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Regulators are cracking down on idling trucks due to the emissions being generated. But there are good economic reasons to enforce an anti-idling policy even if it isn't required on your jobsites. While those of you working in extreme ambient air temperatures may depend on idling for air conditioning and/or heat, those in moderate climates have a lot to gain by eliminating unnecessary idle time.

There are many misconceptions - mainly that turning the engine off and restarting it several times a day will increase wear. "Starting and stopping the engine is actually easier on the engine than prolonged idling," says Brian Lindgren, vocational sales director, Kenworth Truck Co. "It is a good idea to have a good set of batteries and a high-quality starter and alternator to ensure sufficient power to start the engine numerous times if it is not run long enough to recharge the batteries."

Mike Powers, product development manager for Caterpillar Global On-Highway, agrees, noting, "There is no additional wear when shutting the truck on/off several times a day. There are benefits in fuel economy and wear/durability when shutting the truck down rather than idling."

According to Christy Nycz, Cummins Inc., an idling engine in a Class 8 truck will consume roughly 1 gal./hour of fuel at 1,000 rpm and .5 gal./hour at 650 rpm.

"The fuel consumption depends on the application, load factor on the engine, etc.," Powers adds. "It is very difficult to quantify exact savings. But if you decrease your idle time from 50% to 25%, it could improve your fuel economy by up to 4%."