Idle percentage/ policy?

Your trainer seems to be just showing you he's the boss & has power over you. If your truck has an APU and the trainer won't use it, then he's a control freak.

 

Crete's policy on Idle percent varies. It depends what the truck you are in is equipped with and the season. My truck is a Cascadia with a battery pack heat and a/c unit. Not my favorite thing, but has proven adequate for the most part. I have a summer and winter goal, since it takes more power to run the a/c than it does to run a heater, the summer goal is more than double the winter goal. What it runs on a weekly basis, I am not concerned with, since the manual indicates that the goal is an annual goal. I will not freeze in the winter or burn up in the summer though. I do idle when needed, but try not to overdo it.

 

I'd get a new trainer if the idling issue cant be resolved. You shouldn't have to suffer because he wants a bonus. If it were me, that's what I'd do.

KH

 

Good for you WM. Find someone that has a lot of experience and listen and do as they say. Hopefully the next trainer is better.

KH

 

If a company will not invest in an APU find an other company,,drivers are their resource that makes them money of they do not care about driver comfort,,tell them to stick it in their ear and find some other looser to wreck their truck,Nuff Said!!

 

I agree there seems to be a lot of unnecessary idling at times which probably causes some of these restrictive idling policies to be created.

I was at a hotel in Ohio a couple weeks ago and there was a bobtail tractor in the parking lot outside my window. It idled continuously from Friday afternoon when I arrived at the hotel until Monday morning when it left. There were 2 dogs in the truck and it seems the truck was left running for them. It was warm during the day but at night it cooled off more than enough where a vented window and fan would have worked. And I like it cool.

These types of situations are what causes companies to react. Most people, if they were paying for the fuel and responsible for truck maintenance would never have left their truck running continuously for 2 1/2 days. It bordered on ridiculous in my opinion.

I do feel that companies should provide a solution such as APU or battery pack climate control.

 

The pets left in a truck all night with a truck idling is why some carriers do allow pets,,

 

I hardly ever check the idle time, I don't control it, as a Crete employee, I have the same altitude as any Crete employee, "I'm going to be gd comfortable at work" Nobody has ever been fired or disclipend for this. Sure, you might not make employee of the year, but you'll be comfortable and you won't stink.
the only drivers that I meet that care about the idle time, have been ex-military people. But........

 

That's a good point to make, you're not going to be fired, lol. Crete is pretty good about equipping trucks with apus or battery hvacs. I have no problem with my battery hvac, although it'll kick the truck on once or twice for an hour. Just turn your truck off when you sit for more than a minute. Screw the starter, that's their problem, lol.