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News of the California Air Resources Board's five-minute idling limit hit many fleets hard—particularly large ones—but the real test will come when temperatures reach triple digits and there is no other way to cool the cab.
Not that CARB patrols or the local CHiPs will be lurking behind every cactus with a stopwatch, but there is plenty of angst about how much fleets that are not yet compliant will pay. There may be disagreement about CARB's approach on this law, but one thing is understood—this is just the beginning of a nationwide clamp-down on idling.
Since California's law seems to be a future benchmark for other states, being "CARB-compliant" is becoming a key catchphrase in the industry. One way for fleets to put anti-idling concerns behind them is to install CARB-approved APUs. That can be costly for larger operations, but manufacturers say the ROI is well worth it.
Power Alternatives
While "APUs" generally refer to auxiliary power units, perhaps a more accurate term is "alternative" power units, because of the varieties of the systems. Most of these are diesel engines with their own cooling/heating systems, generator or alternator system and air conditioning compressor, mounted to a frame rail.
As sleeper cabs have added more and more electronic components in recent years, APUs have become all the more important to keep drivers comfortable and supplied with as many "home" comforts as possible.
Regulations have forced APUs into the forefront recently, as federal laws now require 10 rest hours for every 11 driving hours. Providing cab power for those long off-hours is key, and it is increasingly up to the truck's APU.
Of course, APUs can also save fleets money by reducing parts wear and fuel consumption, but it seems the threat of stiff fines is forcing many fleets to action. Facing hundreds of dollars for idling more than five minutes in California (with more states likely to follow), many are pushing towards a quick solution, and APU manufacturers are poised to fill the need.
Testing the Waters
"They're trying a lot of different solutions and finding which best suits their need," says RigMaster Power marketing and communications manager Amy Egerter. "And they have a wide variety of needs, especially the larger fleets."
With about 11,000 trucks in their Green Bay, WI-based operation, Schneider National officials, including director of engineering Dennis Damman, are in the midst of such a dilemma.
Schneider started evaluating cab cooling technologies back in 1995, but Damman said the recent rise in anti-idling laws, fuel prices and increased knowledge about emissions dangers hastened the push for a fleet-wide solution. The company has more than 200 trucks involved in evaluations, focusing on battery solutions, storage solutions and auxiliary power units.
Despite the work, Damman said his and many other large nationwide fleets will not have all the proper units on all trucks heading to the Golden State by the time the weather heats up.
"In my discussions with other fleets, it appears we're all in the same boat of not being in a position where we're going to be able to 100 percent comply," he says.
Know Thyself
When choosing the "right" APU, the key is focusing on fleet needs rather than bells and whistles.
"Everybody's vocation is a little bit different, and you really need to match a technology to the way you operate your trucks," Damman says. "Everybody needs to go out and look at the different technologies and see what is the best fit for the application."
As for Schneider, Damman says company officials are leaning toward choosing a battery solution in a few months' time, but it will still be another year or so before everything has been tested and the fleet outfitted with APUs.
"(Batteries) look like they have adequate capacity, they're a lot easier to install, much lower cost of operation, and ultimately are 100 percent pollution-free because you don't need an auxiliary diesel engine powering a generator or air conditioning systems," Damman says. "They do an adequate job of providing cooling for the driver and their reliability has been very good. The durability of the batteries has been much better than what we expected."
RigMaster
Toronto, ON-based RigMaster Power has built systems for the past 15 years, though Egerter says business has picked up recently because of anti-idling regulations and rising fuel costs.
"There are a lot of fleets that wanted to buy in 2007 and were probably in a good position to buy but were afraid to because they knew the APUs would not be compliant in a couple of months, so they're all holding off and waiting for the first manufacturer to say, "We're now CARB-approved, and then they will start investing in those products," Egerter says.
RigMaster went through extensive field and independent testing, and Egerter says officials are waiting back to hear the good word from CARB about certification.
The stand-alone system has definite advantages for fleets, Egerter says.
"We're not connected to any of the truck's vital components, whereas most APUs out there tie into the truck's coolant systems," she says. "People want a stand-alone unit because they don't want to risk their trucks going down because of an APU issue, and vice-versa—the truck won't affect the APU—if your truck goes down in the desert, at least you've got your APU to keep your driver safe and healthy."
Teleflex
The Richmond, B.C.-based manufacturer has more than 30,000 units in the field. The new anti-idling laws certainly aren't hurting, says Irfan Rehmanji, product manager-idle reduction.
"Fleets are definitely very, very interested in knowing what CARB is trying to achieve and what the APU industry is doing to accommodate their demands," he says. "Right now there is still a lot of ambiguity and misinformation in the marketplace about how California is going to police the regulations."
Teleflex's ComfortPro system uses a diesel particulate filter—required on '07 and all newer engines. Still, he says some fleets are holding back on purchasing newer engines because of the uncertainty.
"Until they get slapped with a couple of tickets they probably are not going to spend the bucks to install a DPF," Rehmanji says.
ComfortPro moves much of the hardware from outside the truck to inside, which Rehmanji says is an advantage.
"That removes some of the critical components and puts them into a more clean and sterile environment like under the cab," he says.
The system also ties in to the main engine coolant loop—another advantage, says Rehmanji.
"It provides conditioning in the cab, battery monitoring, engine block heat and also the ability to manage your idle time," he says.
Rehmanji says the ComfortPro takes about four or five hours less to install that the average APU, but that doesn't mean technicians should "shoot from the hip" when diagnosing problems, though.
"We have a lot of different diagnostics built into our APU that allow the mechanic to narrow down the possibilities, he says. "Make sure during installation, you're using the best practices identified when it comes down to routing, wiring, putting enough slack (in wiring), tying harnesses so that there's not a lot of vibration and strain put on connection points."
Trikado Energy Systems, Inc.
Alliance, NE-based Trikado Energy Systems, Inc. is already compliant with CARB's regulation with their PowerCube, and that's important to fleets, says director of marketing Mark Felker. Trikado sent out test units out last year and starting selling them in short supply to do road tests and gain feedback to find out what drivers were looking for in an anti-idling device.
"If your product doesn't have driver credibility in this market, it's not going to go anywhere," he says. "The APU, if positioned right in a fleet, can be used as a driver incentive and as a recruiting tool."
The APU is one of the most important pieces of equipment to hit the trucking market for a variety of reasons, Felker says.
"The APU really affects the driver's lifestyle, health, how productive he is and how safe he is on the road," Felker says. "How comfortable can you keep his environment so he can get the right amount of sleep and be fresh and alert?"
Felker says installation and maintenance on the units are minimal.
"Once you get the unit on the frame rail, that's where your installation times comes in and (installation time) depends on how savvy the installer is," he says.
Bergstrom, Inc.
The Rockford, IL-based company has been selling APUs for the last five years, with good results, said director of sales Bill Gordon.
"If you look at stats on idling and plug in today's fuel costs, we're saving them about $13,000 a year in fuel costs," he says. "And in addition to fuel costs, no idling reduces maintenance on the engine, oil change intervals and lots of maintenance in general. (Idling) is a waste of money and a waste of maintenance dollars."
Bergstrom's CARB-compliant, separate battery-operated system runs a 12-volt air conditioner that is kept in the sleeping area of the truck, though an optional diesel-fired heater is available.
"We have a circuit-breaker that does not allow our system to draw any of the power off the primary starting batteries," Gordon says. "Once they hit a charge of 13.2 volts, the circuit closes and it allows our batteries to charge up."
The systems are available with an inverter to run "hotel loads," and a charger to adapt to shore power Gordon says the systems can be installed in around six to eight hours, and about the only maintenance is changing batteries (deep cycle AGM glass-mat batteries) every three years or so.
Wrap Up
Reducing idling times is a sure-fire way to reduce fuel and maintenance costs, but recent anti-idling laws like the one that went into effect in California on Jan. 1. are forcing the hands of many fleets that had previously been sitting on the fence. The good news is APUs are filling the void, and there are a lot of options out there.
The first step in the process is figuring out what your fleet needs, then figure out what is out available. There is plenty of information and many companies and systems to choose from, but if your trucks are heading to California this summer and you are still not compliant, it may be better to look now for solutions rather than look later for new drivers.
A technician performs a PM on an auxiliary power unit.
author: by: Scott De Laruelle