Aug 1, 2004 12:00 PM

IdleAire Technologies was one of several companies from the ground freight transportation industry companies nationwide that were introduced in Washington recently as a member of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership. The partnership is a new voluntary effort aimed at reducing freight and fleet sector energy consumption, pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions.

IdleAire will contribute to the partnership's goal to reduce 33 to 66 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide per year by 2012.

The company's most significant contribution to the program over the long term likely will be its ATE technology, which lets drivers turn the trucks off instead of idling during required rest periods. Every hour a truck is hooked up to the IdleAire system saves fuel, reduces emissions, and counts toward a partnership fleet's goals.

The IdleAire system furnishes the cab of every truck parked in an equipped space with electrical shore power, HVAC, a Pentium-speed computer with color touch screen, Internet, e-mail, an Ethernet connection, wireless Internet, satellite television, a telephone connection for incoming calls and free local calls, movies, and driver training programs.

For more information, visit www.idleaire.com. To obtain more details about the SmartWay Transport Partnership, accesst www.epa.gov/smartway.