Status Transportation Reviews APU Unit Alternatives

At Status Transportation we are continuously reviewing alternatives on how to maximize owner operator pay. One very cost effective option is to invest in technology to help you to lessen diesel consumption like APU Units. For this reason, we have taken the time to review multiple idling alternatives to help you debunk the myths on the cons of investing in an auxiliary power unit.

If you are on the market for an APU, you will be likely to bump into websites that list the advantages or the lack of benefits to buying an auxiliary power unit. Regardless of the information out there the incentives should not be measured only by reduced fuel consumption, which by itself it is a very good benefit that has a direct impact on your bottom line, but also by reduced engine maintenance and reduced CO2 emissions which are good for the environment. That last point by itself should be a very good reason to install an APU unit installed on your truck.

Are APU Studies Reliable?

There are some articles based on studies which may not be very accurate. For example, a 2005 study conducted by the North Carolina Solar Center concluded that there was not a real difference between using a base engine or an APU when idling. How can this be you may ask? Volvo received $350,254 out of the $500,000 awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the NC State University for designing an APU Prep Kit, evaluate the performance of mobile idle reduction technology (MIRT), fuel, maintenance, engine life savings, payback times and user reactions.

The APU Prep-Kit designed by Volvo was not used by field study trucks during the study, although Volvo later in 2008 received 572 new truck orders with the Prep-Kit option selected. There is no denying Volvo did a great job at designing a Pre-Kit that paved the road for standardized mounting locations on semi trucks and better methods for more secure mobile idle-reduction technology installations. As far as the results of the study, the same report does state that the sample of trucks in the study is not a nationally representative sample, and these only represent a portion of those trucks currently on the road. Therefore, we can conclude the results of this study do not have real world application because the sample is skewed.

Idle laws

At this moment, there are an estimated 15.5 million trucks operating in the United States. According to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there was a 76.4% percent change in U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Domestic Freight Transportation from 1990 to 2013. For this reason, many states have adopted commercial vehicle idling regulations. For example, commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 lbs or heavier are not allowed to idle for more than 5 minutes within California's borders. Idling is allowed only when stuck in traffic, when necessary for vehicle inspection or if your truck meets idling emission standards and is not located within 100 feet from a residential area. Fines for violating idling laws start at $300 or can be as high as $1000 per day.

What Options Are There For Cab Comfort?

The safety department at Status Transportation reviews FMCSA rules and regulations to help owner operators to stay compliant. FMCSA's 11-hour rule limits United States drivers to drive a maximum of 11 hours per day in a 14-hour work day. Due to extreme weather conditions in different parts of the country, it is crucial for drivers to idle during their down time, which depending on the weather could mean the engine is on idle for another 10 hours straight. At a rate a gallon per hour on idle multiplied by 10 hours per day, in one month we are talking about close to 300 hours just on idling, but with an increasing number of states adopting no-idle laws, what options do owner operators have for cab comfort? The same state that is known for imposing strict environmental protection laws, which is California, also has some very useful suggestions. For example, the California Environmental Protection Agency recommends using fuel-fired heaters (with some restrictions), truck stop hookups for heating and cooling, or using an auxiliary power unit. Yes, you read that right, the CEPA recommends using APU units and they not only do it because they are environmentally friendly but from experience at Status Transportation we can tell you it is also cost effective. Let's examine the other two options suggested by the California Environmental Protection Agency so you can compare the savings.

Anti-idle Systems

Diesel-fired heaters are useful if you are looking for a quick solution that will help you to preheat your cab and it's easy to install. The downside to these is that they do not offer a cooling option and you need to buy a separate unit to pre-heat your engine.

Truck stop AC hookups are becoming more common and some of these options like idleair even offer movie streaming and internet access. Pilot and Love's truck stops offer it for around $1.50 per hour. At the moment their website only lists 32 locations so although the extras make it a very attractive option it is not very accessible unless you happen to find one on your way. Unlike APU units or diesel-fired heaters, IdleAir is limited to AC and does not have the option to pre-heat your engine.

APU Unit Savings

The convenience of an APU unit is that it goes wherever the driver goes. APU units only consume 0.30 gallons of diesel per hour compared to 1 gallon per hour on idle. This means drivers can have the comfort of staying cool during the summer or warm in the winter only a fraction of the cost compared to idling.

Auxiliary Power Units can be categorized into two types: integrated systems and stand-alone. As the name implies, stand-alone systems are separate from truck components and act as a backup by having their own engine, condenser, generator and power outlets. These systems are typically installed on the side of the truck under the sleeper in a weather resistant enclosure. Integrated APU units take advantage of the trucks resources recirculating the truck's coolant to provide heat inside the cab and for the engine. These units use everything except for the truck's AC compressor. There are hybrid units that tie to some of the truck's resources and also have their own components but the majority of units can be categorized as integrated or stand-alone.

For example, The ACEMCO Auxiliary Power Unit is an integrated non-intrusive unit to the truck's OE systems. ACEMCO APU's have a stand-alone 3-cylinder diesel engine mounted on the side of the truck inside a lightweight fully insulated aluminum enclosure. These units not only solve your AC needs but also help to charge your truck battery when the voltage drops below a given point. Like an integrated APU system, this unit has its own radiator & condenser, HVAC unit, coolant vent tank and an in-cab display module.

As you can see there are multiple idle-reducing technologies available to owner operators who are looking for ways to extend their truck’s engine life and save money on diesel consumption. Although out of the mobile alternatives, auxiliary power units are by far the most convenient and cost-effective in the long run.

Depending on your budget you can find new or refurbished units at a very accessible price. Status Truck & Trailer Repair in Atlanta, GA is an authorized ACEMCO distributor and also sells refurbished auxiliary power units. We ship all over the United States and Canada and have a wide variety of refurbished units from manufacturers like Thermo King, Rigmaster APU, HP 2000, Carrier, Rig Master, Storm power systems, Tripac, Green, and Comfort Master.

Being a 100% owner operator company, Status Transportation reviews different ways to help our owner operators to succeed in the transportation industry. We recommend investing in an APU unit that will help you in reducing operational costs and save your hard earned owner operator pay.

Call us today and let us help you find the APU unit that best meets your needs.

Erik C.

Status Transportation

Follow us on:

• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/StatusTransportationOwnerOperator/
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/statustransportation/
• Twitter https://twitter.com/statustrucks
• YouTube http://www.youtube.com/c/StatusTransportationCorp

For this and other useful articles please visit our blog at www.statustransportation.com/blog

Status Transportation Reviews Weekend Strategy

My name is Victor, I am one of the dispatcher supervisors at Status Transportation.  Status Transportation reviews its weekend strategy for owner operators and for this reason, today I want to talk to you about maximizing your gross income as a regional or OTR owner operator by  optimizing your loads over the weekend.

We know home time is very important for every driver. Both regional and OTR owner operators want to be with their families, friends, on special occasions, national holidays, Christmas, etc.  Also, there are many regional drivers in the transportation industry who have families waiting for them every weekend, so we know how important this is for them.

We've heard people say regional owner operators make less money than over the road owner operators, so we decided to take a closer look at the reasons why this happens.  We noticed regional owner operators prefer to stay closer to home by driving in the surrounding five states to their own state and head back to their home state on Fridays.  This with the purpose of being back home for the weekend.

On the other hand, OTR drivers tend to spend more time on the road because they stay out for three to four weeks before heading back. It depends on the driver, but for the most part, OTR drivers are out on the road a minimum of 21 days per month and only take few days off,  unlike regional drivers who tend to be home almost every weekend.

Analyzing the workweek of a regional owner operator up close we can see that the week usually starts by picking up the first load on Monday morning and in many cases delivering the last load by Friday morning.  This frees up the rest of the afternoon on Friday, extending the weekend to 3 days and therefore making it a four-day workweek.  If there is an average of 4 weeks in a month, that means regional operators are working only 16 days a month or half a month.  In the transportation industry, you cannot expect to make a good living as an owner operator by working only four days a week.  So in conclusion owner, regional owner operators make less money than OTR drivers because they drive fewer days.

Status Transportation reviewing those numbers developed a solution to help drivers to maximize owner operator pay and counteract the previous situation.  All this done without sacrificing home time which is one of the reasons why drivers sign up for an option that allows them to stay closer to home.

The Solution

Since reducing home time for regional owner operators was not an option, Status Transportation reviewed different alternatives to help them maximize profits without sacrificing home time.  If owner operators pick up another load immediately after delivering on Friday that is scheduled to be delivered on Monday, that way they can go home with a trailer loaded and be ready to continue working immediately on Monday. Hence, increasing the number of loads and maximizing income.

The solution is simple but when followed with consistency it can have a significant impact on increasing profits.

Allow me to explain, upon delivery on Friday, drivers receive another load that they can pick up that same Friday afternoon, this load is scheduled to be delivered on Monday morning.  This constitutes an additional load a week, if looked from a monthly perspective this turns into an extra 4 loads a month or 52 loads a year, which is a very considerable revenue.  The important factor to consider is that all this is done without sacrificing owner operator's home time.  Also, rather than being three days at home and without a load, now they get to be two days at home while increasing their profit.

The same exact strategy applies to OTR owner operators delivering on Saturdays. If you do this every other Saturday or let's say each week then as an OTR owner operator you are increasing your loads by 52 more loads a year, and not only that, you are also spending more time on the road and increasing the number of miles you drive each week.

We work together with owner operators to get them home, or for a special occasion or whatever the event is by having them talk to their dispatchers in advance.  Let's say you live in Cleveland Ohio, as soon as you arrive in Cleveland Ohio, where your hometown is, we want to make sure that you get reloaded that same day.  The reason why we want to do this is because you can reload, head back home and spend time home with your family while your trailer is loaded and ready to be delivered first thing on Monday.  This also allows your dispatcher to focus on securing another load for you while you are still working.

Also, while you are home on a 34-hour restart, you can have your trailer loaded and scheduled to deliver on Monday reducing the wait time between your restart and your next load.  That way while you are waiting at home you know you are still maximizing your profits.  In doing so, you can leave Sunday afternoon or Sunday morning to deliver the load on Monday and continue running.

Example Of A Weekend Delivery

As a dispatcher I know Saturday deliveries are pretty uncommon, a lot of shippers and receivers do not open on Saturdays. Most loads are from Fridays to Mondays and that is the only time you can deliver, but there are a few occasions where there is a receiver at that is open on a Saturday. Depending on your location in the US,  you are more exposed to weekend receivers. The closer you are to a transportation truck hub (that's what we call them), the more common it is to unload on a weekend. Areas that never stop like Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, Memphis, Los Angeles, and other hubs, are places that are highly populated as far as the commercial transportation goes.  If you are delivering to any of these places chances are you will find another load to pick up that same day during the weekend.

After analyzing the Status Transportation reviews on how to maximize owner operator pay over the weekend, let's see an example of how to it applies to a weekend delivery.  If you are delivering on a Saturday and you're still planning on going home, for example, let's say you live in Atlanta.  You unload in Atlanta Saturday morning and the best thing to do is to reload that same day in Atlanta or any of the surrounding cities like Forest Park, College Park, East Point, Union City, Morrow, Conley, Arbor Westbridge, etc.

That way you can still go home, still spend time with your family and deliver a short distance two or three hundred miles away.

By following this routine you will be still making money while enjoying time at home and you are not losing out on profits over the weekend. That way dispatchers at Status Trucks can keep your owner operator pay for every week as high as it can be even if you are going home or not.

Victor S.
Freight Coordinator
www.statustrucks.com

---

Learn more about Status Transportation

"Status Transportation is THE BEST place I’ve ever been" - Owner operator reviews Status Transportation and rates the company as a great place to work at...
Click here to read more