IntroductionMethodsIndependent Variable ‘ X’In control of purchase of retrofitMethod to reduce idling: Training on decrease idlingAttend educational session at truck showsStop at certain truck stop determined by fleetStop at undesignated stops and in prohibited areasSeen idling alternatives in government material, magazines, adsHave considered buying deviceDemographics: Age, gender, year of profession, education, incomeZip Code of home addressHuong Bui Truck Idling 5/9/05p. 1Why do truckers idle?Huong BuiAbstract Many of the 458,000 line-haul trucks (Heavy Class 7 and 8 of more than 26,000 lbs.)in the United States idle up to 40 % of engine run time on average, and this consumesapproximately 875 million gallons of diesel fuels yearly. Consequently, idling imposes a highoperating cost to trucking companies while simultaneously entailing a high cost to society interms of health, environment, and national security. Although many studies have proven truckidling alternatives, such as truck stop electrification and auxiliary power units, to be costeffective, a large proportion of truckers are not motivated to adopt them. Despite the plethora ofbenefits gained in adopting an idling alternative, there remain barriers to implementation. Inorder to address national idling inefficiencies and develop effective approaches to encouragetruckers to idle responsibly, it is necessary to understand truckers’ attitudes and behaviors andtheir effects on idling practices. Truckers’ attitudinal and demographic data collected by the UCDavis idling research team is analyzed to understand behavioral variables that affect idlingpractices. Contrary to past studies that stated that environmental attitudes affect behavior,truckers who identify pro-environmental attitudes do not exhibit higher idling hours than truckerswho do not exhibit pro-environmental attitudes. Idling practice is independent of environmentalconcern. Truckers’ idling behavior was related to the amount of training they received onreduced idling. These results suggest that training for all truckers is necessary to reduce idling.Huong Bui Truck Idling 5/9/05p. 2IntroductionHeavy duty truck idling imposes a high operating cost to trucking companies whilesimultaneously entailing a high cost to society in terms of health and the environment. Many ofthe 458,000 line-haul trucks (trucks that fall under Heavy Class 7 and 8 of more than 26,000 lbs.)in the United States travel for more than 500 miles from home-base each day and idle between3.3 and 16.5 hours per day, which accounts for up to 40 % of engine run time depending on theseason and operation (Stodolsky et al. 2000). Idling consumes approximately 2.5 % of the total35 billion gallons of diesel fuels consumed annually in the United States (Jackson et al. 2003,Stodolsky et al. 2001) and idling accelerates the wear and tear of the engine (Stodolsky et al.2000), which increases maintenance cost.Idling emits 11 million tons of carbon dioxide, 180 thousand tons of oxides of nitrogen(mostly nitrous oxide and nitrogen dioxide) and 5 thousand tons of particulate matter annually.Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides are greenhouse gases that contribute to the increase in globalwarming. Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide contribute to the smog in the air, which isdetrimental to human health. There is an escalation of public health concerns that lead to highhealth care cost due to higher prevalence in asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancers, eyeimpairment, and noise pollution (Polosa et al. 2002). Health concerns especially become moreserious when trucks idle in communities that are already disproportionately impacted by airpollution, such as areas that inhabited by poor, low-minority populations (CA ARB 2003).Idling is common practice for heavy duty trucks in operation in the US for one or more of thefollowing reasons: to power climate control (e.g. heaters and air conditioners) and sleepercompartment electrical appliances (e.g. refrigerators, microwave ovens, and televisions); toprevent start-up problems in cold weather; to drown out noise; and to maintain brake system airpressure (Broderick et. al 2003). Also truckers have cited that they idle their engines for reasonsof safety (e.g. to provide cooling or heating when windows are closed), and habit (U.S. EPA2002). Overall, idling provides truckers comfort, security, and convenience on the road.Although government and industry tend to be at odds on many environmental issues, bothgroups agree that idling alternatives need to be implemented because the effects of idling isdisadvantageous and undesirable (Lutsey et. al 2003). The trucking industry wants to reduceidling to save fuel consumption and reduce engine maintenance, and local and state agencieshave enacted idling restrictions and bans to reduce emissions (Levinson 2001, TexasHuong Bui Truck Idling 5/9/05p. 3Administrative Code 2001). In May 2001, the Bush administration issued the National EnergyPolicy that instructed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department ofTransportation (DOT) to collaborate with trucking industries to develop a plan to reduceemissions and fuel consumption from heavy duty trucks (U.S. EPA 2002). The dire need toreduce emissions and fuel consumption prompted many agencies; such as the Institute ofTransportation Studies of University of California at Davis, U.S. EPA, California Air andResource Board (CA ARB 2003), and the Argonne National Laboratory to propose promisingalternatives to idling. Such alternatives consist of the direct-fired heater, fuel cell auxiliarypower unit (APU), thermal storage, direct heat with storage cooling, and truck stop electrification(Stodolsky et. al. 2001). Each of these alternatives falls into either of the two categories: grid-connection (“shore power”) and on-board auxiliary (APUs), and they are both being pursued byindustry and the government (Lutsey et al. 2003).While cooperative industry-government working groups are collaborating to address idlingproblems and despite the many studies that have emphatically proven that idling alternatives arecost effective and beneficial from a health and environmental stand point, a large portion oftruck drivers are not motivated to adopt the technologies (Broderick 2004, pers. comm.).
View Full Document
Unlocking...