So I have been thinking about this and want feedback on my thoughts.

First, the APU, I think this is the solution that will most likly prevale. By biggest complaint about this is the fact that the muflers on the dam things almost always points under a sleeper. OK, bad idea (you are poisoning someone with carbon monoxide) but it can be fixed (I think) If we demand the pipes on the things be run up the back of the cab or splice into the stock exhaust that points skyword. I do have to say the $15 investment in a carbon monoxide alarm may be the best thing you can do to defend aginst getting poisened.

Second, Idle-air, can you remember the little yellow speed bumps from a couple years ago -Park and Veiw- I think that Idle-air is on the same road as PnV just a little more expensive. What company driver is going to pay $2/hr for HVAC that is already free? And in my case my laptop is my sorce of entertainment. Plus $2x24= $48= Motel room= fresh sheets a shower befor bed and a shower befor starting my day. Oh. One more thing, Idle-error is shrinking our truckstops making a bad problem worse. I can just see it now, some pimple faced kid is banging on my door "Sir, I need you to move your truck so paying customers have a place to park."
Reply "but I am a paying customer just filled my tanks 5 hour ago... here is my recept see payed $600 for fuel here." Kid "Sir, this is Idle-air we are not the truckstop. if you have a problem with that here is my mangers phone number. please hook up or leave"

Idling solutions are going to vary as long as the way that trucks are used varies. A driver who works for a company that sends him out on the road continuously for 3 weeks has a different need than I do coming home 3 nites a week. I have a bunk heater in the truck and a good sleepeing bag, and running around the Great Lakes region, I tend to tuck myself into the sleeping bag and turn the bunk heater on early in the morning to warm things up before I crawl out of the bag. For the length of time I am out in the summer, I only idled 4 nites this summer since getting my new truck the first of July. I open a window and stay comfortable in summer most nites.

Someone running cross country could sleep in the Nevada desert one nite, and the mountains of Colorado the next, so he has a different need than I do. Companies may have their own policies concerning idling as well. Idle Air is not that much cheaper than idling in direct fuel cost, and if the company doesn't own the truck, or plans to turn it in before the warranties all expire, they may not really care about idle time on the engine.

There is no one solution to idling, and as much as I like gen sets, they are not the perfect solution. In fact, in some places (Calif!) the gen sets are going to be covered under the next set of idling laws, and they won;t be acceptable there for use.

I agree proper APU installation is needed, but with the new exhaust systems coming up, you won;t be able to run the APU exhaust up into the muffler. The exhaust will require much higher operating temps than the APU exhaust will provide, and prolonged idle at low temps will harm the new exhaust systems.

One other thought I was having was to use the reefer as an APU but unless you can run your A/C off 12v that does not work in summer. Anything more than 70 at nite and 65 during the day and I need my A/C.

I also have a bunk warmer pinned to the matress and a good mix of blankets in the truck. A good wool blanket is worth the $23 I paid in Bismark for it. Rite now I'm good down to about 5 deg f as long as the batteries hold. If they don't I have jumper cables an a reefer unit to jump off of.

I think the best systems as far as fleets go would be battery operated AC systems with diesel-fired bunk heaters.

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I am looking into the APU idea for my truck.I have looked at so many different types my head is spinning.Carrier is advertising $500.00 discount till 04/30/07 on it`s comfortpro model.

Well, once they eliminate all of our comfort options then they'll be crying because everything will get so expensive. Who would drive to this god-forsaken state if we had to fry on day 1, and freeze on day 2? I sure won't.

Oh, what am I saying, they don't care. They'll just send out convoys of day-cab drivers to pick up the dropped trailers in AZ, NV, and OR. It... I'm stopping now, if they read that thought I'd be giving them an idea.

I like running an HIT tank. Have to idle all night with no penalty.

If it gets to the point where I can't idle or run an apu and have to suffer I'm out of trucking. I'm not going to risk driving tired because some bureaucratic jerk that goes home and sleeps in a nice warm (or cool) bed every night passes a law. Course maybe this is all part of their plan. Get the American drivers to quit so they can hire the cheaper foreign labor. But I digress...

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Al

Fortunately newer APU's will be CARB certified. Plus I think the police/CHP will most likely have better things to do than poke around truckstops checking APU's to see if they are CARB certified.

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I was in a Pilot in Missouri the other nite, it was a pretty warm night out I used my bunk heater at about 3:00 am for a few minutes, but only 'cause I could. I wouldn't have bothered starting the truck. Anyway, there were 12 trucks parked in the idleaire spots, I had to ask the kid if thay all paid, to which he replied they had as several were from companies that pay for it. I just shook my head as not one of them was hooked up and ALL but one were idling .... at free (for them) idleaire ....
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And then they wonder why anti idle laws are coming fast and furious

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\"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only at night\" - Edgar Allen Poe

i drive for veriha out of wisconsin i have a bunk heater and could not imagine still having to idle i know i did not pay for it but the fuel diff alone i have noticed is incredible