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If you’ve ordered new heavy-duty trucks in the past year, you’ve doubtless noticed that truck OEMs are now offering idle-reduction packages as factory-installed options. Why are these systems migrating from the aftermarket to the showroom, and what does it mean for fleet managers? We asked several OEM experts to give us their take on this trend.

First, we asked Steve Gilligan, assistant general manager—heavy vehicle center, International Trucks, why the systems have become attractive to the OEMs:

SG: “Ten years ago, or even five years ago, when diesel fuel was down around $2 a gallon, or even lower, you’d have a three or four-year payback on idle-reduction equipment. But, people would trade their trucks in on a four or five-year cycle, (so) it was a questionable investment. Well, running the main engine is, increasingly, becoming a non-option. Anti-idling legislation is one thing, and obviously it’s real important, but I’d say the more powerful motivator is now economics: you can save a lot of money.”

Fuel Advantage: Regardless of what is motivating fleets to purchase, why should they opt for a factory-installed OEM solution?

SG: “The biggest issue is that when you install something on the main production line, not only do you eliminate the additional cost of having to rework systems, but you improve time of delivery to customers. A truck going down the main line that has an APU installed could, hypothetically, be shipped the same day the truck is produced.

“A truck that has one installed in the aftermarket has to come off the line, so we can ship it to an intermediate location. If it’s a large fleet and they’ve ordered 100 of them, they’re going to be stockpiled because you only have so many people to install those units. They’re going to have to tear up each truck and install each one individually, and it could take a day or two to do each installation. They have to tap into the electrical system, they have to tap into the HVAC system and install the main unit on the frame or behind the cab. So you could be adding, easily, weeks to the delivery for a large-volume customer.

“And lastly, it’s just the warranty; with an OEM-installed unit you have a factory warranty, and you can go right back to the dealer that sold you the truck if there are any problems. So, there’s not going to be any subsequent buck-passing, where someone says, ‘I didn’t install that.’ It’s just a much more well-integrated, lower-cost, quicker-to-deliver solution.”