Opinion: Tell Truck Stops to Power Up

By Royal Jones

CEO

Mesilla Valley Transportation

This Opinion piece appears in the July 22 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

There’s been much talk about expanding natural-gas fuel availability at truck stops now that domestic production is increasing. But while the natural-gas option offers lower prices for the fuel itself, the vehicles and infrastructure cost upward of $50,000 per truck and about $1 million for each station. With basically cheaper fuel, the payback over time will offset those additional equipment and infrastructure costs — eventually.

In the meantime, what to me seems lost in the shuffle is another way to reduce fuel costs in much less time: eliminate idling.

I consider excess idling a bane of our industry — but a highly fixable one.

Visit any truck stop in this country and count the trucks idling. Each burns about a gallon of diesel per hour to run its heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and hotel loads. In fact, I saw a verified study indicating that nearly 60% of owner-operators have no form of idling-reduction onboard.

The percentage of fleet trucks without onboard idling reduction also is very high. Idling the main engine sends about $4 an hour’s worth of fuel going up the exhaust pipe.

With our fleet of 1,300 power units and 4,700 trailers, I learned quickly that I had to come up with competitive advantages to overcome the disadvantages of our company’s geographic location in West Texas. Over the years, my company has adopted various ideas to improve and optimize fuel economy. As a result, many of our drivers average more than 10 mpg.

How did we accomplish this? One way was to install auxiliary power units on our trucks to cut the idling. We started with diesel-fired APUs, but eventually we moved to battery-powered units with shore power to avoid maintaining another engine.

Today, 98% of our fleet vehicles have APUs, mostly battery-powered. Because nearly all the units can be plugged into shore power — and we use electricity whenever we find it — our idling time has dropped dramatically from 50% to 3% and 4% during winter and spring.

In the hot summer months, that rises to 10% because if we can’t find a place to plug in, we run the main engine to recharge the APU batteries.

Unlike a battery bank, using shore power allows us to run the HVAC system and hotel loads such as microwaves, TVs and laptops — with an endless supply of power. Our drivers love it, and it keeps fleet costs down.

From a maintenance standpoint, we’ve found our batteries last longer. I’ve seen studies that demonstrate up to a 30% increase in battery life if you don’t drain them as often, instead using shore power to run the electric appliances while recharging the battery bank.

Our drivers have gotten creative about finding places to plug in — some have even tapped into their neighbors’ diesel-fired APUs at truck stops, which is as funny as it is sad.

Why don’t more truck stops offer electric power? If you’ve ever plugged in your trailer or camper at a recreational-vehicle park, your boat at a marina or your cellphone into an outlet at the airport, then you’ve already witnessed the benefits of plugging in. A person with a Winnebago never asks if you have power. Instead, they ask, “Where’s the power?”

Now, imagine that your drivers can do the same thing. They drive to the next truck stop and plug in instead of running their truck engines. They don’t even need a full system to take advantage of power pedestals. Simple extension cords and space heaters can keep cabs and sleepers warm in the winter, while aftermarket, stand-alone air conditioners can keep them cool in the summer.

Or, do what we do — invest in an APU that can do both.

But the key question now is: “Where are all the truck stops that offer power pedestals?”

We were pleased to see the federally funded Shorepower Truck Electrification Program install power at 50 truck stops throughout the country. Now there are 14 locations on the Interstate 5 corridor between Washington state and California.

The STEP program was forward-thinking, offering 460-volt plug-ins at about half of those truck stops for hybrid refrigeration units on trailers. Combined with truck stops that already offer power, it’s a good start, but not nearly enough. Drivers should be able to go to any truck stop and plug in their trucks.

I believe the industry is ready. A higher percentage of trucks coming off the line today include AC receptacles and inverter chargers to take full advantage of shore power. And most offer APU systems with optional shore power compatibility. In addition, there are many battery- and diesel-powered APUs on the aftermarket with shore-power connectivity.

What will it take to make AC power at truck stops a reality? Make your voice heard.

Ten years ago, I saw a survey conducted that found close to 90% of fleets saying they’d like to have AC power available at truck stops. Back then, the industry probably wasn’t ready. But today, with diesel fuel at around $4 per gallon in many places across the country and the prospect of even higher fuel prices to come, I say it’s time.

But for truck stops to move forward, they need to hear from fleets that if they will invest in providing power, we will come to their facilities and use that power. The result will be good for the environment and provide another sort of “green” — the kind that stays in our wallets because of lower fuel bills.

Truckload provider Mesilla Valley Transportation, El Paso, Texas, operates 1,300 power units and 4,700 trailers, and specializes in time-sensitive service for manufacturers in the United States, Canada and Mexico.