CUTTING DOWN ON TRUCK IDLING REDUCES LUNG DISEASE

Volume 29, Issue 510 March 3, 2008

Kate Marks

Each year the trucking industry uses millions of gallons of diesel fuel hauling vital goods to stores cross the country. The U.S. economy depends on it.

But there are consequences to burning all that fuel. Besides the obvious security and environmental concerns, the carbon dioxide emissions can lead to asthma and lung disease.

Burning fuel doesn’t happen only when truckers are transporting goods. Truck engines are left running when truckers are sleeping, loading and unloading freight, and stuck in traffic. Idling trucks burn a gallon of fuel each hour.

A lot of this idling happens after long stretches on the road. Federal law requires truck drivers to take a break after driving a certain number of hours. While they rest, most truckers idle their engine—sometimes for more than six hours—to use the heat, television and microwave in the truck’s cab, their “home away from home.”

Long engine idling costs the trucking industry more than $2.5 billion a year in fuel and engine repair, and releases 11 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air. And it’s not that truckers get a good night’s sleep in their idling trucks. The National Transportation Safety Board estimates that 30 percent of truck accidents are caused by lack of sleep, which is hard to come by with the vibration, noise and fumes that come from an idling engine.

The trucking industry, states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agree that cutting back on unnecessary truck idling should be a priority. But it can be a hard balance to strike—making sure truckers are rested while keeping a close eye on air quality. State lawmakers recognize the importance of this balance and have worked with state environmental agencies and the trucking industry to address the situation.

Trucking companies complain that interstate truckers have difficulty following the patchwork of state laws. Thirty states in total and the District of Columbia (as well as dozens of counties) have anti-idling laws.

Industry representatives say compliance with state anti-idling laws might increase with fewer variations. Driver DuWayne Marshall, from Watertown, Wisconsin says this is starting to happen. He finds state laws fairly easy to handle, as many of them are increasingly aligning.

In 2006, the EPA worked with states and industry to create a model idling law that addresses concerns about reduced emissions, as well as driver safety and comfort. The model is based on state and local laws and offers exemptions for circumstances that are out of the driver’s control, like traffic jams.

An Anti-Idling Law

More than 20,000 trucks travel through the small town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, about 18 miles from Harrisburg, every day. Carlisle’s air quality is worse than that in 96 percent of all communities in the nation. In February, 2008, the state passed legislation (SB295) that restricts truck idling to no more than five minutes during any 60-minute period, unless the truck is in traffic, needs repairs, is loading or unloading, or temperatures dip below 40 degrees.

The state’s trucking industry association supports the idea of idling reductions as long as the law doesn’t compromise driver safety. “The trucking industry did not have an issue with a statewide anti-idling law,” says Representative Will Gabig, sponsor of the bill. “But it does have an issue with local ordinances that vary from place to place. With more than 2,000 municipalities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the industry wants consistency across the state.” Representative Gabig says Pennsylvania’s proposed law was written to be consistent with anti-idling ordinances and regulations in other states to ensure consistency from state to state.

Ron Ruman, with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, says that improved air quality isn’t the only benefit from state idling restrictions. “The more fuel we conserve, the greater the benefit to our energy security as a nation.”

New Jersey recently increased enforcement of an idling law that’s been around since the mid-1970s. A new public outreach campaign targets school buses, convenience stores and distribution centers—where idling occurs most. The state’s environmental agency sent out fact sheets on idling’s harmful health effects on school children and the public.

Vehicle and property owners (at grocery stores, for instance) may be fined for violating the law. Instead of paying the penalty, property owners can put up anti-idling signs—5,000 “Idling Stinks” signs are now in place across the state. The general public is the next target, with idling awareness signs going up on billboards, buses and at ballparks.

Truckers can use new devices to help meet anti-idling restrictions. Fuel or battery-powered heating and air conditioning systems eliminate idling and allow drivers to rest comfortably. A direct fired heater costs about $1,000. Automatic engine shutdown/startup systems that turn on or off based on set periods cost between $900 and $1,200 and are available from engine manufacturers. Environmental agencies in New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin offer grants to help truck drivers and owners pay for these technologies.

Some truck stops have parking spaces where drivers can use adapters that fit in truck windows to get electricity, heat, air conditioning, the Internet, satellite TV connections, on-demand movies and telephone services. The window adapters cost about $10 per truck and cost about $2.18 to run per hour, with a fleet discount available. In Arkansas, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, agency funding is available to help cover these costs and the costs associated with setting up the spaces.

IdleAire Technologies Inc., the only company currently setting up the electrified parking spaces, has 130 sites in 34 states. IdleAire says it costs about $1.1 million to set up its system in a typical travel center, with an average 73-parking space installation. The cost per parking spot is approximately $10,000 to $15,000. The EPA maintains a list of idle-reduction technologies on its website.

So far, there’s no move by any state to require these technologies, but the EPA does give credits for idle reduction projects in areas that don’t meet federal air quality standards. Streamlining existing state laws could make a difference in compliance. The bottom line for all concerned is maintaining a safe and efficient transportation system, while keeping the air clean and safe to breathe.

This article first appeared in the Dec. 2007 issue of State Legislatures Magazine. Melissa Savage contributed to this article.