Dear editor,

In the Dec. 2002 issue of Truck News there was an article about FleetSmart’s efforts to curb engine idling, and I have a comment to make about this subject.

I’ve been driving for 20 years and I agree that reducing engine idling is indeed a necessary action to take.

Many nights with the temperature well above freezing, I’ve been more than comfortable with my truck shut off, however, many drivers around me have idled all night for no reason.

I very definitely agree with Ivan Grose, Oshawa MP, in the aforementioned article, when he suggested that if we didn’t do something about this issue the government would instead, and as everyone knows from past experience government imposed solutions are sometimes less than effective and extremely burdensome.

However, this campaign to reduce idling seems destined to endorse aftermarket heating systems. I purchased one at an approximate cost of $3,000 with all the bells and whistles and it didn’t work properly from day one.

In fact it left me stranded once, gave me a terrible headache once from excessive smoke seeping into the cab while I slept, and cost me six days at intervals to effect repairs. All this even though regular recommended maintenance had been performed. In short, the savings claimed by the company were more than negated by the purchase price and the downtime, over a three-year period.

I do, however, know many of my fellow drivers have had good experiences with their auxiliary units, and I do believe the concept is a good one.

I hope that the people on the FleetSmart team realize that some engine idling is necessary and that even though some of us won’t buy one of these products we are still doing everything we can to reduce emissions and noise.