This week, we are reviewing a regulation that has had some recent attention. The Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) regulation was first introduced back in 2005 and gave carriers a 400lb weight exemption for their APU; there were issues with the regulation, primarily the fact that it was not a mandated state law, which made it especially limiting to carriers who hauled interstate. If we fast-forward to 2017, it seems more and more states are adopting the weight exemption despite the lack of a federal mandate. The implementation of the new highway bill, MAP-21 has also increased the weight tolerance to up to 550 pounds. So, that makes now a great time to review APUs and offer a guide for state by state regulations.
APUs – The Basics
Auxiliary Power Units (APU’s) are used by drivers to limit fuel consumption, while idling without losing the ability to provide heat, light and power to the inside of the truck. In addition, idling inefficiently burns fuel and puts wear on engines. Some trucks carry an APU that is specifically designed to eliminate these long idles. Reefers also may be equipped with an independent APU and fuel tank to maintain low temperatures while in transit. APUs can save up to 20 US gallons of fuel a day, and can extend the useful life of the main engine by around 100,000 miles by reducing non-productive run time (Wikipedia).
APU units typically weigh a few hundred pounds, and for drivers who routinely carry close to the maximum weight limits, this presents a problem when traveling into new jurisdictions where weight exemptions may differ.
State-by-State Regulatory Guide
Track Your Truck, a GPS fleet management company, has recently released a simple Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) guide that has been published in Overdrive Magazine, that outlines the by-state APU regulation for truck owner/operators and fleet managers. They designed the guide to make understanding the legalities of each state’s regulation easy for anyone working in cross state transport or logistics:
APU Exemption Guide created by Track Your Truck
Use the info above along with Track Your Truck’s table when routing your next long haul trip!
