Heightened by recommendations from government, record high crude oil prices and environmental concerns, the reduction in truck idling is becoming a significant target in efforts to reduce fuel consumption and emissions from heavy-duty trucks. With the potential to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 20 million barrels annually, there has been a growing amount of anti-idling legislation pending or being considered around the county, which has spurred a range of product solutions and government funded programs to support idle reduction.
Truck operators typically idle to generate heating or cooling in their cab, warm their engine block for cold starts or power auxiliary and hotel loads. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, Ill., estimates that drivers idle six to eight hours a day and on average 1830 hours per year. These numbers also suggest of the 7 million trucks on the road, the 458,000 heavy-duty trucks (GVW 26,001 lb. or greater) that travel more than 500 miles daily, are the most likely to idle overnight. With average fuel consumption during idle approximately 1 gal./hr, total fuel consumption for the idle period of these vehicles is annually around 840 million gallons nationwide. That's only from idling.With major reductions in emissions coming to the on-highway market in 2007, and nonroad equipment soon after that, the air quality, benefits associated with reducing idling from new vehicles and equipment are going to decline significantly," said Joseph Suchecki of the Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA). "Emissions from new diesel technology will be reduced by over 90% from today's levels, so that the contribution from these vehicles at idle will be very small."
While nonroad Tier 2 standards and the onset of 3 and 4 are working at significantly reducing these levels, Gaines maintains engines "will still be producing some nonzero level of emissions."
Michael Block, senior staff engineer for the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) said, "We should collectively acknowledge that post-2007 on-highway vehicles, and some post-2008 nonroad pieces of equipment (them is a phase in by hp), will reduce the impact of idling emissions, since their emissions signature will be significantly less than their older counterparts.
"However, the longevity of the existing in-use fleet--both on- and off-highway--underscores the need for anti-idling efforts as a viable and inexpensive emission-reduction approach."
To date, 20 states or localities have anti-idling regulations with an additional eight pending. Because idling has long been considered an air quality issue, the enactment of such legislation occurs at the state level. The result is a wide variety of standards concerning the allowable amount of idle time, the number and type of exemptions, etc.
The majority of regulatory activity is occurring in the Northeast, California and Texas, with regulations varying from one- to five-minute idling limitations in addition to a number of exemption categories. Enforcing the regulations are fines ranging from $100 to $2500, depending on region and offense.
"Each area has different problems," said Block. "For example, saying that you can't idle below 10[degrees]F doesn't mean much to someone in Arizona. On the other hand it's a big issue for someone in Alaska.
"I do think some sort of national guidance, perhaps modeled after EPA federal guidance for smoke opacity programs some years ago would be beneficial."
While fuel savings and air quality, are the core motivators in reducing idling, noise emissions, engine wear and maintenance are also contributing factors. As far as noise, anyone who has been at or near a truck stop where dozens or even hundreds of idling trucks are congregated understands the challenge. And considering that idle speeds are among the least efficient operating conditions for an engine, it's not surprising that added engine wear can become a concern.
To combat these issues, a variety of manufacturers are developing and producing both on-board and remote systems designed to allow operators and fleets to reduce idling time.
IdleAire, Knoxville, Tenn., has been among the prime advocates of truck stop electrification (TSE), as the company has 16 installations across the U.S. and 17 others in some phase of construction. According to IdleAire, 432 truck stops have made exclusive agreements with the company for installation of its shore power systems.