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ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME
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August 2012
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by Amanda Jakl
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Category: Featured
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IdleAir, an anti-idling service found at travel centers across the country, lets drivers cut their engine without losing power. They can plug in a TV or slow cooker, browse the Internet and enjoy air conditioning, all without wasting a drop of fuel.
"IdleAir is the only thing that provides me that feeling of having a little apartment away from home," says Stowers. "I can pull into an IdleAir spot, plug in my slow cooker and close the curtains."
Drivers can save about 50 percent if they choose IdleAir over idling. "Basically a truck will burn, on average, a gallon of diesel an hour," explains Robert Barker, director of fleet sales for IdleAir. "If you take roughly $4 an hour the cost of diesel versus the IdleAir service, which at the rate of $2.09 an hour, a driver can be looking at saving about $2 an hour." IdleAir offers discounted fleet pricing for additional savings for fleet customers.
Whatever a driver chooses to do in his or her downtime, IdleAir has it covered. For those interested in watching television, IdleAir offers 64 channels of satellite TV, including ESPN. For drivers who want to surf the Internet, the company features a limited browser, but offers broadband Ethernet for as little as $.35 a day with a one-year service plan. Heating and air conditioning are also included.
It's simple to use. Drivers simply pull into an IdleAir unit spot, put in their window adapter and hook into the system. One swipe of their fuel card and they're ready to go. IdleAir site representatives are available to assist customers during most arrival times.
And first-time registration takes no more than 10 minutes, says Tabitha Griffis, site manager of the IdleAir location at the West Memphis, Ark., Pilot travel center.
"When you become a new member, you'll go in our office and get an IdleAir membership card, which is free," says Griffis. Then, once the driver is registered, he or she can be up and running in about three minutes on subsequent visits. "Slide your card, enter your private PIN number and your services get going," Griffis adds. "It's easy."
IdleAir offers many promotions and discounts. With the VIP program, drivers accrue Convoy Points(tm) that can be redeemed for more hours, service upgrades or products in the Convoy Store on the IdleAir website. They can even convert their points to cash to donate to charity. The company also offers a customer referral program that rewards current customers with 500 Convoy Points(tm) for every new driver registered.
IdleAir is ideal for fleets and owner-operators. Companies can receive discount pricing and pay with their fleet card. Owner-operators who are paying extra-close attention to expenses can reduce the wear and tear on their engine as well.
"You're sitting there keeping warm or cool; you're not utilizing that fuel for what you bought it for and that's to move you down the road," say Gordon Alkire, an owner-operator for more than 40 years.
As a small-business owner, Alkire also says IdleAir helps with the bottom line. "I think economically it's workable for me, even though I have an APU," he says. "I use IdleAir because I can get clean, conditioned air, whether it's heat or cool. I get television and Internet for much less than what I would have to pay individually."
Barker agrees. "The moment the driver turns that engine off from idling and starts using IdleAir they start to save money immediately," Barker says. "It's a no-brainer."
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