Reduce Idling: Be Green & Save Green
Cutting down your idling time is not only good for the environment, it can save you money.
Protecting the environment and reducing corrosive wear on your engine are not the only reasons to reduce idling time. Avoiding high fines is now becoming a major concern for organizations. As of October 2014, thirty states had implemented idling laws with fines ranging from $50 to $15,000. Idling regulations vary by state but most maximum idling times range between 5- 15 minutes with most having tighter restrictions and enforcement near schools. Some states like Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania, however, have more extreme laws stating maximum idling of 0 minutes in some cases. While government agencies admit that they lack the man power to adequately implement these laws, new research linking pollutants in exhaust fumes to low birth weight, asthma, bronchitis and several types of cancer, will no doubt have environmental and health advocacy groups pushing for greater enforcement.
Some of the ways organizations are looking to reduce idling include; 1) Modifying Driver Behavior – Just becoming aware of the effects of idling and paying attention to the actual time a vehicle is idling can help; 2) Improving Logistics – Idling can be reduced by route optimization technology and load capacity planning; 3) Install Real Time Tracking Devices – On-board technology that is able to report vehicle idling times and locations can alert management to “trouble” areas. 4) Integrate Auxiliary Power Source – For cases where cabin or trailer power is necessary, organizations are looking into alternative battery, solar or electric power sources.
For more information on idling:
http://www.atri-online.org/research/idling/ATRI_Idling_Compendium.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/420f08025.pdf
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/list/tag/idle-reduction.aspx
