Transport Refrigeration Units are used on equipment that moves a variety of products requiring a temperature-sensitive environment, products like food, pharmaceuticals, plants, medicines, blood, chemicals, photographic film, artwork, and even explosives.
During periods when trailers are being parked at the facility (pre-cooling, loading, unloading, or staged waiting for dispatch) TRU engines must be kept running to protect cargo.
In addition, TRUs are used by companies to extend cold storage during the period before major holidays and events. During these high-volume times, distribution centers and grocery stores can run out of cold storage space in their buildings, so they store overflow goods in TRU-equipped trucks and trailers.
So, what’s the problem? Diesel exhaust is a complex mixture of thousands of gases and fine particles that contains more than 40 toxic air contaminants (TAC). These include many known or suspected cancer-causing substances, such as benzene, arsenic and formaldehyde.
Because of the amount and potency of emissions, diesel particulate matter is the number one contributor to the adverse health impacts of TACs known today. Numerous studies have linked elevated particle levels in the air to increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits for asthma attacks, and premature deaths among those suffering from respiratory problems.
What this means in a nutshell is that during all those periods when diesel-powered motors are running, they emit unsafe greenhouse gases and particulates into the air that put surrounding communities at higher health risk.
And don’t be misled by the size of those diesel motors. While TRU engines are fairly small, ranging from 9 to 36 horsepower, they emit significant numbers of particulate matter. In fact, units with under 25 horsepower have standards for particulate matter 15 times higher than units with more than 25 horsepower, and emission standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) 1.5 times higher. These concerns have led the CARB advisory to evaluate and develop new recommended compliance requirements that are currently in review.
