TR Auto Truck Plaza in Dandridge, Tenn., now offers 30 parking spaces equipped with devices that let drivers shut off their engines while they rest.

The truckstop is equipped with 20 E-Dock units from EnviroDock that provide heating and cooling, and 10 PowrDock shorepower pedestals that give truck drivers who don't need HVAC a place to plug in.

This truckstop electrification project was funded by an American Resource and Recovery Act stimulus grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Clean Diesel Campaign and the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The grant was awarded to TR Auto Truck Plaza, located off exit 412 on I-40 in east Tennessee. After a competitive bid process from potential truckstop electrification providers, Rick Lewis, owner of TR Auto Truck Plaza, selected EnviroDock.

The E-Dock Stationary is a stand-alone heating, cooling and power system. This unit delivers electronically filtered and temperate air to the truck cab through two thermally insulated flexible ducts via a window control panel.

The patent-pending window unit is attached to a swinging arm which makes installation into the cab window as simple and weightless as possible. A control panel allows drivers to adjust temperature and fan speed. Drivers also have access to a duplex power outlet for in-cab appliances such as microwaves, computers and coffee makers. Additionally, the E-Dock system provides a duplex power plug on the outside unit for engine block heaters and any other power requirements.

The PowrDock units are shorepower=enabled pedestals that provide those drivers that simply need electricity with a place to plug in. Each unit comes equipped with a 30 amp and 20 amp electrical service that allows drivers to plug in their auxiliary power units, engine block heaters, or any in-cab appliances they may have.