Sgt. Edwin Ramos, who enforces idling restrictions at New York City’s Hunts Point, talks with a trucker.

New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection made a 20-county idling sweep in August and found 101 trucks in violation of the state’s three-minute idling limit.

“All 101 drivers will be fined $200 for the first violation,” says department spokeswoman Erin Phalon. If they idle over three minutes again, the next fine will be $400, she says. The state will impose $1,000 and $3,000 fines on drivers for third and fourth violations.

It’s not just New Jersey. At least 25 other state and local jurisdictions have active no-idling laws, enforcement is more likely than ever, and similar laws are under consideration in other areas with air quality issues. Most enforcement starts with a warning, but penalties can reach $25,000 and include a year in jail.

“Tickets are written on a pretty much infrequent basis,” says Todd Spencer, vice president of the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association. “Most of those we’ve heard about are coming from places like Manhattan or New York.”

“All these laws do is incrementally strip us of our freedom,” says owner-operator Joe Rajkovacz of Wisconsin, who believes no-idling enforcement will soon be widespread. “There are already a lot of areas with these laws.”