What's the deal on idling?

http://waeco.com/za/products/3882.php These are very popular over here, they are aircon units that work without the engine running, they just run off the battery and will run for 24 hours without the need to start the truck and have a built in programme that shuts it off if the batteries are running low, cab heaters run off deisel but only like a pint per night, deisel is getting way too expensive to leave trucks idle, both of these are cheaper than apu's And run quiet with minimal expense. The coolers are between 1000 and 2500 dollars approx depending on type and specs and a heater is 1500 dollars approx ( never actually bought a heater as they are standard on all trucks here) so are considerably cheaper than an apu , Anyways it's hard to put a price on a good nights sleep. I hope u find this useful!

 

company driver here, not buying stuff for their truck and I do idle. I have COPD and allergies. I asked when hired on about idle policy. was none.

A good nights sleep is a safety issue not a company reg.

 

They want to see my idle time at 15%.
It is usually around 35% or a bit above.
Well, sometimes a lot above. I have seen it as high as 67%.

Get ragged on for it every month, but also told that I have very good fuel economy.
I respond, "Well, if I get better than average MPG - why complain?!

The newer trucks use about .5 gallon per hour idling.
So say, about $2 per hour.

10,000 / 2 = 5,000 hours of idling before you recoup the cost of an APU.
Well, actually more than 5,000 hours because the APU also uses fuel.

If you idled a full 8 hours every day, it would take 1.7 years to recover the initial cost - plus the fuel that the APU uses.

I only idle that much in a single day if the temps are very extreme, or if I am sitting too long waiting for a load.
So I would estimate that it would take closer to 3-4 years to gain an advantage by using an APU.

Most large companies don't keep trucks much longer than that.
Heck, my '09 ProStar was just retired.

 

The biggest problem with idling for the driver is the restrictions. Whether it's a company mandate or a local restriction.
Nothing like getting a $100 or more ticket for idleing.
And more and more locations are restricting it so they can save a polar bear.
Stupid, but it is what it is.

 

If drivers would idle only when necessary, many of the restrictions, and company policies would be unnecessary.
But how many times do you see a truck idling for a half hour or more, while the driver fuels? Or idling while the driver is inside at the buffet, or taking a shower? Or idling on a 75 degree day, with the windows open? We've had drivers try to idle while they're inside our building, loading. Tell them they need to shut it off inside, they give you a blank stare, like shutting the truck off is a concept they're not familiar with. "Shut the truck off?" Yeah, you know, turn the key to the left......

Many drivers are their own worst enemy WRT idling.