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Shoutout to the guy at the diesel shop in Amarillo who showed me idle time was burning my fuel budget
I used to let my rig idle all night at truck stops, figured it was just part of the job and nothing I could do about it. Last winter I sat down and added up what I was spending on diesel every month and it came out to around $1,400 just for the idling, not even the driving. A mechanic at a shop off I-40 in Amarillo asked me how many hours I was running the engine while parked and when I said most nights he just shook his head. He showed me a small diesel heater that runs off a separate tank and told me it would pay for itself in about two months. I bought one for $180 and I have not let the truck idle overnight since. Last month I saved close to $300 compared to what I was burning before. It is a small change but it adds up over a year. I am wondering if any other drivers here have tried other tricks to cut fuel use while parked, because I am still looking for ways to trim it down.
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the_barbara1mo ago
My dumb self did the math on idling once and almost cried, so you are not alone there. Adding up $1,400 a month in wasted diesel would make anybody sick to their stomach. One trick that helped me was just parking smarter, like finding a spot where I could plug in and skip the engine. Some spots even have those little power hookups for a few bucks a night, way less than burning fuel. I also got in the habit of shutting it down the second I pulled in instead of letting it run while I ate dinner or messed around on my phone. It is wild how fast those hours stack up when you are not paying attention.
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