Planning-level financial screening
Telematics idle-reduction program
Summary
Across 45 vehicles idling an estimated 15,100 gal of fuel per year, a telematics idle-reduction program returns more than its cost over the term only toward the favorable end of the planning range. Discounted value over 5 years is -$44,000 to $73,000, after a one-time installation of $0 to $6,800.
Fuel saved is worth $16,000 to $27,000 a year against a subscription of $11,000 to $24,000. Installation is paid once, so the first year carries a ratio of 0.5 to 2.5 and later years 0.7 to 2.5. A program judged on the subscription alone looks better than it is in year one.
The program breaks even at a subscription of $38 per vehicle per month, so a cooperative contract quote settles most of the question.
The result is most sensitive to whether idle reduction holds after the first year. The government can test this with a trial group before committing to a fleet-wide subscription.
What the fleet reported
| Vehicle class | Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups | Vehicles | 31 | [1] |
| Half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups | Idle hours per vehicle per year | 480 hours | [1] |
| Tandem-axle dump and plow trucks | Vehicles | 14 | [1] |
| Tandem-axle dump and plow trucks | Idle hours per vehicle per year | 760 hours | [1] |
Idle fuel and cost
| Vehicle class | Measure | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups | Idle fuel use | 0.3 gal per hour | [2] |
| Half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups | Fuel price | $4.34 per gal | [3] |
| Half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups | Idle fuel per year | 4,500 gal | [1][2] Vehicles times idle hours times idle fuel use |
| Half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups | Idle fuel cost per year | $19,000 | [1][2][3] Idle fuel times fuel price |
| Tandem-axle dump and plow trucks | Idle fuel use | 1.0 gal per hour | [2] |
| Tandem-axle dump and plow trucks | Fuel price | $5.80 per gal | [4] |
| Tandem-axle dump and plow trucks | Idle fuel per year | 10,600 gal | [1][2] Vehicles times idle hours times idle fuel use |
| Tandem-axle dump and plow trucks | Idle fuel cost per year | $62,000 | [1][2][4] Idle fuel times fuel price |
What comparable programs achieved
Reference cases are published programs and analyses. Each shows who paid for the work and whether a vendor published or supplied it.
| Reference case | Result | Funding and vendor role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Fort Lauderdale (FL) | Idling down 20%; 28,000 gal per year saved (5% of fuel); vehicle downtime down 28% | City of Fort Lauderdale; vendor role: yes (Samsara product featured) | [5] |
| City of Burlington Police Department (VT) | Idle-management device cut almost a third of operating hours; 345 gal and $811 saved per cruiser per year; $500 installed; about 6-month payback | City of Burlington; Clean Cities coalition; vendor role: yes (IdleRight device) | [6] |
| Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and eight other emergency fleets (Argonne study) (CA) | An 11-month test of 55 police cruisers with a managed engine stop and start system was calculated to save about 260 gallons of fuel per vehicle a year and paid for itself in 5.9 months on average. Staff mechanics installed it. In the same study, lead-acid battery units in two police fleets ran out of power sooner than expected. | U.S. Department of Energy; vendor role: no (national laboratory study; products are not named in the summary) | [7] |
Costs, value, and benefit-cost ratio
| Item | Planning range | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Idle fuel per year | 15,100 gal | [1][2] Sum of classes |
| Reduction in idle time after an idle-reduction program | 20% to 33% | [8] |
| Fuel saved per year | 3,000 gal to 5,000 gal | [1][2][8] Idle fuel times idle reduction |
| Value of fuel saved per year | $16,000 to $27,000 | [1][2][3][4][8] Idle fuel cost times idle reduction |
| Telematics subscription cost | $20 to $45 | [9] |
| Subscription cost per year | $11,000 to $24,000 | [1][9] Vehicles times twelve months times subscription |
| Telematics one-time installation cost | $0 to $150 | [10] |
| One-time installation | $0 to $6,800 | [1][10] Vehicles times installation cost |
| Net annual value | -$8,100 to $16,000 | [1][2][3][4][8][9] Value of fuel saved less subscription cost |
| Term compared | 5 years | [11] |
| Discount rate | 3.0% | [12] |
| Benefit-cost ratio, first year | 0.5 to 2.5 | [1][2][3][4][8][9][10] Value of fuel saved divided by subscription plus installation |
| Benefit-cost ratio, steady state | 0.7 to 2.5 | [1][2][3][4][8][9] Value of fuel saved divided by subscription cost, after the first year |
| Lifetime value over the term, discounted | -$44,000 to $73,000 | [1][2][3][4][8][9][10][11][12] Net annual value over the term discounted to present value, less the one-time installation |
Subscription and installation ranges are planning assumptions until the government obtains a cooperative contract quote. Maintenance savings from reduced idling are not counted, and neither is any device replacement within the term.
What has to be true for the program to break even
The figure below is the subscription at which the discounted value over the term reaches zero, holding everything else at the middle of its planning range. A quoted price per vehicle per month answers it directly.
| Measure | Break-even value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Break-even subscription per vehicle per month | $38 | [1][2][3][4][8][10][11][12] Subscription per vehicle per month at which the term breaks even |
What would change the answer
| If this is true | Value over the term becomes | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Base case | -$44,000 to $73,000 | Reported figures and planning ranges above |
| Recorded idle hours overstate true idling by a third | -$68,000 to $32,000 | Compare engine-hour meters against telematics idle reports for a trial group |
| Fuel prices fall by a quarter | -$62,000 to $43,000 | Review the fuel contract price and the EIA short-term outlook |
| Idle reduction fades to half after the first year | -$81,000 to $12,000 | Ask reference fleets for second-year idle reports |
| The subscription is quoted a third above the planning range | -$80,000 to $57,000 | Obtain a cooperative contract quote (Sourcewell or HGACBuy) |
What this screening does not cover
This is a financial screening, not an engineering evaluation or a vehicle specification. It does not assess vehicle condition, charging site design, electrical service capacity, or safety systems. Specifications are written by the government's fleet manager, and electrical design by a licensed electrician or the engineer of record.
Driver monitoring and data retention policies are matters for the government's counsel and any bargaining obligations. Figures are planning-level and support a decision on whether to seek quotes.
Method
Idle fuel equals vehicles times idle hours times idle fuel use per hour, valued at the latest EIA weekly retail price for the state or its region. Fuel saved applies the published range of idle reduction from comparable programs. Program cost is the subscription for every vehicle plus a one-time installation. Because installation is paid once and the subscription recurs, the comparison runs over the contract term and discounts the net saving to present value; the first-year and steady-state ratios are both reported so neither flatters the other.
Ranges reflect published programs and planning parameters, not statistical confidence intervals. Each planning parameter lists its basis and confidence in the sources.
Sources
- Example County Road and Bridge. 2026 fleet roster with engine-hour and idle-hour readings (fictional). 2026. Fictional record created for this sample.
- Argonne National Laboratory. To Idle or Not To Idle: That Is the Question (Gaines, Levinson, McConnell). https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/argonne_idling_handout.pdf. Confidence medium; funded by U.S. DOE
- U.S. Energy Information Administration. Weekly retail gasoline prices, CO, week of 2026-09-07. 2026-09-07. https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/
- U.S. Energy Information Administration. Weekly retail diesel prices, Rocky Mountain, week of 2026-09-07. 2026-09-07. https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/
- Government Fleet. Fla. City Reduces Idle Time by 20% with Telematics. 2019-10-24. https://www.government-fleet.com/343115/fla-city-reduces-idle-time-by-20-with-telematics. Funded by City of Fort Lauderdale; vendor involvement: yes (Samsara product featured); confidence medium
- U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center. Idling Reduction Technology Case Study. 2019. https://afdc.energy.gov/case/3076. Funded by City of Burlington; Clean Cities coalition; vendor involvement: yes (IdleRight device); confidence medium
- Argonne National Laboratory. Idling Reduction for Emergency Vehicles: A Case Study. 2017-07. https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/idling_reduction_emergency_vehicles_case_study.pdf. Funded by U.S. Department of Energy; vendor involvement: no (national laboratory study; products are not named in the summary); confidence high
- City of Fort Lauderdale via Government Fleet; City of Burlington via DOE AFDC. Fort Lauderdale telematics coaching cut idling 20% (2019); Burlington police idle-management device cut almost a third of operating hours (2019). 2019. https://www.government-fleet.com/343115/fla-city-reduces-idle-time-by-20-with-telematics. Confidence medium; funded by City fleets; vendor products featured
- LeMay Civic Advisory. Planning range pending a cooperative contract quote (Sourcewell or HGACBuy). 2026-09-14. Confidence low
- LeMay Civic Advisory. Planning range pending a quote. 2026-09-14. Confidence low
- LeMay Civic Advisory. Planning assumption matching a common cooperative contract term. 2026-09-16. Confidence medium
- LeMay Civic Advisory. Planning assumption; replace with the government's adopted rate. 2026-09-14. Confidence medium