Arrow Trucking Co. has opened a 32-space IdleAire Advanced Truck Stop Electrification (ATE) installation at its 30-acre Tulsa, Okla., terminal. The service opened earlier this month, said Robert Fitzgerald, Arrow chief operating officer, at a press conference Thursday at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.
Fitzgerald touted the service’s impact on saved fuel, engine wear and expenses, while better serving the company’s drivers and reducing pollution. The ATE service is open 24/7 and provides truckers air-conditioning and heating, and electricity to operate sleeper cab appliances, plus Internet connection, cable TV and pay-per-view. The service is free – except for pay-per-view – and open only to Arrow’s truck drivers and owner-operators.
Fitzgerald said the service will “help out driver recruitment and driver retention.” The carrier is considering the installation of IdleAire equipment at its Houston terminal. According to the company, 32 IdleAire terminal spaces that are used 12 hours each day to replace 32 truck engines idling eliminates roughly 4 metric tons of diesel emissions daily.
At the same press conference, IdleAire Technologies Chief Executive Mike Crabtree announced that his company will debut its parking space reservation system at selected TravelCenters of America and Petro truck stops on Sept. 1. Crabtree likens the service to a hotel reservation; reservations must be guaranteed with an IdleAire Gold Membership card or a company fleet card. The service eventually will be expanded nationwide.
