Sunday, December 19, 2004 Posted: 8:27 AM CST (1427 GMT)
As I sat down to write this article today, I had asked a few drivers for their opinion on an article about this subject. To say I was startled by the magnitude of their passion is an understatement. This has truckers more “fired up” (no pun intended) than anything I’ve yet seen in the trucking industry to date.
The proliferation of anti-idling laws is highly discombobulating to truckers all across the land. The main problem with these laws are the fact that they do NOT encourage trucking companies to install alternative forms of heating/cooling the truck but rather punish the truck driver for being human. Truckers are human beings which do require what all other humans require such as heating and cooling.
Truckers that do not get a good night’s sleep are obviously much more likely to injure or kill another motorist. Just how do these “geniuses” making these idiotic laws expect a trucker to sleep when it’s 32 degrees or when it’s 80 degrees? Ask yourself, “could I do it?” I sit here an wonder… would the person writing the ticket, writing the law or the judge enforcing this law turn off his/her heater or air
conditioner at his house? I think we know the answer to that question, eh? Of course not! It is hypocrisy at the highest levels.
Trucker regulations state that a driver must have an “un-interrupted” sleep period but at the same time some of these asinine anti-idling laws require the driver to get up every hour or so to fire up his/her truck to regulate the temp. What about you, would you like to be forced to rise every hour on the hour at your house to moderate your living conditions? What a great night of sleep you could get, eh?
Now we all must be ready to ask ourselves, “did that trucker driving past me now just try to sleep in 80 degrees & just how rested is he?” To say the very least, I doubt he’s in a good mood!
Most drivers reading this will be most disturbed in learning that these laws are NOT just popping up in the east coast but are rearing their ugly head all over the U.S. We all can empathize with a driver who gets a $25,000 ticket for trying to stay warm in Connecticut in 10 degree temps. Please read the chart below for a better understanding of these laws as we know them today. I have added my comments to some of them to point out the absurdity…
| The Trucker’s Report ™ is reviewing it’s options as it pertains to these laws. If you are a trucker who has received one of these tickets in ANY state you may send us a copy of the ticket for our review and it MAY be possible to start a few class action lawsuits against these states. IF you do send us a copy you MUST be willing to participate in a possible class action or do NOT waste your time sending it. PLEASE remember to black out ANY sensitive information such as your social security number before you send to us! We are NOT responsible for this information if you send it. It will be kept private and confidential. You may copy the ticket or other forms and send them to: UPDATE… I was recently contacted by the EPA. They are asking for our help on this issue, LEARN MORE My REPLY To The EPA |
Drivers, to all of you who complain and yet refuse to put your money where your mouth is you deserve this treatment. These people rely on you doing just what you are doing now… NOTHING. Do NOT send me complaints about this system unless you put your money where your mouth is and at least try to do something about it. You have kept the smiles on those faces screwing you by your own indifference.
ANTI-IDLING LAWS AND PENALTIES
| IDLING LIMITS | PENALTIES | |
| 1 | Arizona (Maricopa County) 5 minutes; 60-90 minutes when hotter than 75 degrees Dear Genius: Tis mighty nice of you to allow us 90 minutes to be human at least! |
First violation, $100; second and subsequent violation, $200 |
| 2 | Atlanta 15 minutes Dear Genius: 15 Min. in the city that gets so hot it could melt the paint off your truck? So kind! |
$500 minimum |
| 3 | California 5 minutes Dear Genius: What about when it’s 125 deg in Barstow? Use your brains, goofy! |
$100 minimum |
| 4 | Connecticut 3 minutes Dear Genius: Wow! I guess you jokers will be selling a new product this winter, icicle trucker pops? |
Up to $25,000 (FLAT IDIOTIC) |
| 5 | Denver 10 minutes per hour Dear Genius: It takes 10 min JUST to warm a truck up, you rocket scientist! A year in prison? Well I guess we’d stay warm then & even have cable! |
$999 maximum and/or one year imprisonment |
| 6 | Hawaii 3 minutes Dear Genius: Asinine! |
$25 to $2,500 per day |
| 7 | Illinois Driver must be present if idling Dear Genius: How will you know we are in the truck? Knock on the door and wake us up? What a great way to develop a good sleep pattern. Watch out, grandma… |
$500 maximum |
| 8 | Las Vegas/Clark County 15 minutes Dear Genius: So much for spending money in your casinos. You could sell us as roasted turkeys for dinner though! |
$10,000 maximum (gives new meaning to the word “gamble”) |
| 9 | Maryland 5 minutes Dear Genius: Can we say DUH? |
$500 maximum |
| 10 | Massachusetts 5 minutes Dear Genius: Well, this is from a state who has elected a Ted Kenedy to the Senate for many years so what can we expect? |
Police: first violation, $100; second and subsequent violation, $500. State DEP: $1,000 to $25,000 per day |
| 11 | Minnesota (City of Owatonna) 15 minutes; five hours in residential areas Dear Genius: Brrrrrrrrr |
$1,000 maximum and/or 90 days imprisonment |
| 12 | Minnesota (City of St. Cloud) 5 minutes on West St. Germain Street from 8th to 10th avenues Dear Genius: Phew, just go down the block a bit, drivers. |
$200 maximum |
| 13 | Nevada 15 minutes
Dear Genius: |
First violation, $100 to $500; second violation, $500 to $1,000; third violation, $1,000 to $1,500; fourth violation within three years, $1,500 to $2,500 |
| 14 | New Hampshire 5 minutes if over 32 degrees; 15 minutes if below 32 degrees Dear Genius: Throw that “live free or die” crap out the window… |
To be determined |
| 15 | New Jersey 3 minutes Dear Genius: Good, I get to take a loan out for their turnpike AND just add a wee bit more to the pot. |
First violation, $200; second violation, $400; third violation, $1,000; fourth violation, $3,000 |
| 16 | New York State 5 minutes Dear Genius: I guess that FOOT of snow will insulate of a little… |
First violation, $375 to $15,000; second and subsequent violations, $22,500 maximum |
| 17 | New York City 3 minutes
Dear Genius: |
First violation, $50 to $500 and/or 20 days imprisonment; second violation, $100 to $1,000 and/or 30 days imprisonment; third and subsequent violations, $400 to $5,000 and/or four months imprisonment |
| 18 | Philadelphia 2 minutes Dear Genius: Not much brotherly love here… |
$300 |
| 19 | Reno/Washoe County 15 minutes Dear Genius: Let the game begin… |
First violation, $250 maximum; second and subsequent violations, $200 to $500 |
| 20 | Salt Lake City/County 15 minutes
Dear Genius: |
First violation, $1,000 and/or six months imprisonment maximum; second and subsequent violations, $2,500 and one year imprisonment |
| 21 | St. Louis 10 minutes Dear Genius: The gateway from humanity to inhumanity… |
Up to $500 and/or 90 days imprisonment |
| 22 | Texas (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties) 5 minutes, April to October Dear Genius: Well there, cowboys & cowgirls let’s have a shit-kicking good time! |
To be determined |
| 23 | Utah Driver must be present if idling Dear Genius: How do you propose to know we are in the truck? Will you make us a sign to put in our windows? Hitler would be proud! |
$750 and/or 90 days imprisonment |
| 24 | Virginia 10 minutes in commercial and residential areas Dear Genius: George Washington should be tossing over about now. Aspire to the heavens didn’t mean exhaust fumes, I guess. |
$25,000 maximum |
| 25 | Washington D.C. 3 minutes; 5 minutes if below 32 degrees Dear Genius: The new Rome. Caesar could only DREAM of such ABSOLUTE power over his brethren. Reality be damned. Chart Source: Overdrive Magazine |
$500; doubles for each subsequent violation |