Idling

An idling engine consumes fuel while covering no ground. Over a fleet and a year the totals are substantial, and the cost is not only diesel: idle hours accumulate on the engine-hour meter, pulling forward service intervals and depreciation on a vehicle that has travelled nowhere.

Not all idling is waste, which is where crude idle-reduction targets go wrong. Cabin cooling during a rest break, reefer operation, PTO work on a tipper or crane, and warm-up in cold conditions are all legitimate. Penalising a driver for idling during a mandated rest period is both unfair and counterproductive.

The useful measurement therefore separates productive from unproductive idling using context the telematics unit already has — PTO engagement, ambient temperature, geofence location and duty status. Reporting only the unproductive portion is what makes the number credible to drivers, which is the precondition for it actually falling.