ACtion Magazine - July/August 2014 - (Page 8)

The opportunities are growing By Jacques Gordon A ccording to the U.S. EPA, about half a million trucks hours on a hot day waiting to be loaded or unloaded. Given in this country make a 6- to 8-hour rest stop about the distances traveled in just one day, the air conditioner and 300 days per year. Using the EPA fuel consumption the heater might both be used on the same day. Ambient air figure of one gallon per hour at idle, each of those trucks quality can change dramatically just as quickly, from dry could burn up to 2,400 gallons per year and dusty to warm and humid to idling at truck stops. That's 1.2 billion galcold and rainy, and these changA driver who can't rest es shorten the life of a cabin air lons of fuel per year converted to 11 million tons of CO2, just to maintain a driver's in comfort is not a safe filter. That's one reason some comfort. This is expensive in so many ways trucks have multiple cabin filters, driver. and also why once-a-year mainbeyond just fuel dollars, and the industry is working hard to develop new ways of keeptenance may not be enough. ing a driver comfortable without idling the Modern compressors are more engine, because a driver who can't rest in durable, but according to Homcomfort is not a safe driver. er Hogg, Technical Training Manager for Travel Centers of A driver's work environment must be comfortable for exactly America, more than 60 percent of all A/C failures are comthe same reason, and keeping a cab comfortable can be chal- pressor-related, usually due to lack of maintenance. A wornlenging. A driver can be stuck in a shipping yard idling for out belt, belt tensioner or pulley, or a belt contaminated with fuel or oil; they can all cause a belt to slip, and it doesn't always make the same tell-tale noise in a big-rig as it does in a car. The resulting heat can damage the front seal and create a slow leak, and a low refrigerant charge means less oil in the system too. As noted earlier, more time on the road in varying environments means the condenser fins are more likely to become clogged, decreasing heat rejection and further increasing the heat load on the compressor. When it comes to servicing heavy duty A/C systems, there's a lot to learn; the systems can be a lot more complex, especially when components are sourced from a variety of different suppliers as opposed to sourcing a complete integrated system. That makes service information difficult to find too, especially in older models. But as with light-duty systems, most A/C problems are due to delayed or improper maintenance, so often the problems are not difficult to diagnose. And as far as most drivers are concerned, when the A/C doesn't work, neither does the truck, so they're more likely to want the job done right. If you're already trained and equipped for air conditioning service and looking for a new source of revenue, take a look at heavy duty. The opportunities are growing. " You can reach Jacques at Jacques@macsw.org 8 ACTION * July/August 2014 Reader Reply http://www.ACKits.com http://www.AutoACForum.com http://www.macsw.org/imis15/MACS/Publications/ACtion_Reader_Reply/MACS/Publications/ACTION/ACtion_Reader_Reply.aspx?hkey=ac24bddb-c045-442a-813c-cbf05f88ac4d

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - July/August 2014

Fire truck A/C
The air we breathe
Outlook
Freeze Frame
Leonard's Law
Virtual View
Service Port
Last Watch
Member Profile
By the Numbers
Cooling Corner
Industry News
Association News
New Products

ACtion Magazine - July/August 2014