Heavy Duty Trucking, June 2017

JUNE 2017 HDT 83 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM T o help give drivers all the comforts of home inverters are rapidly becoming a standard option on Class 8 sleeper trucks According to Mitul Chandrani senior marketing manager for Xantrex business at Schneider Electric inverter installs on new trucks increased by 17 over the last two years And we expect that number to go up another 5 this year he said Drivers love inverters since they can power all their household appliances like laptops microwaves and TVs just like at home he says Fleets are figuring that out and the easiest thing for them to do is order an inverter as a factory option According to Chandrani one technology swing has been the truck OEMs offering inverter chargers instead of just inverters This way truckers can plug in their trucks at truckstops and locations offering shore power and power all their appliances while recharging their batteries THE ROLE OF INVERTERS Like other fleets idle time is one of the parameters Cargo Transporters tracks with a driver scorecard Making idle reduction efforts more difficult Roeth says is that theres no single easy answer for the best way to reduce idling Less expensive smaller things could take a fleet from 40 or 45 idling down to 25 Roeth notes To get down to 5 or 10 takes more expensive options which have their downsides Following are highlights of the pros and cons of various types of idle reduction solutions Using the engine electronics Electronic engine parameters can be set to limit the amount of idling These will shut down the engine after a specified time or based on ambient air temperature Theres no extra cost for this option but depending on the temperatures you set drivers may not be able to sleep comfortably You may think they should be perfectly comfortable with their windows open on a 75 degree night but some drivers are concerned about safety or outside noise Roeth points out No surprise then that drivers have been known to find ways to re set the parameters But many fleets use idle shutdown parameters in conjunction with other idle reduction technologies Automatic engine start stop systems turn the main engine on and off as needed for heating and cooling when the driver is resting also warming the engine and charging the batteries These systems dont completely remove the need for idling although if they are used with an engine thats Clean Idle certified the truck can idle without violating idling regulations One downside is that the starting and stopping of the main engine can disrupt drivers sleep Auxiliary power units APUs provide on board power for climate control and drivers electrical devices Traditionally APUs were powered by small diesel engines but in recent years battery powered APUs and even APUs powered by alternative fuels such as natural gas have become available Some APUs also are equipped to plug into a power in general into other lessons You dont just throw training at someone in isolation she explains You have to provide that training in a bigger context Benchmarking is another key factor she says But you need to not only let drivers see how their performance stacks up to their peers but also provide coaching if they need to improve We find its not all about just training people and saying You must do this but having a constant conversation with people in order to change their behavior and encourage them to keep it changed John Pope chairman of Cargo Transporters in Claremont North Carolina says to help reduce idling you have to have almost immediate access to the data and have an action plan that you stick to in order to keep it in check Clearly drivers dont idle to intentionally waste resources Its generally old habit that comes from years of being in equipment where there was no other alternative the winter and cool in the summer Drivers with sleep apnea need to be able to power CPAP machines to treat their condition All of thats a big challenge when youre trying to reduce idling And thats why idle reduction goes beyond picking the technology that can reduce idling the most Driver buy in and education is vital At Alabama Motor Express White says Weve got a fuel bonus and idling is a part of that fuel bonus In my opinion its one of the top issues when were looking at our fleets fuel mileage Education is so important because a lot of times its like a light goes off in their head when drivers realize just how much fuel is wasted idling You show them some numbers be very transparent they get it Jane Jazrawy co founder president and CEO of CarriersEdge which does online driver training says theyve found its more effective to work idle reduction training along with fuel efficiency training PHOTO SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC Some fleets are installing power pedestals or full off board HVAC systems like this one from Idle Air at terminal facilities PHOTO IDLE AIR