Idle-Free Quiet Zone for commercial vehicles

December 1, 2007 to February 23, 2008

Stop in and show your support at participating truck stops.

Truck stops across Canada have joined together to support FleetSmart's Annual Quiet Zone – an idle-free area to rest.

The "Idle-Free Quiet Zone" campaign was conceived to raise awareness in the trucking sector about the harmful effects of unnecessary engine idling. Excessive idling wastes an enormous amount of fuel and money and generates harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Although the goal of the campaign was to reduce the significant waste of fuel from unnecessary idling, there were many additional benefits:

• "Idle-Free Quiet Zones" at truck stops provided drivers with a quiet, safe place to sleep without the low-frequency rumble of other trucks idling.
• Drivers also enjoyed better-quality air from reduced exhaust in the area.
• Truck stop managers saw this campaign as a benefit to their customers and the local community because of reduced air and noise pollution.

Truck Stop Idle-Free Quiet Zone

Have you ever pulled into a truck stop and bunked down for the night, only to be kept up by other trucks idling their motors all night long?

Most drivers will tell you that they can sleep through the sound of their own truck idling but can't sleep a wink when the truck next to them idles. And just how "fresh" can that morning breath of fresh air be when it's dense with the exhaust emissions of dozens of idling trucks and hundreds more pulling in and out?

When trucks idle needlessly, an astonishing amount of fuel is wasted. And wasted fuel is wasted money. Furthermore, unnecessary fuel emissions contribute enormously to the greenhouse gas problem. Of course, there are times and places where some idling is necessary, such as the operation of refrigeration units. However, a significant amount of unnecessary idling could be avoided with the introduction of an idle-free quiet zone at truck stops.

Today, many truck stop service centres are providing drivers with comfortable surroundings, clean showers, nutritious menus and exercise equipment, and are expanding their services to meet the changing needs of the industry. Now, many of these truck stops can add healthy fresh air to that list of amenities!