When comparing hotel prices, the difference between a $50.00 room and a $500.00 room could be quite staggering… unless you’re a trucker. Considering the amenities many truck drivers have in their trucks these days, many save money by spending the night in their trucks… but were you aware of EXCESS IDLING laws? Receiving a citation in this department could cost $500.00 and only goes up from there. To run their “hotels on wheels”, drivers need to keep an idle engine so they can keep their batteries charged, but with such imposing regulations, it seems a near-impossible task. Because of this, idle reduction devices have seen a dramatic growth in sales in recent years.

Currently, with the price of diesel being around $2.50, auxiliary power units (APU’s) can pay for themselves in about two years. However, weight and initial installation costs drive many truckers away… rigs included. Though there are some other alternative systems which are available that are much more weight and pocket friendly.

FUEL FIRED HEATERS - Run pumps & Blowers 

They consume very little electricity and use as little as 0.03 gallons/hour at a low setting and less than 0.1 gallons on a high setting, producing about 11,000 BTU’s/hour. 

TRUCK STOP ELECTRIFICATION

A parking space with clean, filtered hot or cold air, cable t.v., internet, and access to shore power for $1.85/hour or less. 

ON BOARD ELECTRIFICATION - (Basically, an internal for of truck stop electrification)

Uses deep cycle batteries and an inverter and can power lighting and various accessories. 

COLD STORAGE - Maintains temperatures in already cooled cabs. 

Chills or freezes a special liquid mixture to remove heat from air blown over them when the engine is turned off. 

HYBRID SYSTEMS - Combines many of the above technologies to achieve the most efficiency per task. 

Creates an optimal solution for an individual driver’s needs. 

As you can see, there are many options out there, with new ones being marketed all the time. So keep informed at Greenerthinking.com, and research what’s available to help you meet your needs before investing in any idle-reduction system. The only thing you’ll be missing out on, is a couple of bars of soap, and perhaps a complimentary mint.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, June 9th, 2007 at 5:04 pm and is filed under Conservation, Financial, Recycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.