idle percentage

A little personal interaction never hurts.

 

Sadly most people don't understand this.

 

To the op,

I would simply tell your DM you idle to get a good nights sleep to be productive. If they have a problem, tell them as one poster said its to not die of heat stroke. If they still do not get the message, go to another company that has apu's. It's sad it boils down to those people telling you cant idle when they go home to a/c homes set at 75 or below. My .02.

 

Just remember drivers Swift wants you to be comfortable and just turn the truck off when you are not in it (10 hour break?), keep idle at 15% or lower which is less than 2 hours of idle if you drive a full 11 hours per day. Wait we do not want you to be comfortable at all first quarter profits were down due to freezing weather idle times and expansion, so drivers it's all up to you, sweat it out driver, safety second profits first. Now there is the truth.

 

No, it's not.
I don't think I've ever had an idle time as low as 15%. Well, maybe once or twice in the past 3+ years.
I have never been told to 'sweat it out'.

 

There was a Swift driver here who reported that his DM told him to sleep in the driver's lounge in the truck stop, when he was told his idle percentage was too high. Evidently must be a common solution as I see a lot of drivers sleeping in the truck stops at 1AM. Down in Dallas TX they use police officers right in the truck stops to hustle these guys out when they fall asleep. Trips me out they use police as security guards.

 

That doesn't surprise me at all about Swift.

 

It's not Swift, it's that particular DM.
Well, maybe more if that terminal is that 'up tight' about it.

 

You try try telling a few drivers their "constitutional rights" do not extend to sleeping whenever and wherever they please in a building owned by someone else, get back to me.

 

It's viewed the same as bums sleeping in busses, or in bus terminals.

My truck is my home when I am on the road.
As such, I'll not have someone telling me to sleep elsewhere just to save the company a few bucks.
I am out here on their behalf, and it behooves them to meet MY needs while out here.