Idling your work trucks may cost more than you think.
What is the true cost of idling a work vehicle? You’ve probably heard that vehicle idling negatively impacts the environment, but the impact of idling on the vehicle itself is often overlooked or disregarded as a myth. But the cost of idling is a very real expense for companies, and it adds up significantly over time.
| Idling Cost Assumptions | |
|---|---|
| Fuel cost per gallon [1] | $3.06 |
| Gallons burned per hour @ idle [2] | 0.9 |
| Idle hours per day | 8 |
| Weeks idling per year | 52 |
| Costs per idling week | $110.16 |
| Idle cost per idling month | $440.64 |
| Total Idle Cost Per Year | $5728.32 |
| Idle hours per year | 2080 |
| “Miles” per idle hour [3] | 25 |
| Total Idle “Miles” Per Year | 52,000 |
| Oil, Filter & Labor – Every 7,500 miles or 300 hours [4, 5] | $304.99 |
| Air Filter – Change per indicator (assume 15,000 miles or 600 hours) [6, 7] | $100.00 |
| Diesel Particulate Filter (200,000 miles or 8,000 hours) [8, 9] | $2,000.00 |
| Total Savings from Cutting Idling (12 Months, Per Truck) | |
|---|---|
| Fuel Savings | $5,728.32 |
| Oil & Filter (6 changes/year) | $1,829.94 |
| Air Filter (3 times/year) | $300.00 |
| Diesel Particulate Filter (change every 4 years) | $500.00 |
| Depreciation from Idling [10] | $6,500.00 |
| Total Annual Savings | $14,858.26 |
In short, eliminating idling from your company’s work vehicles has the potential to save your company nearly $15,000 per vehicle per year in fuel savings, vehicle maintenance and depreciation.
Sources:
[1] Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices. (2020, April 27). Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/PET_PRI_GND_DCUS_NUS_A.htm
[2] Argonne National Library. (2018, February). Idling Reduction Savings Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.anl.gov/sites/www/files/2018-02/idling_worksheet.pdf
[3] Ford Motor Company. (2009, April). How Idle Time Impacts Engine Maintenance. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://www.powerstrokediesel.com/docs/How_Idle_Time_Affects_Maint_Intervals.pdf
[4] Mancilla, K. (2018, November 9). How to Maintain Your Boom Truck. Retrieved from https://blog.beaconfunding.com/business/how-to-maintain-your-boom-truck/
[5] Travel Centers of America. (2020). Truck Oil Change Packages. Retrieved from https://www.ta-petro.com/amenities/truck-repair-maintenance/preventive-maintenance/truck-oil-change-packages
[6] Cummins Inc. (2019, August 7). When Should I Change My Engine’s Filters? Retrieved from https://shopcummins.com/blogs/cummins-expert-blog/when-should-i-change-my-engine-s-filters
[7] Babcock Auto Care. (2018, October 3). How much does diesel truck repair cost? Retrieved from https://www.babcockautocare.com/blog/how-much-does-diesel-truck-repair-cost-
[8] Minuteman Trucks, Inc. (2017, March). OEM Recommended DPF Cleaning Intervals. Retrieved from https://www.minutemantrucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DPF-Engine-Interval.pdf
[9] Cummins Inc. (n.d.). Genuine Cummins New and ReCon Diesel Particulate Filters. Retrieved from https://www.cummins.com/parts/diesel-particulate-filters
[10] Straight-line depreciation based on $75,000 asset cost, $10,000 salvage value, and 500,000 mile life expectancy including 25-mile/hr idling equivalent
