IDLING TRUCKS CAUSING CLOUDS OF CONTROVERSY.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

BURBANK - Some city residents mindful of air pollution are concerned about big-rig truckers who leave their engines idling overnight, and the City Council has gotten involved.

The California Air Resources Board last month adopted a rule prohibiting truck and bus drivers from leaving their engines idling for more than five minutes. But the ARB did not immediately place limits on truckers with sleeper cabs who leave their engines idling overnight to power, heat and cool sleeping areas.

``The issue is black and white: When the truck is parked and idling, it's creating pollution,'' said Mark Stebbeds, an audio engineer living in Burbank. ``It's all about keeping the air clean in residential neighborhoods.''

But Stephanie Williams, senior vice president for the California Trucking Association, said truckers are required by federal law to stop and rest after 10 hours on the road, regardless of what city they are in.

``This is really unfortunate that people will put air quality before the safety of the public,'' she said.

A technology needs to be developed that would power sleeper cabs without requiring the engine to be on, Williams said. But until then, truckers in sleeper cabs need to use their engines overnight.

Garen Yegparian, 42, of Burbank is on the executive committee of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, but he said the problem of trucks idling overnight is a personal concern for him and not something he has taken up on behalf of the Sierra Club.

``Right around where I live, occasionally you'll get a big truck staying there at night. I've never understood why you need to run a truck (overnight). Shut it off - it seems simple,'' he said.

Stebbeds, 56, said he had a problem with a former neighbor who lived across the street and ran a company from his home that provided bus transportation for musical acts. The buses would be left idling as workers did maintenance on them. But two years ago, the man moved out of the single-family neighborhood.

``As a result, we breathe (better) around here,'' Stebbeds said.

Burbank resident Wendy James, chair of the board for the Coalition for Clean Air, said some residents who live near grocery stores are concerned about trucks left idling during deliveries.

City Councilman Todd Campbell would like Burbank to go beyond the standard set by the ARB and prohibit overnight idling in the city. The City Council discussed Campbell's proposal at this week's meeting.

City Councilwoman Stacey Murphy said before the meeting that overnight truck idling is an issue for state regulators, instead of city officials.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com