Georgia to Propose State-wide Diesel Idling Rules in 2006
31 December 2005
Telegraph. Georgia state environmental officials plan to draft a state-wide rule in January to limit the time drivers of diesel vehicles would be allowed to idle their engines.
State regulators had planned to propose the rule in late summer 2005, but Hurricane Katrina and fuel shortages made it necessary to put off any new fuel and transportation requirements, according to the state Environmental Protection Division (EPD). (Diesel idling regulations would, however, reduce fuel consumption.)
The state-wide regulations may limit bus idling to less than 15 minutes, or offer incentives to long-haul truck drivers who avoid idling. Currently, the city of Atlanta sets a 15-minute limit on idling.
The EPD hopes to convene a stakeholders' group in February or March to discuss parameters of the proposed rule, with representatives from local governments, the transportation industry and environmental groups giving feedback.
Fourteen states plus the District of Columbia currently have state-wide idling regulations; a number of municipalities also have their own requirements.
State-level idling regulations | |||
---|---|---|---|
State | Max. Idling time | ||
California | 5 minutes | ||
Connecticut | 3 minutes | ||
Delaware | 3 minutes | ||
District of Columbia | 3 minutes | ||
Hawaii | 3 minutes | ||
Illinois | 0 minutes unattended | ||
Maryland | 5 minutes | ||
Massachusetts | 5 minutes unattended | ||
Nevada | 15 minutes | ||
New Hampshire | 5 minutes | ||
New Jersey | 3 minutes | ||
New York | 5 minutes | ||
Texas | 5 minutes (Apr-Oct) | ||
Utah | 15 minutes | ||
Virginia | 10 minutes |
Resources:
American Transportation Research Institute Idling Compendium
The idling restrictions are great ideas, but they are never enforced. Sure, there might even be signs up, but come on -- which cop or meter maid is going to give a ticket for idling? Most don't even know the law.
So, it's good that it's going on the books, since it demonstrates the issue has some interest in the state legislature and general public policy, but it won't reduce idling one iota.
The only way to reduce idling is to replace engine components so that the vehicle's engine turns off automatically when it is in park/neutral with brake.
Posted by: stomv | 31 December 2005 at 01:23 PM
They do! The bus operators in the New York City(the one on strike lately) does comply with this law. As a matter of fact, it makes a huge difference in New York City. When the engine is on, it's noisy and filthy(from the tail pipe). The MTA even has some hybrid buses serving the greater metropolitan area of New York.
Posted by: Alfred | 01 January 2006 at 10:35 AM
A few weeks ago I drove across Illinois on I-80 and was suprised to see how many 18 wheelers were crowded in to rest areas and parked on entrance and exit ramps. Considering the near freezing temps I suspect most were idling their engines in spite of the law.
Posted by: tom deplume | 02 January 2006 at 09:39 AM
There is a reason diesel operators idle their engines for long periods, and it has to do with wear and tear on the engines. Over 90% of the wear an engine experiences is at startup! Also, many of the railways for this reason allow their big two cycle EMD and four stroke GE powered locomotives to run for weeks at a time.
Diesel transportation companies are finding that due to recent Government regulations the following is occuring:
1) New engines use about twice the fuel as the old ones due to NOX regulations.
2)The new low sulfur fuel creates extreme wear in older fuel injection pumps,
3) The new boutique diesel fuels(there will be over 50 unique blends mandated this coming year, compared to one standard blend used last year) WILL create higher fuel costs; energy analysts are estimating $5 per gallon by next summer.
4) New idling regulations are causing maintenance costs to go up.
Now do you understand why the things you buy at the store have been skyrocketing in costs, lately? When these regulations are applied to agricultural applications soon, your food prices will go up even more.
Posted by: Dave Zeller | 02 January 2006 at 08:16 PM