Most of those trucks, particularly in Arizona (where I live), had the
engine and AC running because the driver was resting or sleeping or
watching TV in the sleeper compartment of the truck. Most drivers
actually live in their trucks while on the road, going inside the truck
stops for showers, etc. Diesel engines use very little fuel while
idling. Many years ago I logged for a living in the Canadian North, and
through the winter we never shut the equipment down because it was
almost impossible to start at 40 below! 14 hours of idling used only 2
- 3 gallons of fuel.
Regards, Bill
Slightly Classics
Tucson
Paul Hunt wrote:
> How much diesel does America use (in cars, that is)? I was under the
> impression that it was virtually zero. Diesel (filthy stuff) consumption in
> Europe has reached such high levels that it is now priced higher than petrol
> as refineries are having to convert to produce more than petrol. For many
> years it was little more than a waste product. Which leads me to a
> question - whilst in America a few years ago at a couple of truck stops I
> noticed there were rows and rows of trucks locked up with the engines all
> thundering away while the drivers were presumably having a rest stop. Is
> this because they don't like getting into a hot cabin (it was in Arizona)?
> Or because they don't like restarting a hot engine because of something to
> do with oil circulation?
>
> PaulH.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
>> researchers at
>> the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has developed a way
>> to convert
>> carbon sources, such as coal, to diesel fuel. This important advance
>> could
>> significantly cut America's dependence on foreign oil.
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