IdleAir installation at the Transportadora EGOBA terminal in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.  Photo: IdleAir

IdleAir installation at the Transportadora EGOBA terminal in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Photo: IdleAir

With diesel prices hovering around $2 per gallon, a near 50% drop since mid-2014, the idle-reduction industry has faced a challenging economic environment, according to IdleAir in an update given at the recent Mid-America Trucking Show.

Low gas prices have reduced the benefit of using idle reduction services and technologies, but IdleAir said that it has responded by offering more value, locking in long-term electricity rates when possible, and streamlining internal operations to reduce costs.

The company has been offering discounted deals like the Rest Special, with two–day weekend and Reset stays for as low as $1.25 an hour since late 2013. In 2015, it introduced other discount bundles, including $20 for 12 hours and a bundle of 10 hours of ConvoyTV and power for $12.50 that includes WiFi.

At the fleet level, IdleAir is rolling out pre-purchase and volume discounts and is starting to tie dedicated terminal pricing to half of national DOE diesel prices.

At MATS, IdleAir also announced other ways that it is expanding, opening three new facilities: a dedicated fleet terminal with U.S. Express in Laredo, Texas, XPO Logistics in West Memphis, Ark., and a Flying J in Lebanon, Ohio. The company will offer free limited service at the Lebanon location through the month of April.

IdleAir launched its first dedicated fleet terminal in Mexico late last year and has seen an eager market in that country where diesel prices are often $1 per gallon higher than in the U.S.

The company also established strategic partnerships with two other trucking industry service companies, Idle Smart and Quickpay Funding. Fleets and trucks that use Idle Smart can receive volume discounts on IdleAir when using both products. Quickpay is waiving its documentation fees for any IdleAir customers that use the factoring service.

IdleAir is a provider of truck stop electrification services at major travel centers, including Pilot Flying J, Love’s, Sapp Brothers and select Petro and TravelCenters of America locations. The company operates in more than 32 locations in 17 states. For more information, click here.

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