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TomB985
Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 229
Location: Columbus, OH
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| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 5:49 am Post subject: Compaines with APUs? |
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| I've heard a lot about anti idling laws in some of the eastern states. I've also heard that they're becoming much more common as time goes on. Do any of the major companies equip their tractors with APUs, to maintain power and HVAC without running the engine? |
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PackRatTDI
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 1004
Location: Las Cruces, NM
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| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:49 am Post subject: |
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| Wal-Mart and Trans-Am are equipping their fleet trucks with APU's. |
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Sealord
Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 1728
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:27 am Post subject: APUs |
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| Honey out of Florida has had APUs for a few years. I think Schneider has some kinda deal for heating and cooling without idling, more about them can probably be gotten at pumpkindriver.com. Some tractors also have a system where the engine intermittantly starts and runs for awhile then shuts off to heat or cool as necessary, Opti-Idle may be the name of that system. BOL |
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PackRatTDI
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 1004
Location: Las Cruces, NM
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| Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:38 pm Post subject: Re: APUs |
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Sealord wrote: Honey out of Florida has had APUs for a few years. I think Schneider has some kinda deal for heating and cooling without idling, more about them can probably be gotten at pumpkindriver.com. Some tractors also have a system where the engine intermittantly starts and runs for awhile then shuts off to heat or cool as necessary, Opti-Idle may be the name of that system. BOL
Optimized Idle is Detroit Diesel's name for it. Cummins calls it ICON (Idle CONtroller). I don't believe CAT offers an idle control system for their engines. |
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Skywalker
Joined: 10 Oct 2005
Posts: 2636
Location: Pulling a Tanker for Superior Carriers!!
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| Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:35 am Post subject: |
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I think alot of fleets are holding back on the investment in APU's....because alot of the "no-idle" states have been reformulating their laws, and they are going to include APU's in a new version of their draconian laws.
I can understand that they don't want alot of idling....but the same people complaining and making the rules are doing virtually nothing as far as putting infrastructure in place like "Idle-air" so a driver doesn't sweat/freeze to death. Imagine that.... :shock: |
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Longsnowsm
Joined: 29 Dec 2005
Posts: 561
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| Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:53 am Post subject: |
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Imagine that... Lawyers that have never worked a day in their lives making decisions about how people who work for a living should do that work?!
Probably not a single one has stepped foot in a truck let alone had to live in one. Irony.
I saw that CA is still trying to restrict the use of APU's as well as idling. They claim that the APU's need to meet the same clean air standards that go into place for 2007 and ongoing tougher emissions. I guess presently the APU's or other small engine equipment doesn't fall under the same clean air rules so they are trying to clamp down on it further. I don't know how they can regulate this when it is just CA only. I can understand them not allowing them to be sold unless the comply with the
CA emissions, but I don't see how they can keep someone who didn't register their vehicle there with complying with those rules. I don't see how a non-CA vehicle would be required to comply.
Are the rules that different for a CMV that they could force trucks that enter the state to not run an APU unless it is CA certified?
Longsnowsm |
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Crackaces
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
Posts: 1343
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| Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:56 am Post subject: The restance to APU |
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According to the OOIDA the number one reason BIG companies are resisting the installation of APU's is the dispute over increasing the weight limit by the weight of the CPU.
The US Government passed a law stating that the APU would be subtracted in terms of allowable weight. It was a sticking point because if company 'A' installs a 500 pound APU and company 'B' does not .. Company 'A' would be restricted in handling certain loads close to the weight limit. The law was to make the playing field equal and make companies with APU's just as competitive since they had no weight penalty. The state compacts said that the US Government stepped out of line and that they would not comply.
A war of words erupted and the BIG companies exclaimed that they would not be installing APU's until this law was recognized. You see installing and complying would be losing a lot of leverage.
The real loser is the driver who faces fines if they are ticketed in "truck friendly" states like Maricopa county in Arizona, the whole state of New Jersey, California .. etc.
There are some companies also reluctant to install an APU because the real optimization of cost, complexity, maintinace costs, running costs are not well known yet. I have seen some expermenting with individual fleet trucks. The problem is understanding the costs of a seperate set up vs. integrating with the truck HVAC for example.
Hopefully someday cooler heads will preval. |
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ken_o
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 667
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| Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| lets not forget alot of companies r holding back on buying apus, specifically when they r able to hound drivers with anti idling policies bonus driven or not. anyone who has driven for any length of time has woken up feeling like their on the verge of a heatstroke or half frozen. idle air, det opti idle, cummins icon r all total wastes of time. companies need to be pressured to install these apus to do the right thing, from the drivers in their trucks tolerating tent camp conditions.With the ego feeling ill be the best company driver and have the lowest idle time in the fleet, is doing the rest of the drivers a diservice. of course the most logical answer is to federally mandate apus as standard equipment on all new semis equipped with a sleeper. all it will take is a group of company drivers to repeat what happened to walmart. |
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PackRatTDI
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 1004
Location: Las Cruces, NM
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| Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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Longsnowsm wrote: Imagine that... Lawyers that have never worked a day in their lives making decisions about how people who work for a living should do that work?!
Probably not a single one has stepped foot in a truck let alone had to live in one. Irony.
I saw that CA is still trying to restrict the use of APU's as well as idling. They claim that the APU's need to meet the same clean air standards that go into place for 2007 and ongoing tougher emissions. I guess presently the APU's or other small engine equipment doesn't fall under the same clean air rules so they are trying to clamp down on it further. I don't know how they can regulate this when it is just CA only. I can understand them not allowing them to be sold unless the comply with the
CA emissions, but I don't see how they can keep someone who didn't register their vehicle there with complying with those rules. I don't see how a non-CA vehicle would be required to comply.
Are the rules that different for a CMV that they could force trucks that enter the state to not run an APU unless it is CA certified?
Longsnowsm
CARB (Communist Air Resource Board) is nothing more than a bloated bureaucracy that acts without thinking. The EPA needs to yank the CARB exemption and reign in those 5 states that follow CARB. |
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USMCTanker
Joined: 15 Nov 2004
Posts: 28
Location: Southeastern Massachusetts
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| Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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| New Century Transportation(Westampton NJ) and subsidiary New Century Truckload Services Group(Martinsburg WV) has APU's(TriPac,Pro-Heat,Rig Masters...etc) on ALL road tractors. Harry fully believes in the savings |
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JewelMelinka
Joined: 14 Apr 2006
Posts: 14
Location: OTR Lower 48
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| Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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A little company out of Phoenix has APU on all trucks. It's called Stewart and we've been with them 1.5 years. Nice people, nice equipment and pay is competitive for solo drivers. They have a website, too.
Most runs are Phx to Chicago. They have a car division that is fun to work and after putting in some time, you might be asked if you're interested. |
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DesertRat
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 95
Location: SE Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:53 am Post subject: |
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Skywalker wrote: I think alot of fleets are holding back on the investment in APU's....because alot of the "no-idle" states have been reformulating their laws, and they are going to include APU's in a new version of their draconian laws.
Persoanlly, I believe all of these people supporting and or passing anti idle laws need to go home and shut off their furnace or AC. Just for a little while, so they have some idea what they are asking us to do. |
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ALKELE
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 44
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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At the mention of IdleAire, I shudder. I found out a while back that IdleAire is the biggest lobbiest for the anti-idle laws. It is another way I guess for them to try to force us drivers to use their expensive service. If states, cities and other governments are looking at including APUs in their anti-idling laws, I am sure that IdleAire is probably at work there also. After all, someone using a APU isn't going to use their service.
I think that besides the weight issue with the APUs is also the issue that most of these bigger companies are leasing their trucks. Mostly for 3 years. While the payback for the APU is well under that 3 years, then the company has to turn in the APU with the truck at the end of the lease or else try to remove the APU and leave no visible problems with the truck.
Opti-Idle or anything like it still violates the anti-idling laws. Most give you a certain amount of time that the truck can run from the time you park it to the time you leave. Like 5 minutes, 15 minutes, etc.
States will keep coming up with these anti-idling laws for us drivers, but what about the millions of cars that sit idling, especially in the winter time. We don't idle because we want a warm seat for our butt, we idle to not get heat stroke or freeze to death.
Just inform your spouse that if you die of heat stroke or freeze to death in a anti-idle state, to sue that state for wrongful death. Then your spouse can also sue your company for wrongful death for sending you to an anti-idle state without providing you a way to stay warm or cool. |
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ken_o
Joined: 06 Nov 2005
Posts: 667
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| Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| how would that be the states problem. that would be on your employer they all have the freewill to install apus |
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beachbum2
Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 69
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| Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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I just heard from a friend in Bakersfield CA. He is logistics VP for Paramount farms. According to him, if a driver has a pet in the sleeper it's ok to idle...This is strictly because of the animal rights folks in CA.
He just asked a couple of drivers why they all seem to have small pets lately. Anybody know anything about that? |
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