Advisor: Professor Gregory Howard

Crimmins, Ian, Angela Guy, Kaitlyn Moore, Aleksandra Pyra, Caitlin Ruggeri, and Chan Voong. Observational Analysis of Compliance with the PA Act 124 Anti-idling Legislation (2011).

Diesel-powered vehicles in Pennsylvania are required by law (PA Act 124) to limit how long their engines may idle while the vehicle is not in motion. However, there is very limited funding for idling inspections and enforcement. At the request of the Clean Air Board (CAB) of Central Pennsylvania, Dickinson College Health Studies Seminar students visited two nearby Interstate 81 rest areas with large parking areas for tractor-trailer truck rigs. The students identified idling trucks and timed them for compliance with Act 124’s limit. The major finding was that more than 1/3 of the trucks observed violated Act 124 by idling in the rest area for more than 5 minutes.