Heavy Duty Trucking, June 2017

pedestal at a truckstop or fleet terminal for grid power Drivers like diesel APUs says Roeth You can park anywhere and turn that generator on and have what you need Its powerful so if you like sleeping with pajamas and a blanket on a 95 degree day you can do it Drawbacks may include weight although most states have weight exemptions higher upfront cost than other options and the fact that you are still using some fuel Many fleets have had maintenance problems In California diesel APUs on newer trucks must have their own diesel particulate filter Adding an inverter to power the HVAC system lowers the amount of fuel used by the diesel APU notes NACFE Adding a fuel operated air heater on top of the inverter would use the least amount of fuel Battery powered APUs offer heating ventilation and air conditioning while parked They are powered by a separate set of batteries and some can connect to a shore power source or even a reefer unit in the case of the Idle Free system from Phillips Temro With few moving parts they cost less to maintain than diesel APUs but the batteries eventually will need to be replaced These systems are quiet and produce no emissions but they may not provide enough cooling capacity for long rest periods or HDT JUNE 2017 84 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM SPECIAL ISSUE CUTTING FUEL COSTS N o matter what idle reduction technology you choose a few things can help it operate more efficiently Extra cab or sleeper insulation can decrease the energy demand on the heating and cooling system Add thicker thermal windshield or bunk curtains and use solar reflective window coverings Light colored cabs will stay cooler than dark colored ones Pre heat or pre cool the truck with the main HVAC system before shutting off main engine especially for battery HVACs in hot weather MAKING THE MOST OF IDLE REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY Time flies Plan now Arkon Mounts can help December 18 will be here before you know it Planning for the year end ELD mandate now can mean saving a lot of headaches later Dont wait Arkon Mounts can help you comply with this important new regulation and offers a wide range of heavy duty vehicle dashboard windshield and seat rail mounting solutions with security and hardwire options available Custom mount solutions can also be ordered 20 La Porte Street Arcadia CA 91006 USA Arkon com 800 841 0884 Go to truckinginfo com readerservice and click on reader service 272 when operating in very hot temperatures Some fleets also note they dont provide enough power for drivers to use CPAP devices all night long Tactics to help overcome the shortcomings NACFE says are to add an automatic start stop system to charge the battery or to use with off board AC power truck stop electrification Some fleets and suppliers are using solar panels to help make up the difference between stored battery power and overnight comfort needs Cargo Transporters uses a battery HVAC system from Dometic as well as shore power if there is access there are 21 parking spots at its Claremont terminal where drivers can plug in While theres a five minute idle shutdown programmed on the engines Pope says We do have the engine ECM set to allow idling if the temps get out of an acceptable range for the aux unit to keep up Tennessee based Cooper Freight uses Freightliner ParkSmart battery HVAC units Over the past seven years the fleet has dropped its idle time from 55 to 9 General Manager Mark Cooper says the units dont have a problem providing enough power for the full rest period unless it exceeds eight hours and the outside temp is high If the unit should cut off drivers are instructed to allow the truck to run for two hours only This will give them an additional eight hours of cooling Bunk heaters and thermal cooling Diesel fired heaters such as those from Eberspacher or Webasto are inexpensive to purchase and maintain says NACFE Argonne National Laboratory found that bunk heat whether diesel or plug in almost always was the most cost effective way to provide heat even if the truck is equipped with an APU However they dont address cooling or electrical power requirements Thermal storage systems such as Webastos BlueCool capture cooling while the truck is in motion that can be used to cool the sleeper when the truck is parked Thermal energy is stored in a frozen graphite water matrix An electric refrigeration compressor freezes the water when the truck is running When the engine is off fans draw in warm bunk air which is cooled by the frozen core then blown back into the sleeper While quiet and not requiring extra fuel or batteries these systems only provide cab cooling not heating or AC electrical power and the amount of cooling time is limited