Pennsylvania Approves Anti-Idling Law

Trucks in Pennsylvania will be prohibited from idling their engines for more than five minutes in a 60-minute period under a newly enacted state law.

The law applies to commercial diesel vehicles weighing more than 10,001 pounds, with exceptions for farm vehicles and motor homes. Violators face fines of $150 to $300.

The law also provides an exception for truckers who idle in order to operate cab climate-control devices when the temperature is less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit or more than 75 degrees. This exception will expire in May 2010.

The regulations are “very strong for the trucking industry,” Jim Runk, president of Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, told Transport Topics. PMTA worked closely with lawmakers to craft the measure, and the trucking group fully supports it, he said.

Both houses of the General Assembly passed the bill Oct. 8, and Gov. Ed Rendell (D) signed it into law the next day. It takes effect Feb. 4.