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Transport Refrigeration Unit, or TRU, is an example of a diesel emission source that will be regulated in the future. The TRU is used to provide refrigerated space during the transport of fruits, vegetables, meat, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and any other product that needs a temperature controlled environment while being transported. TRUs are used in all modes of transport, on rail cars, on ocean going shipping containers, over the road truck trailers and even on airplane Unit Load Devices. Policy making bodies, understanding the adverse effects of diesel emissions, noise pollution, and fuel consumption have started to pass legislation in an effort to curtail transport diesel emissions. At the local level many states as well as some municipalities have instituted policy designed to eliminate these sources of pollution.

In recent years emission control agencies have turned their attention to to the cleanup of diesel engines, both mobile and stationary. This paper is one of the first attempts to characterize the load and emissions of a subsection of stationary diesel emissions, specifically Truck/Trailer Refrigeration Units (TRUs). These devices are used to keep refrigerated or frozen cargo cold when it is being shipped/delivered. Two general sizes of TRUs were tested, smaller TRUs for cooling box trucks, used for local deliveries, and large TRUs, used for long hauling and very large deliveries. After observing a matrix of these units over a large spectrum of temperatures it was found that, although there were multiple control strategies, they all heavily relied on pulling the trailer down to the set point temperature as fast as the engine and refrigeration unit would allow.