Truck owners and fleets can reduce fuel usage, lower emissions and comply with new anti-idling laws with the new Fleetrite Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), a new retrofit product from Navistar.

"A Class 8 truck burns a little more than a gallon of diesel fuel per hour idling, and a long-haul sleeper idles around 2,400 hours per year," said Ron Sandefur, vice president, aftermarket purchasing and products, Navistar Parts Group. "Figure in the high price of diesel fuel and the result is a lot of wasted money.

"With a Fleetrite APU, truck owners can reduce fuel usage to only 0.3 gallons of fuel per hour while idling, or up to 80 percent less than normal idle, saving fleets and owner-operators up to $8,500 a year and 1,920 gallons of fuel annually per truck," Sandefur said.

The Fleetrite APU is an auxiliary power unit designed as an aftermarket retrofit for all makes and models of Class 8 trucks. Powered by a 14-horsepower, 2-cylinder Caterpillar diesel engine, the unit takes the place of the engine under the hood to efficiently provide driver necessities including heat, air conditioning and power for electronics while the truck is idle.

"Even with the high price of diesel fuel, drivers don't have to sacrifice being comfortable while resting for the night or waiting for their trailers to get loaded or unloaded," said Jan Penrow, product manager, aftermarket products, Navistar Parts Group. "The Fleetrite APU delivers air conditioning, heat and power quickly and most importantly, without using a lot of fuel."

A simple and non-intrusive design, the Fleetrite APU only uses the truck's battery power and fuel tank to start and power its electronic system and run the engine.

The HVAC system of the Fleetrite APU delivers the most cooling and heating capacity on the market, ensuring drivers will be comfortable in any temperature conditions. A 60-Amp DC alternator charges the truck's battery while a 6-kW generator powers appliances and the engine-block heater. Mounted in the cabin of the truck, the control panel features a large LCD screen and easy-to-use single-touch menu functions.

Two CARB-compliant Fleetrite APU models are available depending on the truck's manufacture date. For 2007 or newer trucks, an APU model is available that requires a diesel particulate filter for CARB compliance.

International dealers also offer other anti-idling solutions as aftermarket retrofits including NITE battery powered systems, Espar cab heaters, Webasto cab heaters and Webasto C5 truck heating and cooling units, and Autotherm energy-recovery units for day-cab trucks.

Navistar also will offer a factory-installed APU called MaxxPower as an option on new International Class 8 trucks beginning later this year.