Does Roehl Have APU's? What is Their Idle Policy?

its all luck of the draw... they are all just numbers handed out before you even test...

 

I believe that 100%.

 

I don't believe that one bit, your fm may have said that but if you called anyone else about idling they wouldn't have said a word. So now I ask who exactly told you you couldn't idle and what was the temperature? Throw me the names of the people that told you that.

 

Wait nvm don't answer that, I don't care. Just read all the reasons you left on another thread good luck finding a perfect carrier may I suggest cr england? Go see what a bad company really is. Or werner.

 

That is the true answer right there. Now maybe they'll hand a brand new truck to drivers who have been here, but it is more of a timing thing then anything else.

 

I've had two brand new trucks here at Roehl. If you do your job, don't whine alot, be where you need to be when you need to be there, and don't tear stuff up, then you simply ask, and if you have a fleet manager worth there salt, then you get a new truck too... If you're lucky. When you are first starting out, if they don't have anything else, you might score a newer truck, but if you are brand new, you are going to take some lumps with an older truck first.

 

Maby I was a little harsh my apologies. I do not know both sides of your story first hand.

 

When I was with them I did notice that any new driver who went through Roehls school always got a truck with an APU....and I don't have a problem with that. But look....the reallity of any trucking company is if your are a new driver you get a crappy truck for a while.

Want to know the odds of getting an APU with a company like Schneider? 0% because they have none.

Furthermore...no trucking company's have bonus programs. You get bonuses for just walking in the room. These companies offer incentive pay. If you want that extra pay....go for it....meet the incentives...but do the math and figure out if that extra 5 dollars a day is worth your comfort....

 

I think it has been difficult balencing driver comfort, with profit... With fuel being a huge expense, I would be looking for other ways to cool/heat the truck without having to run the motor. If it were my truck, I would do everything I could to keep that fuel bill down. Window screens, fans, or whatever I could come up with. There is not alot of profit in the trucking bizz to begin with, so when you let it run out the exhust pipe just to keep someone warm or cool, you have to ask is it worth it. As long as you meet your MPG goals at Roehl, the only thing you loose by not making your idle goal is your bonus. There are other companies out there that "fine" the driver for too much idle time, or they loose their job. I know it would be great if everyone had an APU, but they have a cost that comes with them too. They still burn fuel, and they seem to require ALOT of maintainence. I don't see them being a long term solution to the idle problem. I think some combination of battery power and shore power will probably end up being the solution.

 

Knock on wood, I think we finally have my apu set up right and it is a lifesaver. If I were designing a system from the ground up I would use battery power to produce heat, air and power the inverter. I would then use the apu to produce electricity to charge the batteries. Most of the problems seem to come from trying to power an air conditioner compressor and alternator all at the same time.