One of the best ways to reduce exhaust emissions and cut fuel costs obviously is to burn less fuel. Although fuel prices have substantially decreased in the past few years and have largely stabilized for now, beverage fleets remain proactive about reducing their fuel consumption. Between route/load optimization and updates to the latest drivetrain technology, the low-hanging fuel-economy fruit has been thoroughly harvested. Among the more common fuel saving strategies reported is the use of factory-installed idle shut-down timers to reduce unnecessary engine idling.
Not only does idling put a significant dent in fuel-economy numbers, but it also increases emissions and adds wear to the engine, speeding up overhaul intervals. However, the downside to limiting the amount of engine idling time can result in an inability to maintain a comfortable cab temperature when the truck’s engine is shut off. In some parts of the country, open windows are sufficient to keep the cab comfortable during the summer months, but in the South and the West that’s not entirely practical. The same goes for the Northern states in the winter. Long popular in the over-the-road truckload freight sector, no-idle solutions for maintaining cab temperatures increasingly are finding a home in local/regional delivery trucks.