Idling alternitives

Im curious about how everyone has raised their rates to justify the expense of purchasing,installing, and maintaining these APUs!!!! I done the math and i think its cheaper to idle the truck. But im never gone from home more than 3 or 4 days at a time and if i am gone more than that im making more than enough to pay for the fuel anyhow. So where the savings??????

 

I think the companies that buy these APUs look at it as a long term increase in profits. My company (KLLM) has APUs in all their new trucks. If you don't have an APU, you don't have an idle policy. They would like to see an idle percentage of 45% or less, but if you exceed that (which I have every week I've been here), they don't "punish" you. You just get an automated message that says what your exact percentage is and how you should try to do your part if you're not meeting the 45% goal. Now, my '04 Century Class Freightliner with a Detroit 60 series is only averaging 5.98 mpg because of my idling. I don't idle the truck if I'm not in it, but if I am and I want to watch TV, use the laptop, keep warm, keep cool, or whatever else for my own comfort I will. If I had an APU on this truck and therefore only idled 10% of the time, I would venture to bet that my MPG avg would go up to at least 6.5. Take that increase in MPG times 1100 (my best guess as to the amount of trucks we have without APUs) and I'm sure you'll see quite an increase in the profit margine after the units are paid for.

 

Man you guys got it easy. We're allowed 40% idle in summer/winter and 30% idle in spring/fall.

 

5.98 mpg with 45% idle time seems to be pretty good considering.

 

yeah, but I'm running 65% and above idle time

 

Scarecrow; I was at KLLM for 4+yrs and my idle time for the whole period was 24.5%. When ever I got a different truck (had 4 total), I had shop reset the ECU to start me at 0% idle time. I did this so the previous drivers wasn't part of mine. Next time you are in Jackson, have shop reset yours (takes less than 5 mins).

As far as having an APU, since I don't idle much it would take me years to recoup the money. Plus when I do idle, it is at 600rpm and not higher. It takes 4 hrs at 600rpm to burn a gallon of fuel. To burn a gallon in an hour is rpm setting of 900 or higher. That to me is too noisy and not neccessary. Only time I would idle higher than 600 was when it was +15 degrees or colder outside and that rpm was 800. I was never cold or hot doing it this way.

BTW; my comfort range to "not have to idle" is +35 to +80 degrees outside temperature. Also, if your truck has the sunroof glass, use aluminum foil and automotive "double-sided" tape to cover it up in hot temps. That alone lowers inside temp by 10 degrees. In winter, I left it off so I could get solar energy to heat inside of truck.

 

Oil pressure was at what Detroit said in manual for 600 rpm idle and label on engine itself; 25psi.

 

That's actually even better. With 65% idle time, I'd expect you to barely clear 5 mpg.

 

Probably a true statement Pack. Out of the 4 trucks I had at KLLM; 1st one was a pre EPA, 2nd and 3rd were a 2002 EPA, and 4th was a 2004 EPA. Averaging all 4 out and getting the 24.5% idle time, I got 6.05 mpg
overall. The 2004 dropped the average considerably though; had 6.6 mpg before (the 3 truck average).