N.Y. to Grant Weight Exemption for Trucks With APUs

As of Nov. 30, New York truckers that add auxiliary power units to their rigs to cut down on idling can receive a 400-pound exemption from the 80,000-pound truck weight limit.

The exemption was approved by the legislature and signed by Gov. David Paterson (D) in August but did not take effect until this month.

When Congress passed the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005, it allowed state to grant the exemption to the federal weight limit for trucks with APUs.

The Department of Energy has been pressing states ever since to allow the exemptions as a way of promoting the  use of APUs, which reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by cutting into idling time.