Idle Reduction
IdleBox Toolkit
IdleBox is an online toolkit of print products, templates, presentations, and information resources to assist with idle reduction projects for fleets with light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as personal vehicles. IdleBox tools can be used for a range of purposes, from printing fact sheets to calculating potential fuel savings to educating and engaging transportation decision makers, fleet managers, sustainability managers, and drivers on the benefits of idle reduction.
Get started using the IdleBox Toolkit.
Idle reduction describes technologies and practices that reduce the amount of time an engine idles. Idling wastes fuel and increases engine wear, so small changes in idling time can lead to noticeable benefits, including fuel savings and a reduction in pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and engine wear.
Engines are idled for a variety of reasons, such as to keep vehicles warm or cool and to power emergency lighting, communications, or off-board equipment. Each year, U.S. passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles consume more than 6 billion gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline—without even moving. Roughly half of that fuel is wasted by people idling their passenger vehicles. Idling has a large enough impact on fuel consumption and emissions that many light-duty vehicle manufacturers have implemented stop-start technologies on their vehicles. These automatically shut off the engine when the vehicle stops, quickly and quietly restarting the engine when the gas pedal is pressed.
Idling can usually be reduced without compromising driver comfort or vehicle equipment operations. Learn about:
