Mondovi, WI, US: Thermo King has presented Marten Transport with an Energy Efficiency Leader Award after it lowered its reefer unit runtime by 10% and reduced idling to under 2%.
Marten, which provides temperature-controlled, time-sensitive deliveries throughout the US, now has an idle percentage of just 1.7%. This translates to a monthly savings of $560,000 vs. a comparable non-APU fleet of their size, says Thermo King. The carrier is also seeing a weekly savings of around $20,000 for managing idle percentage versus the industry average on APU-equipped fleets.
Marten installed auxiliary power units (APUs) in 2007, and that has helped it reduce its idle time. To help control the temperature and fuel use on its 4,300 trailers, the company is using Thermo King’s new SB 230 refrigeration units equipped with OptiSet Plus. The SB 230 also uses an SR-3 controller with USB port to allow drivers to manage the temperature from the cab; an EMI-3000 (extended maintenance interval) with 5 micron filter to reduce maintenance cost and waste and a new fuel filtration system and controller that allows data transfer via USB flash drive.
Marten also launched an information campaign to demonstrate to customers that changing the set point of its trailers from -10 deg. F to -1 deg. F would have no significant impact on product integrity. The resulting 9-degree change has led to significantly fewer defrost cycles and a significant cost savings for the company.
“Marten Transport has always been a leader in new technology,” says Martin Duffy, vice-president sales & market development for Thermo King.
