Leave your dog in the cab???

your tougher than me, Burky. I prefer to sleep with the truck off, but when it is 90 degrees and humid at night, I just never could. I am pretty sure it would kill me, LOL.

anytime I was in an area that I could though, I would.

 

Last summer, my sum total of idling at night was 4 nites in the heat wave of July when it was simply too hot when I crashed out, so the truck idled. And there were two times in Aug when I wasn;t idling, but it tarted raining and I had to roll up th windows and idle for 2-3 hours until the rain stopped. And the funny thing is that we really have no solid policy against idling if we need to. I've never had a word said to me about it, it's just my personal policy. I sleep better without the engine running, and don't have to wake up and check the gauges.

 

The only problem of the windows down is the smell of urine from all those thoughtful truckers marking their turf.

 

And all those friendly people wanting to come pay you an unsolicited visit, LOL

 

YOU mean there's actual friendly people out there who want to pay you a nice visit??

 

I rarely park in truckstops, so that isn't much of a problem. A lot of times I know of a customer of ours in the area, and I just pull in there. Or I pull into the back of a large lot like the ones on the Indiana toll road at the 107 and 39 mile mark. I find bottles and hookers are more of a problem at truckstops than they are elsewhere.

 

On a semi-related topic, are there provisions for people with disabilities or medication that can't get above a certain temperature?

For instance, I take blood pressure medicine that isn't supposed to freeze, or get above a certain temperature. What would the rule be on this? I am assuming there is no provision to protect you, as these are all State and City laws.

Another one is Sleep Apnea. Some of these machines require 110 volts, and truck batteries would not stand up to this. What do these people do to deal with this?

 

TRUE..I often wondered about the apnea machine myself but never gave the medication a thought.

 

I can just imagine the first time someone dies in a truck because their breathing machine quits, there will be hell to pay in whatever State/City it happens in.

I just hope common sense can come into play in regards to these laws before it comes to that.

 

I would imagine that if anyone tried to make the argument about medicine and temps, it would be pointed out that portable coolers are available that could maintain the medicine's temps without running the truck engine. I carry one in the truck and keep my drinks in there. I doubt you could justify cooling or heating the entire cab for that purpose.

Granted, the whole issue of idling isn't a big issue for me because I have to run my truck to load or unload, and that means that I come under the legal idling/PTO provisions of the rules.