Heavy Duty Trucking, September 2018

HDT SEPTEMBER 2018 90 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM How do you keep cool THE SURVEY SAYS o keep your perishable products fresh they need to be at the right temperature To get the job done there are a number of different options on how to cool your freight cut down on costs and improve your carbon footprint For this months survey we asked our respondents about greener options for reefers including switching to CO2 battery powered refrigeration units standy by power supplies and how cost can affect their final decisions For example when asked if battery powered refrigeration units can be viable in a mobile application close to 70 responded they would only make the move if costs came down and battery life improved And when asked if they were getting any pressure from customers to switch to a greener refrigeration technology more than 90 said their customers understood these are new technologies and still not yet viable 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 As soon as it becomescommercially viableIll wait until a largermarket develops forsuch systemsI do not think my customers would be prepared to pay a premium so Ill stick with my traditional eetYesNoMaybe if the costcomes down andbattery life improves0 Yes the customerwants to set an exampleto the local businesscommunityYes the customer believeselectric units would beless expensive to operateand they are lookingfor rate reductionsNo 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 customers would be prepared to pay a premium so Ill stick with my traditional eetYesNoMaybe if the costcomes down andbattery life improves0 20 40 60 80 100 Yes the customerwants to set an exampleto the local businesscommunityYes the customer believeselectric units would beless expensive to operateand they are lookingfor rate reductionsNo my customer baseunderstands this is emergingtechnology with a fewproblems yet to ironout before its viable0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 No they aretoo expensiveYes but onlywhere regulationsdemand themYes but they expectme to pay a share ofthe installation andoperating costs0 10 20 30 40 50 Yes its helping meimprove repair turnaround timeNo its too little too lateYes but it could be better0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 with my traditional eetYesNoMaybe if the costcomes down andbattery life improves0 20 40 60 80 100 Yes the customerwants to set an exampleto the local businesscommunityYes the customer believeselectric units would beless expensive to operateand they are lookingfor rate reductionsNo my customer baseunderstands this is emergingtechnology with a fewproblems yet to ironout before its viable0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 No they aretoo expensiveYes but onlywhere regulationsdemand themYes but they expectme to pay a share ofthe installation andoperating costs0 10 20 30 40 50 Yes its helping meimprove repair turnaround timeNo its too little too lateYes but it could be better0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 As soon as it becomescommercially viableIll wait until a largermarket develops forsuch systemsI do not think my customers would be prepared to pay a premium so Ill stick with my traditional eetYesNoMaybe if the costcomes down andbattery life improves0 Yes the customerwants to set an exampleto the local businesscommunityYes the customer believeselectric units would beless 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 wait until a largermarket develops forsuch systemsI do not think my customers would be prepared to pay a premium so Ill stick with my traditional eetYesNoMaybe if the costcomes down andbattery life improves0 20 40 60 80 100 Yes the customerwants to set an exampleto the local businesscommunityYes the customer believeselectric units would beless expensive to operateand they are lookingfor rate reductionsNo my customer baseunderstands this is emergingtechnology with a fewproblems yet to ironout before its viable0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 No they aretoo expensiveYes but onlywhere regulationsdemand themYes but they expectme to pay a share ofthe installation andoperating costs0 10 20 30 40 50 Yes its helping meimprove repair turnaround timeNo its too little too lateYes but it could be better0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Do you see your fleet switching to a natural refrigerant such as CO2 anytime soon Where it might be feasible have any of your distribution or retail customers opened discussions with your fleet about standy by power supplies for electric refrigeration units Are you getting any pressure from your customer base to switch to a greener refrigeration technology Do you think battery powered refrigeration units can be viable in a mobile application Are you satisfied with the telemetry and diagnostic information you are getting from your refrigeration unit T This information was provided by members of the HDT Editorial Advisory Board For more information and to learn how to become a member contact Managing Editor Stephane Babcock at sbabcock@ truckinginfo com