Educating Fleet Drivers on Winter Idling

10 Dec 2019

With the wide proliferation of automatic starters for cars and trucks, many Americans are convinced that it is good for your car to warm the engine before driving in winter. The truth is the opposite. While once upon a time, before fuel-injected engines, this was the way to go. The older carburetors required idling time to warm up so the car would run smoothly. Modern fuel injection ended the need for this practice back in the 1980s and 1990s.

Is Idling Bad for Your Car?

The sad reality is that idling in winter may make your car’s interior more comfortable and allow you to defrost your windows before setting off, but it isn’t exactly good for your car, your wallet, or the planet. Here’s what you need to know about idling in winter.

Idling wastes fuel driving up fuel costs for your fleet.
Idling increases emissions, making the air around you more difficult to breathe according to how many people are idling their vehicles.
Idling strips oils from cylinders and pistons which are essential to keeping your engine running.
Idling doesn’t warm up your engine. In fact, the best way to get a modern engine warmed up and ready to go is by driving it.

It’s hard to go against the grain. Especially when false information has been passed down from parent to child for several decades at this point. However, educating your drivers on winter idling can be instrumental in preventing unnecessary wear and tear on your fleet vehicles, saving fuel costs, reducing some maintenance needs, and extending the life of your fleet vehicles.

Educating Drivers about Idling

The first step in changing the way your drivers behave when it comes to winter idling is to educate them about the harm it creates. The second thing you need to do is to establish policies that discourage drivers from idling. Make these policies year-round policies for the greatest possible effect on your vehicles and your fuel costs.

However, implementation without a way of measuring and monitoring compliance is useless. Fleet management software or a GPS fleet tracking system for your fleet can send you alerts anytime drivers idle for longer than one minute – allowing you to enforce the policies you’ve put into place much more effectively.

Winter idling can be devastating to your vehicles and your budget this winter. Nix the practice today with GPS fleet tracking and management for all your fleet vehicles.

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About George Karonis

George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.