How to Reduce Fleet Idling Time

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In trucking, idling time is wasted time. It’s bad for business, drivers and the environment. That’s why so many fleet managers spend time pondering how to reduce idle time.

If you’re one of the many fleet managers who wants to reduce engine idling, here’s a look at some of the dangers and solutions related to the idling challenge.

The Dangers of Idling

As noted above, idling is bad for everyone and everything involved in trucking. But, what are the specific dangers of idling? Here’s a look at three specific reasons to reduce idling as much as possible:

Reduced efficiency: When fleets run efficiently, a company can meet customers’ expectations while also keeping costs as low as possible. Idling gets in the way on both fronts. When you’re idling, you’re not moving freight in a way that helps your customers, and you’re burning fuel in a way that makes it impossible to lower costs.

Possible fines: How bad is idling? It’s bad enough that many states have passed laws to reduce idling time. If your vehicles are operating in the states, unwarranted idling could lead to costly fines — which further hurt your bottom line.

Environmental impact: Idling also has a significant impact on the environment. When trucks idle, they are releasing emissions into the air for no reason at all.

How to Reduce Idle Time

If you’re wondering how to reduce idle time, modern technology and tools make reduction absolutely possible. Here’s a look at three ways you can get started in an effort to reduce engine idling:

Training and coaching: It’s perfectly normal for truck drivers to fall into bad habits over time. In many cases, excessive idling emerges from embedded habits. Help your drivers become more aware of idling by providing helpful training and coaching.

New technologies: Today, we have access to new technologies that can help reduce idling time. Use these technologies to create and enforce idling rules, as well as to send notifications when drivers are outside of shutoff parameters. These new technologies are perhaps the best solution for reducing your fleet’s idle time.

Tracking and optimization: New technologies also make it possible to track your performance over time and make changes in response to the data. If you’re not sure how much your fleet is idling, seek out technologies that will allow you to measure your performance and make future improvements.

The Benefits of Reducing Idle Time

Reducing idle time is important and worthwhile because it unlocks a broad spectrum of benefits for you and your business. When you reduce your idle time, you also:

Improve engine performance
Extend vehicle lifespans
Save money and avoid costly fines
Help the environment

At Reading Truck Body, we’re here to serve fleet managers and their business in a number of ways, including by offering service bodies and accessories. If you have needs for your fleets, meet them by browsing our selection. You can also contact us with any questions you have about our products and how you can minimize minimizing your fleet’s idle time.