Where i work (my new job that i just started 8) )

the trucks have APU's .

So far they are reporting it has reduced expenses

by over 8 million dollars in the first quarter of this year.

one also has to consider that an apu does not have to run all the time.
a good amount of time , a/c or heat is not needed. if you only ran the apu when it was really needed, it would take longer to pay for itself. Myself I dont like to be too comfortable. I'm ole fashioned & dont like things that make people soft. a lil sacrifice & hardwork/dedication does a body good.

Idling laws/APU restrictions may well be with us for some time. The solution might come in the form of a mandatory hotel room; who knows?

Whatever happens, it has to be legislated as it is the only way the changes can be applied equally. If you're an owner and choose to opt out and pocket the savings, terrific. But to chastise/penalize company Drivers when all we're really talking about is keeping the few comforts we enjoy is ludicrous.

[quote="bigtimba"] Idling laws/APU restrictions may well be with us for some time. The solution might come in the form of a mandatory hotel room; who knows? [quote]

I've often believed that is the long term ideal for those in the non-trucking public, but not so much from the environmental front. IMO, the people in PATT and Public Citizen that are constantly fighting for hOS changes won't be happy until truckers drive from 7am-5pm and spend the rest of their time in a hotel. This is their unstated ideal I believe. It makes perfect sense to them, afterall that is the schedule they work, shouldn't we work the same?

I can't argue with that. But the anti-idle laws aren't the silliest environmental laws on the books, I think it's important to remember that. It's also important to remember that at the core of the environmental movement, amongst the true believers, people no longer matter. People are the cause of problems, never the solution. People are the devil, as it were, that all mass movements need to grow and sustain themselves. To think that change is likely to come in an effort to accomodate the needs or comfort of humans is to not understand the environmental movement.

Actually marten now has them on almost all the trucks.

California seems to be headed in that direction. With even tighter restrictions forthcoming. California has the world's 6th largest economy fellow BBRs!
Don't think that they are not aware of that.

APUs are merely a means to delay the inevitable. I foresee California (then others to follow) allowing overnight/extended 'permits' for necessary situations. (for a handsome fee of course). All others need not apply.

APUs are an improvement over the ole Detroit 525 idling all night, but they still emit pollutants at a level unacceptable to the environmental types.

An industry overhaul is in the works. The least efficient outfits are already padlocked. Many others are merely treading water as we speak. Long haul irregular-route trucking is the next to go.

The APU people are currently in the process of making a sort of

pollution control for the small diesel that runs them.

It meets or exceeds California specs from what I read.

...soon as they fix this issue the 'Environmentalist' will already have found

something else to react to and fuel their world.

I hope when the Aliens return they eat the environmentalist first

Intermodal I think is what its called (?)

Trains carrying huge numbers of Trailers...

The brains tell me it cost about .54 cpm to use the rail method.

Its been around for a while

Trains do not travel irregular-route. Rail operates on an efficient point-to-point principle. Trains do not sit at "train stops, etc." (you get the drift) Efficiency my friend. Efficiency. Forget everything else.

The concept of irregular-route coolie OTR trucking is the victim of the bean-counters (correctly) calculating that low fuel costs easily offset the gross inefficiencies of this system. This concept, however misguided, had indeed worked until now.

Not anymore..............

Not real sure how the heck you can think that, other than by believing that because you hate OTR trucking it simply has to go away....

How else are ya gonna do it? What other segment of the industry can do what irregular route OTR can do? Pick up at a random place, deliver to another random place, faster AND MUCH CHEAPER than LTL can do it for?

Beyond that...how can you think there is a more efficient way of trucking? Holy crap...moving a truck load of stuff for a decent rate? All the customer pays for is the bills for driving a straight route from pickup to desination...no stops at terminals...no reloading...no shuffling from line haul to line haul....straight, direct transportation...

My father has been working in the logistics and warehousing industry for 30 years...and he believes that long haul, coast to coast trucking's days are numbered because of the efficiencies of rail transportation....BUT, as he has told me over and over again...rail simply can't do what trucks can do. They can't go to every single point of departure and deliver exactly what the customer wants to the consignee...just can't work!