I have this little debate going with IdleAir. They are trying to convince me they are a competitive solution for reducing idle times.
Now I have several problems with IdleAir personally.
1. IdleAir takes parking spaces away from drivers who don’t use their service.
2. Their services are overpriced for what they are.
3. IdleAir is a limited use system, since they are only in truck stops.
4. Most IdleAir spots are a pain to get in and out of since they are nose in only.
And that’s just to name a few off the top of my head. But my debate with them seems to be mostly based on cost efficiency.
IdleAir costs $5.00 for the window unit and$ 1.99 an hour. Personally I think if they were .99 cents per hour it would make a little more sense. All I would want would be heat or A/C depending on the outside temperature. I’m there to sleep and could really care less about internet access and cable television shows.
Based on those numbers it would cost you $19.90 a day for 10 hours of IdleAir service. Let’s figure you are out an average of 21 days a month. Now we are at $417.90 a month. You are out 11 months out of the year, annual costs of $4596.90.
Now I personally own an APU, and there are other options out there now besides an APU, Battery operated night systems and such, but since I am not aware of the costs of those I’ll just compare with the APU.
My APU costs me $4900.00 plus $1200 installation. I bought it as a repo unit. There are bargain’s out there if you look. If you financed this it would run you about $250.00 per month for around 24 months with 10% down. If you don’t have $610.00 to put down you probably shouldn’t have bought a truck.
These units use about 1 pint of fuel per hour, so for 10 hours at current fuel costs of $4.105 (national avg) it costs $5.10 per day, $107.10 per month and $1178.10 per year for fuel. This is based on 21 days out per month, 11 months a year. With Payments $4178.10 a year, and service every other month which runs about $40.00(less if you do it yourself.) So add another $240.00 for a total of$4418.10 annually. So far in 2 years the only work mine has required is an oil pressure sensor which cost $35.00 which brings my total annual costs to $4435.60. Now so far I am $161.30 less than the costs of the IdleAir solution, I can use my unit anywhere I park, not just at a limited number of truck stops. Which if I was to equate the convenience factor in would completely annihilate the IdleAir option in my eyes; however we are not figuring that.
Now some people will say you are going to have to service it more than every other month. Service intervals vary depending on the unit. I service mine every 500 hours approximately. However, I don’t use it every time I park. If the weather is nice I may open the windows on the bunk. Or if it isn’t real cold my blankets keep me warm enough. Hence an every other month average.
Now granted 161 bucks isn’t much of a gap to consider, and the question was brought up how long do I plan on keeping my APU? Well, I don’t plan on getting rid of it. If it wears out I’ll rebuild it, on the other side of the equation, IdleAir how long before you shutdown again?
A 2 cylinder engine can be rebuilt for around $2,000.00 and I’ll get another 5 years out of it if I take care of the unit. However my operating costs reduce by $250.00 per month after 2 years. Idleair stays the same if they are around. Even if I figure the costs of a rebuild in the annual costs it only adds 8 months to the original price.
Now should fuel continue to rise at the rate it is, the IdleAir solution will in fact for the first couple of years end up being the cheaper option. Are they competitive? Yes in practicality they would be. Are they convenient? Not really, nose in parking which means backing out of a relatively small space into a narrow passage in the mornings. If you have the plan of taking your 10 hour break at the receiver or shipper prior to loading / unloading you will have a hard time using IdleAir. And if you are someplace it is not available you are stuck idling your truck at 1 gallon per hour for a whopping $41.05 a day. And best of all if they again close down you are the proud owner of a $5.00 piece of plastic with a giant hole in the middle. (Okay had to throw that in for fun)
Now I have several problems with IdleAir personally.
1. IdleAir takes parking spaces away from drivers who don’t use their service.
2. Their services are overpriced for what they are.
3. IdleAir is a limited use system, since they are only in truck stops.
4. Most IdleAir spots are a pain to get in and out of since they are nose in only.
And that’s just to name a few off the top of my head. But my debate with them seems to be mostly based on cost efficiency.
IdleAir costs $5.00 for the window unit and$ 1.99 an hour. Personally I think if they were .99 cents per hour it would make a little more sense. All I would want would be heat or A/C depending on the outside temperature. I’m there to sleep and could really care less about internet access and cable television shows.
Based on those numbers it would cost you $19.90 a day for 10 hours of IdleAir service. Let’s figure you are out an average of 21 days a month. Now we are at $417.90 a month. You are out 11 months out of the year, annual costs of $4596.90.
Now I personally own an APU, and there are other options out there now besides an APU, Battery operated night systems and such, but since I am not aware of the costs of those I’ll just compare with the APU.
My APU costs me $4900.00 plus $1200 installation. I bought it as a repo unit. There are bargain’s out there if you look. If you financed this it would run you about $250.00 per month for around 24 months with 10% down. If you don’t have $610.00 to put down you probably shouldn’t have bought a truck.
These units use about 1 pint of fuel per hour, so for 10 hours at current fuel costs of $4.105 (national avg) it costs $5.10 per day, $107.10 per month and $1178.10 per year for fuel. This is based on 21 days out per month, 11 months a year. With Payments $4178.10 a year, and service every other month which runs about $40.00(less if you do it yourself.) So add another $240.00 for a total of$4418.10 annually. So far in 2 years the only work mine has required is an oil pressure sensor which cost $35.00 which brings my total annual costs to $4435.60. Now so far I am $161.30 less than the costs of the IdleAir solution, I can use my unit anywhere I park, not just at a limited number of truck stops. Which if I was to equate the convenience factor in would completely annihilate the IdleAir option in my eyes; however we are not figuring that.
Now some people will say you are going to have to service it more than every other month. Service intervals vary depending on the unit. I service mine every 500 hours approximately. However, I don’t use it every time I park. If the weather is nice I may open the windows on the bunk. Or if it isn’t real cold my blankets keep me warm enough. Hence an every other month average.
Now granted 161 bucks isn’t much of a gap to consider, and the question was brought up how long do I plan on keeping my APU? Well, I don’t plan on getting rid of it. If it wears out I’ll rebuild it, on the other side of the equation, IdleAir how long before you shutdown again?
A 2 cylinder engine can be rebuilt for around $2,000.00 and I’ll get another 5 years out of it if I take care of the unit. However my operating costs reduce by $250.00 per month after 2 years. Idleair stays the same if they are around. Even if I figure the costs of a rebuild in the annual costs it only adds 8 months to the original price.
Now should fuel continue to rise at the rate it is, the IdleAir solution will in fact for the first couple of years end up being the cheaper option. Are they competitive? Yes in practicality they would be. Are they convenient? Not really, nose in parking which means backing out of a relatively small space into a narrow passage in the mornings. If you have the plan of taking your 10 hour break at the receiver or shipper prior to loading / unloading you will have a hard time using IdleAir. And if you are someplace it is not available you are stuck idling your truck at 1 gallon per hour for a whopping $41.05 a day. And best of all if they again close down you are the proud owner of a $5.00 piece of plastic with a giant hole in the middle. (Okay had to throw that in for fun)
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