Don't forget you are usually parked on blacktop. That absorbs the heat and gives it back twice as hot.

I'm no chemistry teacher, but that's physically impossible. Something is either a good reflector of heat or a good absorber of heat, but in no situation can an object give back twice as much heat. Asphalt isn't pure black, but it's still a bad reflector. A lot of the thermal energy going into the asphalt isn't reflected back into the air so it goes into vibrating the molecules of the surface. Hence, a hot surface that has a bad time cooling down.

But that's neither here nor there.

If the asphalt went nuclear it could easily give off 2x-1000x times its' absorbed and reflected heat. Most truckers fully know this abhoration of science and stay away from any funky looking asphalt in the summer in the middle of the day. We are talking trucker science here.

=You need to stock-up on the Gatorade and electrolytes in the summer (and stay away from Chicago during the day)

Asphalt being dark absorbes heat and radiates it back. It is very HOT in the summer when you are parked on an asphalt pad.

Step a mere 100 feet away onto a grass surface and it is notably cooler.

Drive safe

so true,then u add the smell of piss on a old blacktop truck stop.and u wonder why we like staying cool

Why should a company retrofit a old truck and put in an APU, especially when they won't get that investment back when they go to trade / sell that truck?

Conspiracy theories are a grand thing...for the paranoid. APU's havent been around (at least decent ones) for a long time. They are expensive, require more maintenance...etc. 9 times out of ten, a driver shouldn't need one. A Webasto keeps a bunk perfectly warm and toasty at night. As far as summertime...unless you driver in a 100 mile radius of las vegas, I don't see why this is as huge of an issue as you are making it out to be. Most places (including the desert) have fairly cool temps at night. It all requires planning on where and when you are going to drive. I came across I80 in Wyoming last night and there were tons of trucks in the truck stops, pull off areas and rest areas that had parked for the night, taking advantage of the cooler temps. I don't think a company should pamper its employees because the driver can't stand sleeping in anything outside of 60-70 degree temps.

I was saying that you are going off on trucking companies for not having the equipment that drivers think they deserve. Griping about what they provide and treatment...etc. I don't see why one should complain at all because a true professional would research any company and what they have offer...most importantly, how you will spend your off duty time, in comfort or not?

Well i was just proving that your wish of idling the truck all night long is rather silly when that concept is applied fleet wide.

They pay what they want to pay, YOU can take their offer or not. Im going to get a 17% raise here in a few weeks when I go team. If I take my pay spread over the miles I drive... .51/mile.

There is a reason I have a tractor with a sleeper, for the very reason that with the region that I drive in...theres a good chance in the winter of being stuck somewhere due to road closures. I've slept in the truck many a night in the winter on windy, cold days.

As far as summer time driving...due to the vast temperature differences across the country...I don't think one would need an APU to stay comfortably cool for most nights due to location. However, I think that proper planning in the hotter areas could easily solve temperature problems for sleeping: drive during the day if possible, park in the shade or away from the sun...etc.

Im saying that you shouldnt complain about an industry when everything you are complaining about it something that one could find out easily spending less than 2 minutes reseraching what trucking is all about. Most OTR drivers do live out of their sleepers. I don't know how its not possible to have that truck be your home when you are gone from home for 3-4 weeks at a time on average. I don't know too many companies that put up hotels for a driver that has a sleeper.

__________________
"You Americans are so gullible. No, you won’t accept Communism outright. But we will keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you finally wake up and realize you already have communism. We won’t have to fight you; we’ll so weaken your economy that you will fall like over ripe fruit into our hands."
Former Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev

My comment was not aimed at companies that put their drivers up in a hotel/motel. That would be nice though. Obviously, the vast majority of drivers DO live out of their sleepers. That is why they should be afforded the means to sleep comfortably and get their proper rest. Others, like me, have the fortunate situation of being at home every night. If it is hot outside, I turn on the central air. If it is cold, I turn on the central heat. OTR drivers should be afforded the same.

It is going to be real interesting to read your posts once you start team driving. I look forward to hearing every detail.

Drive safe

I lived in Vegas for a year. If you are in a town like Vegas, surrounded by concrete, and asphalt...etc, the heat radiates out at night...making for a very toasty night. Outside of the larger towns like that, the temps drop down quite a bit. 70-90 degrees is NOT unbearable. Where does a company draw the line for comfort and cost? A driver who can plan accordingly can most of the time get out of hot spots, or drive in those areas during the day, sleeping at night.


This goes full circle to the beginning of the argument. How do can the companies do this?
*they can't retrofit the trucks with APU's as that will be a cost they won't recoup
*many companies ARE installing the units on new tractors they are getting
*Idling is NOT a good alternative. Costs way too much across the fleet.

I am going to team. The company that we are contracted with has changed the routes. Mine will combine with another route that I deliver to, making it one long route. It Still is very good. And as far as the pay, making .51 a mile isn't too bad at all. Going to be home a few hours later than I am right now, but getting a raise as well as a nice bonus package.

[quote]My comment was not aimed at companies that put their drivers up in a hotel/motel. That would be nice though. Obviously, the vast majority of drivers DO live out of their sleepers. That is why they should be afforded the means to sleep comfortably and get their proper rest. Others, like me, have the fortunate situation of being at home every night. If it is hot outside, I turn on the central air. If it is cold, I turn on the central heat. OTR drivers should be afforded the same.[quote]
And my comments are taken from a more practical point of view. I try to look at a situation from all angles. It would be great if the trucks could all get APUs...but the companies can't retro their fleet without taking a huge loss.
*The technology is iffy. Some brands are better than others. Lots of different types too. Diesel generator units can run off of the main fuel tanks, using less fuel than regular idling.
*However, the maintenance intervals are shorter than the regular PM intervals for trucks, meaning more potential for breakdowns and higher maintenance costs.
*The battery systems are fairly heavy...reducing the amount of freight a truck can haul.
*Many places that have idling policies DON'T allow APUs.
*with the various CARB emission standards...I believe the APU's now need to be retro fitted to get a DPF installed on there...fairly pricey.

And what it seems like you are saying is that a company should install these on their entire fleet because a driver 'should sleep in comfort, which means AC above 60 and heat below 70" for the few rare occasions they would actually need that climate control.

__________________
"You Americans are so gullible. No, you won’t accept Communism outright. But we will keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you finally wake up and realize you already have communism. We won’t have to fight you; we’ll so weaken your economy that you will fall like over ripe fruit into our hands."
Former Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev

ziggystyles,

One of the major problems of a dedicated account is loosing it. A lot of companies claim they have those accounts and many drivers want them. I guess it provides more stability. However, when the company looses the account, there is nothing left for the driver to do but quit or go OTR.

All I can say is good luck. I hope you can put something together like evertrucker did for Crete. It would make for some very interesting reading. At least it should. Who knows, maybe this will turn out better for you. I will look for it every day. When do you start?

I still stand by my words in my previous posts.

Drive safe