Idle Smart
Lenox, US · Founded 2018 · Delaware corporation · 23 employees on LinkedIn · 7 known investors
Idle Smart makes automated idle reduction systems for heavy-duty trucking fleets, cutting fuel use, downtime, and CO2 emissions from extended engine idling. Its products include cold-start safeguards, remote fleet management, and SmartInsights, an AI-powered predictive maintenance tool, serving fleets across North America.
Also known as Idle Smart
Founders & leadership
Idle Smart was founded in 2018 by Jeff Lynch.
Investors · 7
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$7.3M disclosed across 3 rounds · 2018–2023
▶$4.4MraisedSep 2023 · 15 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Darcy HoweDirector
- John GormanDirector
- Jeffrey LynchExecutive Officer, Director
- Harrison CampbellDirector
- Drew Reynolds LynchDirector
- Offering amount
- $4.4M
- Amount sold
- $4.4M
- Minimum investment
- $10K
- First sale
- Sep 2023
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.4MraisedAug 2022 · 9 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(c)
- Jeffrey LynchExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $1.6M
- Amount sold
- $1.4M
- Minimum investment
- $10K
- First sale
- Aug 2022
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06c
▶$1.5MraisedAug 2018 · 16 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Jeffrey LynchExecutive Officer, Director
- Harrison S. CampbellDirector
- Offering amount
- $2.5M
- Amount sold
- $1.5M
- Minimum investment
- $10K
- Proceeds to insiders
- $160K
- First sale
- Jul 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Idle Smart provides an automated idle management and battery protection system for heavy-duty trucking fleets. The system consists of a compact base unit that controls the engine automatically, an in-cab display that lets drivers set climate preferences, and the SmartPortal software platform for tracking fuel savings, customizing idle settings, and accessing predictive maintenance insights. The company states the hardware installs in roughly an hour, requires no major vehicle modifications, does not void warranties, and is maintenance-free, with hardware and software updates delivered automatically so no shop visits are required.
The stated aims of the product are reducing idle fuel consumption, preventing no-starts and downtime through battery-voltage-triggered starts and predictive maintenance insights, and lowering fleet CO2 emissions by reducing unnecessary engine runtime. Idle Smart segments its offering by fleet size, addressing fleets of 25-99, 100-499, and 500+ tractors. A Smart+ upgrade adds automatic weather- and location-based settings.
Business model
Idle Smart sells a combined hardware-and-software idle management system to trucking fleets, pairing an in-cab display and engine control base unit with the SmartPortal software platform. The offering includes a lifetime parts warranty, automatic over-the-air hardware and software updates, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager covering setup and ongoing support, and is positioned as a lower-priced alternative to APUs and factory auto-start options. An add-on tier, Smart+, provides automatic weather- and location-based idle settings.
Traction
The company reports more than 10 million successful engine starts, a fleet-average ROI of 212% based on measured customer results over the preceding 12 months, a payback period of about two months, and 22,000 lbs of CO2 reduced per truck annually. For customer Highway Transport, it cites savings of 16,025 gallons of diesel, a reduction of 359,758 lbs of CO2, and 2,040 potential low-voltage no-start events eliminated.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Idle Smart markets itself as an alternative to APUs and factory auto-start systems for fleet-wide idle reduction, targeting fleets across a range of sizes.
Idle Smart positions its system against two incumbent approaches: factory auto-start functions and auxiliary power units (APUs). It contrasts those alternatives, which it describes as designed to reduce idling on individual trucks rather than deliver fleet-wide savings, with its own lower price point, roughly one-hour installation versus a stated 12-hour APU install and 3-5 year APU replacement cycle, lifetime parts warranty, maintenance-free operation with no downtime, automatic hardware and software updates, and an assigned Customer Success Manager.
Technology
The Idle Smart System combines maintenance-free hardware with software. A base unit automatically starts and controls the engine, including starting trucks when battery voltage falls to critically low levels to protect starters and prevent no-starts, while an in-cab display gives drivers control over climate settings. The SmartPortal platform provides fuel savings tracking, configurable idle settings, and predictive maintenance insights.
Go-to-market
Heavy-duty trucking fleets in segments of 25-99, 100-499, and 500+ tractors; named customers referenced on the company's site include Ploger Transportation, Miller Trans Group (a NationaLease member), and Highway Transport, with buyers typically in maintenance and sustainability roles such as Director of Maintenance and Managing Director of Environmental Health and Sustainability.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 1
by search overlapCompanies competing with Idle Smart for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structure▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Idle Smartidlesmart.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Idle Smart do?
- Idle Smart supplies automated idle management and battery protection hardware and software for heavy-duty trucking fleets.
- Who founded Idle Smart?
- Idle Smart was founded by Jeff Lynch in 2018.
- Who are Idle Smart's investors?
- Idle Smart's investors include Beacon Angels, Climate Innovation Capital, Evergreen Climate Innovations, KCRise Fund, Stout Street Capital, SustainVC, The Alchemy Fund.
- How much funding has Idle Smart raised?
- Idle Smart has disclosed $7.3M raised across 3 rounds.
- Where is Idle Smart headquartered?
- Idle Smart is headquartered in Lenox, US.