Idle time is money. Machine idle time has a bigger impact on your bottom line than you may think. Excess idling contributes to increased fuel costs, additional maintenance requirements, equipment depreciation… as well as environmental concerns.
How much is too much?
While the industry average for idle time is between 40–50%, it’s not difficult to bring that number as low as 10–20% with the right tools and the right habits.
Zeroing in on the solution
Toromont Cat can help you connect your equipment to monitor your machine data, allowing you to measure your desired idling targets and incentivise your teams to meet them.
Do the same work, but put less hours on your machine.
Maintaining low idle time saves money while you work, increases return at end of ownership, and reduces your environmental impact. Essentially, a machine with less idle time over its lifespan will have performed the same amount of work but with less hours on it.
Example shows a standard 5-year ownership plan for a 336 FL excavator. Assuming an annual utilization rate of 2,000 hours per year with 50% idle time as the baseline, we can project the potential cost savings at 33% and 20% idle time. *Warranty assumes Cat Premier Warranty,which includes a variety of unplanned repairs. Maintenance costs are based on our actual Do-It-For-Me Preventive Maintenance rates.
5 Tips for reducing idle time
- Turn off trucks that are waiting more than 5 minutes to load or unload.
- Restrict morning warm-ups to 3–5 minutes.
- Turn off equipment during lunch time, breaks and other periods when not in use.
- Use the automatic shutdown feature when available.
- Anticipate the mobile requirements of other equipment. Position inactive machines where it won’t impede the movement of other units.
Do the same work, but put less hours on your machine.
Maintaining low idle time saves money while you work, increases return at end of ownership, and reduces your environmental impact. Essentially, a machine with less idle time over its lifespan will have performed the same amount of work but with less hours on it.
