What do you guys think of IdleAir?

Last week I was forced by a fritzed up APU to get IdleAire in Vegas (and our trucks shut off after five minutes unless you have them disable that... which I now have). You can't get it for one night. I had to buy a six month membership, PLUS the adapter for the window, PLUS the units for the night... $37 by the time I got the thing hooked up. And I got to smell the stale cigarette smoke from the previous user all night... took me a few days to get that out. I may use the rest of the membership, but in the end I felt totally taken advantage of. All I wanted was the AC, since I have an air card for the laptop to get internet. BUT since it never got below 90 the whole night, it was worth it I suppose.

 

I don't like it. It is too expensive for one thing. I don't smoke and don't really mind when people are smoking around me but the air coming out of the idle air sometimes is downright foul. I use it once in awhile but not very much. I would use it more if it was a little more affordable. I don't need all the extra junk they tag on either, just some heat or a/c depending on the weather. I will park in their spots if the others are full, they tried to move me and I showed a fuel reciept and stayed put

 

How very odd. We never had to buy a month long membership. As for the air, two things to do: tell the attendant to come clean the unit and spray lysol up the shaft. Works WONDERS! And I hate smoke.

 

I was wondering about that when IA was on Modern Marvels "Truck Stops".

 

With modern day technology...idle air really is going the way of the dinasour...

But on another note...with companies now getting funny about your idle time and some charging drivers money...for idling over 30%...idle air can help cool you down or heat you up over night or during the day...

Once I purchased a wireless internet modem...I really had no use for idle air...
But if you have a tv...I guess all the cable channels...and movies to order...might be a good deal....but if your not careful, you'll dump more money in idle air than you would staying at a hotel...

 

Waste of money and a waste of valuable parking spots in the truck stop.

 

Agree with former post. Waste of money, waste of parking space. Prefer my own Motel room. Spent enough time in the truck and enjoyed a room with tv, and shower. Much more relaxing. Took the room off my taxes. One other thing I used to tell the motel I was a driver and got the room for a lot less than posted rate.

 

well I use it when i am able to use it i paid for a gold membership when it was $5.00 per six months. and i can use it for the whole ten hours or only a fraction of the time as i see fit and as my needs dictate. I am usually driving till late at night and find it hard to get into a spot then. i love using it when i have to spend long times waiting for hours or during 34 hr resets where i don't get home.

 

i like it when i can find a spot that won't be difficult to back out of. it's also good for long waits in-between loads, 34hr restarts, and for plugging in all of my crap, and not having to worry about the batteries running low. if i can't find an easy slot to deal with, i won't bother pulling into one.

 

If the truck stop is full, you can park in an empty IA spot, regardless of what the workers tell you, they may not be fully aware of the rules and regulations. Ultimately, IS is not in charge and it is the truck stop that is, meaning they want you there to spend money in the truckstop and other services and therefore do not allow IA to dictate who can and cannot park there. IA has to pay to be in that truckstop. They cannot force you to leave and cannot have you towed or otherwise. The worst they can do is IF, IF you are parked in an IA spot and not using the service, they can ask you to move to another empty available spot on the lot and guide you there as well. As far as expense, it can be if your not careful. shut it off if your going to be inside the truckstop for awhile, if its cool enough at night when you go to sleep, shut it off. I have mentioned to them I think the movie charges are completely outrageous as I can buy the dang DVD cheaper than watching it on the system. And If you come in late at night and the only spot available to park is an IA spot, by all means I understand, but if your not going to use the service, and ther "are" other places to park, PLEASE, PLEASE use them, as for those of us who wish to use the service can't because a selfish driver is in the spot. If you dont like the smell of the air, you can buy a can of Ozzium air freshener and a 2 to 5 second shot of it into the air intake of the unit will usually solve any smell issues, also you can wipe down the unit in the cab with Lysol wipes as Im sure you all know, there are many drivers who do "whatever" in their trucks and then proceed to touch that unit.......yuck. Keep yourselves safe drivers.