Dallas is enforcing a new ban on truck idling beyond five minutes, and city officials say they’re writing tickets for up to $500 per violation. From April 1 through Oct. 31, trucks and buses may not idle for longer than five minutes.

The anti-idling regulation does differ from a similar idling ban in California. In Dallas, truckers may idle their truck engines to operate air conditioning and heating while in the sleeper berth during federally mandated rest time.

Trucks may also idle in other circumstances, including:

• The truck weighs 14,000 pounds or less;
• Traffic forces the truck to remain motionless;
• Idling is necessary to power a mechanical operation other than heat or AC;
• For truck maintenance or diagnostic purposes; and
• To defrost the windshield.

Dallas has set up a 3-1-1 phone number for people to call and report violators of the idling ordinance.

For more information, visit http://www.greendallas.net/.

– By Charlie Morasch, staff writer
charlie_morasch@landlinemag.com