It’s a Good Idea to Shut It Down: Reducing Unnecessary Idling

School Bus Driver “Reduce Idling” Training North Carolina DMV June 2005

Save Fuel and Breathe Easier!

Health Effects of Diesel Particles – Especially on Young Children Due to tiny size of fine “Particulate Matter” it can

penetrate deeply into the lungs May cause allergy symptoms, including

irritation to the airways Aggravates bronchitis and pneumonia and

triggers asthma attacks PM is linked to cancer and increased heart

attack risk; could lead to “premature death”

REDUCED IDLING REDUCES RISK!

Particulate Matter: What is It?A complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets

PM2.5

(2.5 µm)PM10

(10µm)

Human Hair (70 µm diameter)

Where Does PM Come From?

The Decade of the Diesel Public Policy reflects Health

Studies New, cleaner engine standards New, cleaner burning fuels

Biodiesel Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (350 -> 15 ppm)

Diesel engine retrofits “Idling Reduction” campaigns

New Diesel Bus Engine Emissions Standards

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

grams per brake-horsepower hour

Particulate Matter & NOx Emissions Standards

PM 0.6 0.6 0.25 0.1 0.1 0.01

NOx 10.7 6 5 5 4 0.2

pre-1990

1990 1993 1997 1998 2007

Rising Cost of Diesel Fuel

COST TRIPLED in 40 months

February, 2002: $0.55 per gallon

June, 2005: $1.66 per gallon

Diesel Cost - State Contract

00.20.40.60.8

11.21.41.61.8

2/2/

2002

6/2/

2002

10/2

/200

2

2/2/

2003

6/2/

2003

10/2

/200

3

2/2/

2004

6/2/

2004

10/2

/200

4

2/2/

2005

6/2/

2005

February 2002 - June 2005

Cost

Per

Gal

lon

School Buses in North Carolina Outstanding safety record In NC, more than 13,000 buses

transport more than 700,000 students nearly a million miles a day

School BusIdling Reduction Benefits

Cleaner, clearer air to breathe Improved health Cost savings

Reduced Idling Could Save $1 million per year statewide

Reduced Idling Recommendations

Don’t idle your school bus longer than five (5) minutes to build up air pressure. Additional idling does not warm up the school bus.

Don’t idle your school bus longer than two (2) minutes to cool down the turbo at the end of the route.

Reduced Idling Recommendations

Do not idle your bus while loading or unloading on school grounds.

Reduced Idling Recommendations

Bus should NEVER be left idling and unattended!

School Bus Parking Diagonal Parking Nose to Tail

Parking

Park Away from Air-Intake

for School Buildings

School Bus Driving Be aware of your driving position

Avoid following trucks or other buses if possible; if not possible, keep your distance to avoid THEIR exhaust

School Buses – Both YellowYellow & GreenGreen

YOU Holdthe Key !

Drive Clean

School Bus ResourcesNorth Carolina Division of Air Qualitywww.daq.state.nc.us/

DPI Transportation Serviceswww.ncbussafety.org

Clean School Bus USAwww.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/antiidling.htm

For more information on Anti-Idling Training contact the NC Division of Motor Vehicles, School Bus and Traffic Safety (919/861-3109) www.ncdot.org/dmv/driver_services/