truck wastes fuel, shortens engine life, causes air pollution and other health concerns, emits excessive noise and creates for a poor resting environment for drivers. For years, truck drivers have had no other choice than to idle their engine for necessary power when parked. Many companies have been trying to come up with a viable solution to this problem, and it seems one finally has.

IdleAire Technologies, founded back in June of 2000, has designed, built, and now began installing their Advanced Travel Center Electrification (ATE) technology in truck stops across the country (you may have already seen them out there). Where installed, their units allow trucks to park and turn off their engine, yet still have not only power and an external, individual, thermostatically-controlled, high-capacity, air conditioning and heating unit, but also a myriad of other service options.

To use the device, a driver pulls into a parking space adjacent to an IdleAire unit and switches off the engine. The driver then installs an inexpensive and reusable window adapter (carried in the truck) into the passenger side window. Next, the driver inserts the round IdleAire service delivery console into the window and locks it in place. Back in the cab, the driver opens the console and swipes a fleet card, credit card or an IdleAire charge or debit card through the console's integral card reader. The IdleAire financial network verifies payment and then activates the unit.

Once activated, a bevy of options are available to the driver via a 10.4" color touch screen. From the main menu you can access the thermostat and control the heat or A/C as well as the fan speed, get high-speed internet access, plug in a regular phone for incoming and outgoing calls and connect your TV with standard COAX cable for premium satellite television viewing and movies on demand. The service delivery module also provides USB ports for plugging in a full-sized keyboard, a mouse or any other USB device and four (4) standard 110V electrical outlets.

Some drivers we spoke to said they could idle all night for about the same cost as what a service like this would charge. They also said, some of the problems like noise and vibration, aren't really big issues, because like anything else, you get used to things and then they don't bother you anymore. They equated it to living near a set of railroad tracks. At first, the passing trains rattle you out of bed and disturb your sleep but, eventually, you get used to the noise and, ultimately, don't even hear them anymore. All that may be true, but I'm sure most would agree that turning off your truck has far more benefits than letting it run.

Truck idling is a practice that is getting increasingly difficult for drivers to continue. Many states have some form of anti-idling legislation and some cities and regional entities are enacting regulations of their own. In general, these regulations limit diesel truck idling to 15 minutes or less. Residents of local neighborhoods around truck stops and large parking areas where trucks idle, often believe they are disproportionately affected by diesel emissions and the sound of sometimes hundreds of idling engines. Eventually, these residents will complain enough and truckers will be forced to stop idling. Thankfully, there are alternatives such as IdleAire's ATE.

One of the largest idling concerns is the negative impact it has on the environment. The pollution from the extended idling of diesel trucks in the U.S. is nothing short of startling. While extended idling has received little research attention, a company called Clean Air Technologies International did a landmark study in 2001. Data from that study has allowed IdleAire to make the following estimates in regards to truck pollution. A single, standard, heavy-duty diesel truck with a 425 hp engine, operating 306 days a year, idling during legally required rests and stopping for other reasons for 30 minutes per day, produces 55,833 lbs. of pollution in a year - solely from idling. For the 1.3 million long-haul trucks with sleeper cabs on the nation's highways, that's 36.2 million tons of pollution annually, just from idling. Of course, there are also health and energy implications, which you can imagine. An idling truck is a inefficient and toxic source of energy.

Since their founding, IdleAire has spent millions on research and development, but 2003 was a transition year for the company, focusing more on rapid installations of units nationwide. Currently, IdleAire has units at travel centers in Arkansas, California, Georgia, New York, Tennessee and Texas. Having just signed a deal with Pilot Travel Centers, the largest interstate travel center operation in the nation, IdleAire units will eventually be installed in every current and future Pilot-owned travel center across the country.

IdleAire has already signed up about 50,000 drivers as members. Their system is currently installed in 13 locations with 595 parking spaces. It has already been used by drivers over 72,000 times, totaling nearly one million hours of use, and has reduced diesel emissions by over 9,000 tons and conserved approximately 1 million gallons of diesel fuel to date. The technology won the 2003 R&D 100 Award for one of the most technologically significant products of the year.

If not this, what? If not now, when? The time has come to solve this problem once and for all. If idling can be avoided at an affordable cost, why not turn off that engine and enjoy some peace and quiet. IdleAire is a privately owned technology and engineering company headquartered in Knoxville, TN. For more info, visit their website at www.idleaire.com.

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