1. Idling Reduction Basics for Fleets
Coalition Name
Presenter:
Date:
NOTES TO THE PRESENTER
This presentation is designed to be flexible. Slides may be added, deleted, or modified to accommodate variations in time allotted and audience interests.
Slide 17 is reserved for information about your local/state/regional laws and ordinances regarding idling. If your region has no such laws, you’ll want to delete this slide. If you need information about laws in your area, please see IdleBox’s database, IdleBase, at
If you’d like to add information about the technology solutions available to support idling reduction, please see the presentation, Idling Reduction Technology Solutions. Watch for other new modules providing other types of information in the future.

2. Idling Reduction Basics for Fleets
What Is Idling?
What Vehicles Idle?
Some Idling Is Difficult To Avoid
Much Idling Is Wasteful
Why Care About Idling?
What Can YOU Do?
IdleBox Can Help!

3. What Is Idling?
When a vehicle is running for nonpropulsion purposes, it is idling.
Examples
Trucks idling while in queue
Vehicles waiting to load/unload passengers or goods, including:
Delivery trucks
Shuttle buses
Taxis
First, let’s define idling. For our purposes, idling is running a vehicle engine for nonpropulsion purposes. Nearly all vehicle types can idle, and they do so for many reasons and for varying periods of time. The vehicle operator is usually in charge of whether to idle the vehicle.
While this definition is generally good, it suggests that a good solution is to just turn the key. While that’s sometimes true, it’s more complicated than that. With the current state of technology, some types of engine idling are easier to remedy than others. We’ll talk about these issues a little later in the presentation.
Educating drivers, fleet managers, and other decision-makers about the consequences of unnecessary idling—and ways to reduce it—is one of Clean Cities’ goals.

4. What Vehicles Idle? Light Duty Medium Duty Heavy Duty
Passenger vehicles including taxis, police cruisers, and some light trucks
Medium Duty
Utility vehicles, delivery trucks, shuttle buses, and ambulances
Heavy Duty
Long-haul trucks, tour buses, school buses
When we think about the waste and emissions associated with idling, we often think about heavy-duty trucks and passenger cars. However, other vehicles such as buses, work trucks, ambulances, locomotives, ships, aircraft, and even construction and agricultural equipment idle for various reasons. The focus of this presentation is light- and medium-duty vehicles typical to urban-based fleets. This slide gives just some examples of vehicle types that idle.

5. Some Idling Is Difficult To Avoid
Running emergency lights and other auxiliaries
Emergency vehicles, utility vehicles
Powering HVAC
All vehicle types, for operator and passenger comfort in extreme weather
Performing nonpropulsion (PTO) work
Bucket trucks, sewer-line maintenance trucks, wood chippers
Sometimes, idling is difficult to avoid, usually when there is a nonpropulsion need for power. (Some work vehicles are equipped with “power take-off” or PTO.) “Idling for power” does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. The best solution will depend on the particular power needs.
Long-haul trucks may idle to provide heating or cooling for drivers during overnight rest periods. Police cars may idle not only to power warning lights and communications equipment, but to be “at the ready.”
Knowing the “why” of idling is important for evaluating potential solutions. Optimal solutions for delivery trucks will likely be different from those for work trucks.

6. Most Idling Is Wasteful
Waiting in queue
Delivery trucks, transit buses and motor coaches, shuttle buses, taxis
Engine warming
Today’s vehicles warm up faster by being driven than idling
Sitting in vehicle
During lunch breaks, to complete paperwork, to make phone calls
A long time ago, fuel was cheap and engines finicky. Vehicles were sometimes hard to start and especially hard to restart if you accidently pumped the gas pedal and “flooded” your warmed-up, carburetor-equipped engine. Those of us who remember those days may feel uncomfortable turning our engines on and off frequently. What if my vehicle doesn’t restart? Won’t I wear out my starter? With today’s advanced vehicle technology, the answer to both of these questions is, No.
Unnecessary idling often occurs:
During the course of pickup and deliveries (of not only goods, but people, as with taxis and coach transport)
At businesses with drive-through windows or in convenience store-parking lots (someone “runs in” for coffee)
At railroad crossings
With the misuse of remote starters
Eliminating unnecessary idling is a very low-hanging fruit. It’s money in your pocket or in your fuel budget. Often, no investment is required and savings are immediate.

7. Why Care About Idling?
While many individual episodes are small, the cumulative impacts of idling are large!
Passenger cars are considered light-duty vehicles and are a substantial source of idling emissions and wasted fuel. Imagine this: if each car in the United States idles just 6 minutes per day, about 3 billion gallons of fuel are wasted annually, costing drivers $10 billion—and they haven’t gotten anywhere! (Source: Argonne National Laboratory,
Looking at a fleet model, a single taxi may contribute a relatively small amount to emissions and wasted fuel. However, a fleet of 20, 50, or 100 taxis can have a significant impact.

8. Why Care About Idling?
Idling Is Expensive.

9. Idling Is Expensive
Idling a car wastes up to 0.5 gallons of fuel per hour.
Idling a medium-duty truck wastes 0.4 to 0.6 gallons of fuel per hour.
Idling in the U.S. uses more than 6 billion gallons of fuel at a cost of more than $20 billion EACH YEAR.
Engine idling increases vehicle maintenance costs.
Engine idling can shorten vehicle life.
Source: Argonne National Laboratory

10. Idling Is Expensive Scenario: Fleet of 10 medium-duty trucks
If each truck has ten 10-minute idling episodes per workday, using ~0.5 gal/hr1, and fuel costs $3.50/gallon, the annual cost of idled fuel for the fleet is ~$7,550.
Here’s a scenario for what idling might cost for a fleet of 10 medium-duty trucks when fuel is $3.50/gallon.
Details:
One truck idling 100 minutes/day consumes ~0.83 gallons of fuel/hour at a daily cost of $2.90.
For a 260-workday year, the annual cost of one truck’s idled fuel is $755.
When fuel is $4.00/gallon, the annual cost of idled fuel increases to $8,640.
1 Argonne National Laboratory, Estimation of Fuel Use by Idling Commercial Trucks,

11. Why Care About Idling?
Idling Pollutes.

12. Idling Pollutes
Each gallon of fuel burned produces about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
Nationally, 27% of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation.
Pollution from motor vehicles contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone.
Each year, U.S. passenger vehicles, light trucks, medium-duty trucks, and heavy-duty vehicles consume more than 6 billion gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline combined—without even moving.
Roughly half of that fuel is wasted by passenger vehicles (cars and light trucks), and the remaining half by medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Generally, the bigger the vehicle’s engine, the more fuel it consumes when idling.
In addition, idling vehicles emit carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), particulates (PM10 and PM2.5), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). These emissions, along with noise from idling vehicles, have led to many local and state restrictions on idling.
Source: Argonne National Laboratory,

13. Why Care About Idling?
Idling Threatens Health.

14. Idling Threatens Health
The most significant health impacts of transportation stem from tailpipe emissions.
Particulate matter irritates the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses and even premature death.
Ozone can inflame and damage the airways and aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
Source, Bullet 1: American Lung Association, Energy Policy Development: Transportation Background Document, Prepared by M.J. Bradley & Associates LLC, February 2011,
Source, Bullet 2: EPA, Health Effects of Particulate Matter,
Source, Bullet 3: EPA, Ground-Level Ozone Health Effects,

15. Why Care About Idling?
Laws and Fines

16. Laws and Fines
Keeping up with idling laws and their changes can be daunting. Idling laws differ not only by location (state, municipal, or county), but by vehicle type, vehicle weight, fuel type, outdoor temperature, and reason for idling.
The list of exemptions—those for emergency vehicles, extreme temperatures, and mandated driver rest periods—can be as long as the law itself. For violations, some laws penalize the driver and others penalize both the driver and the vehicle owner. Imagine being the cross-country truck driver who must keep up with possibly dozens of different idling regulations.
Information on state and local laws and regulations, including fines where that information is available, can be found at IdleBase,

17. Laws and Fines: (Fill in City/State Name)
Presenter provides info specific to city/state/regional laws.
Presenter: If your region has no such laws, you’ll want to delete this slide. If you need information about laws in your area, please see IdleBox’s database, IdleBase, at

18. 3 Steps to Idling Reduction
What Can YOU Do?
3 Steps to Idling Reduction
Clean Cities /

19. You Can . . .
Step 1: Be AWARE
Reducing idling saves money and protects the air.
Turn off vehicles when not moving.
Set policy to reduce unnecessary idling.
Identify nonvehicle solutions when possible.
Consider alternative power sources to provide necessary services.
Idling reduction is often called the “low-hanging fruit of fuel economy.” Unlike some other fuel-economy and emissions-reduction undertakings, such as purchasing a hybrid or an alternative-fuel vehicle, idling reduction is something almost any driver can do immediately, to some degree.
Some solutions merely require awareness. For example, turning off the vehicle engine while waiting at train crossings, bridge lifts, and other stops presents no negative outcomes for most drivers. Temperature-controlled waiting rooms at delivery destinations provide a nonvehicle solution for driver comfort. In cases where power is required onboard the vehicle, a variety of technologies may be considered.

20. You Can . . . Step 2: EDUCATE Drivers
Inform your drivers about idling reduction.
Adopt an idling reduction policy
Host an idling reduction workshop for drivers
Post signs to remind drivers NOT to idle
Ask drivers to make a pledge to idling reduction
Offer incentives/rewards for idling reduction efforts
For idling reduction not related to driver rest periods, no investment is necessarily required. Fuel savings and emission reductions are immediate. You might call it, “real-time fuel savings.” Each week, a driver can save money, reduce engine wear, and contribute to cleaner air.
Policies to reduce unnecessary idling can also be implemented. A policy might state, for example, that vehicles may idle for no longer than 3 minutes. This type of policy can be applied to your fleet vehicles as well as to vehicles delivering to or visiting your location.
Driver training on fuel use reduction usually involves specifics on how to curb idling as well as other tactics. Some local Clean Cities Coalitions provide driver training programs or have information on such resources in their service area.

21. Step 3: CONSIDER Technology
You Can . . .
Step 3: CONSIDER Technology
Options to support your idling reduction efforts
Engine idle management systems
Heaters for cab and/or engine block
Auxiliary power systems
Electrified parking spaces
Engine idle management systems simply shut down a vehicle’s engine after a preset amount of time, such as 3 minutes.
Vehicle operators who need heat for the cab or passenger compartment might consider air heaters. These units use much less fuel than idling an engine. Engine block heaters warm an engine (or keep it warm) to avoid the prolonged idling required for the warm-up of some diesel engines.
Auxiliary power systems provide power for HVAC, electronics, and other devices. Some systems provide power for power take-off (PTO) equipment.
Electrified parking spaces (EPS) allow truck drivers to shut off their engines and power HVAC, electronics, and more with electricity.
Finally, some fleet management telematics systems enable the monitoring of vehicles’ idling times. Identifying “high idlers” or unexpected idling patterns may be a first step in devising a plan to reduce idling.

22. Clean Cities tools are available to you
IdleBox Can Help!
Clean Cities tools are available to you
Idling reduction cost savings calculators
Slide presentation on idling reduction
Presentation modules on technology solutions
Fact sheets, signage, and poster templates
Pledge forms and policy templates
Funding resources for idling reduction technologies
IdleBox was created by Argonne National Laboratory to provide a flexible, data-based toolbox of idling-reduction resources. IdleBox currently focuses on light- and medium-duty idling reduction options. Components for heavy-duty vehicles are likely to be developed in the future. Presentations, fact sheets, signage, posters, and other templates are available on the IdleBox website,
Whether you collaborate with your Clean Cities coalition or implement your own initiative, IdleBox provides quality information and support materials to guide and enhance your idling reduction efforts.

23. Idling Reduction We Are the SOLUTION! Thank you. Coalition Name
Presenter
Contact info
Clean Cities /