idle percentage
Discussion in 'Swift' started by Tolan, Jun 1, 2014.
Page 7 of 9
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It's nice that you love it.
However, an APU costs around 8-10 grand.
Figure that into the cost of the fuel savings over time, when newer trucks only use .5-.7 GPH when on long idle.
An APU uses at least half that much.
Add to that the maintenance costs and down time for repairs.
I figured it would take at least 350,000 miles to recoup just the initial cost.
Many companies that only keep trucks for around 500k miles have found that it is simply not cost effective, because it takes nearly that to pay for that APU.
The most cost effective method is to simply hound and threaten drivers about idle time, and suck up the rest.
It's really the same with IdleAir. Two bucks an hour, when fuel is around 4 per gallon, and the truck engine doesn't use much more than that.
You might save a few bucks a night, but then you have to get signed up for it and hook and unhook the system in the meantime. Time wasted, I think.
And if fuel went to 6 bucks a gallon, you can be sure that IdleAir would increase to $3.
Why? Because they have to supply that energy to you at a small profit. They have to pay for what they provide, and they don't get it for free. They have generators running off the same fuel.tangerineGT and DocWatson Thank this. -
Moosetek13 Thanks this.
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My point was , its like seeing the glass half full or half empty . Either way you are spending the same amount of money if not more , and why do you pay for showers ? You get a shower credit with every 50 gallons of fuel.Moosetek13 Thanks this. -
So true.
If idling were such an expense why are there SO many O/O's idling all night, even in nice weather?
I'm a company driver, and I idle when I need to.
I am not idling right now, even though it is a bit humid. I know, I have great restraint.
But I have trucks on both sides of me idling. The one on the right is at a high idle - what give's with that? Why idle at a constant 1,000?tangerineGT Thanks this. -
But if you want to be a real trucker, you have to make the big bucks so you can do it right and idle all night running your chicken lights.
Me? I just have to use my fuel to haul freight, instead of idling at night and endure the shame of not being a real trucker.nightgunner Thanks this. -
If you can get around idling time, more power to you.
Me, I can't stand the heat when I'm trying to sleep. And sometimes the humidity does me in.
I don't think there is shame for either of us. We just do what we need to, to survive in our own way.DocWatson Thanks this. -
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My MPG gauge shows gal/hr while idling. It generally hovers around 0.7, occasionally heading up around 1.2. I'm not sure why. So, in my truck, a 10 hour idle would use 8-10 gallons of fuel.
The typical APU uses about 0.1 gal/hr, so a 10 hour shutdown would use about 1 gallon of fuel.
Looks like the APU would save me about $30/night.DocWatson and nightgunner Thank this.
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