How to stay cool/Warm when you cannot idle the truck???

You are reading into it too far. Let me break it down for you:

The company selection process should include, among other things:

1. The ability to idle in extreme conditions, or an APU/Bunk Heater

AND

2. Equipment that is in good repair and is COMPLIANT

That better?

 

The problem there is no law to mandate this and companies will not do it unless forced.

 

Oh, I agree. And I think that is pretty sick. That is one of the bad things about trucking. Companies can treat a driver like crap and get away with it, even though DOT requires a driver to be properly rested. I'm not quite sure how drivers let it get so bad. Perhaps the desire and need for a job kept drivers in their seats and companies figure "well, there will always be some desperate fool out there who is willing to freeze to death for a paycheck".

Sad state of affairs, but the one thing I could get away with is refusing to pull illegally or pull busted up equipment to anyplace other than a repair facility. Not worth my license or my life.

 

You've just said a mouthful there! Why do drivers allow companies to do this?

I met a driver earlier this year (during the summer specifically) who wanted to pull forward of my rig so he could get some air flowing into his cab. He worked at that time for a certain large company based in Iowa; they didn't allow him to be comfortable in his cab while sleeping without there being a penalty on his tractor's speed. He said that he really liked the 50 cents per mile he was making, but the heat was another issue he just put up with although he didn't like it.

WHY? His company has that asinine "US EPA Certified Smartway Tractor" logo on the side. This makes me want to puke.

These unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats don't answer to us, nor do they care about us. It's all about power and control and the more they can get, the better for them. That's enough on my rant about the government.

What will it take for drivers to band together and stop this insanity? Do we all have to quit? Do we have to say that we'll idle, regardless of what the regulations are? Do we all say that we'll pay for an APU (but the companies will still smack that idea down; drivers in my company have told me that the hierarchy won't allow that)?

Will a driver have to die this winter because the temp just got too cold and he froze to death? Will a driver have to die in the summer because it got too hot in the cab and he wasn't allowed to idle for comfort?

What about getting the restorative sleep we need when it's either of these two extremes? I'm sure there are drivers that go down the road tired and the general motoring public doesn't know what sort of physical or mental state the professional driver is in. That places them and us at risk for accidents that could have been avoided.

Here's my idea.

When it gets cold (like now!) and/or hot in the summer, record the temperature of your cab before you go to bed. if you get awakened before your break is up due to the cab being too cold/hot, make a quick note of the temperature. You may also want to document before you leave that your sleep was interrupted and that you just don't feel rested. You may also want to let your loved ones know that you are doing this.

If you keep a record documenting this for several days, or even weeks, then if the time comes that you are involved in an accident in which your life is taken, there would seem (in my thinking) to be grounds for a lawsuit against the company and the state that has the idling regulations.

I mention the company because they should be held liable for failure to provide equipment (APUs and the like) that would provide for the restorative sleep you and I need to operate efficiently as drivers. A lawsuit wouldn't bring you back but it would possibly ease the pain that they are feeling and serve as an example to companies who don't give a rat's ### about us.

I bring the states in this also because of their ridiculous idling regulations that are inhumane, endanger not only professional drivers, but also the general motoring public. They won't be able to claim ignorance when a lawsuit is filed against them that caused someone's death. While I am in general agreement that states have the right to enact regulations that provide for cleaner air, there is a much larger, overriding perspective that needs to be seen: safety for everyone on our roads. That's professional drivers, the amateurs with whom we travel, pedestrians, cyclists, you name it.

These lawsuits need to be figured in the MILLIONS of dollars for each incident. Perhaps that will get companies and states to decide together on a suitable, reasonable alternative that will work.

Lest I be seen as a total nutcase, how many drivers are there that have gone down the road, been involved in an accident and got killed and possibly killed someone as well? Do we really know? Some may say it's just another unfortunate situation, but could it have been due to lack of good restorative sleep caused in part by the stupid state regulations and care-nothing companies who really only care about their profits? I'm in favor of companies making a reasonable profit, but at what cost? Why do companies not listen to us when we make a reasonable request, such as getting an APU so we can sleep better and get their freight down the road and not be a danger to the motoring public? We may never know the complete story or the reasoning of why some companies do why they do what they do.

Although this is a parallel issue, states must also decide what to do about traffic congestion in major metropolitan areas, like NYC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and other areas. There are way too many cars that clog the road with having only one person in them. I recognize that this is another issue, but it is linked with having clean air for all.

Any reasonable comments/alternatives are appreciated. Please spare me the "Boy, what a stupid post you made" epithet. I just don't have the stomach anymore for drivers who will put up with anything so they can make a buck at any price and don't care who they trample in the process.

Thanks.

 

Really? You don't drive, do you?
What if your truck is set up to idle for 5 or 10 min at a time and then shuts itself off? No sleeping that way........

 

He has not been on the forum in YEARS........

 

We don't have a fuel bonus however I try to conserve where I can because doing the fiscally responsible thing for the company is a part of the job as an employee. That said I have a bunk heater but at a certain point of cold I idle. Haven't been driving otr during the summer yet but if its too hot to get reasonable rest I will idle. If I get a ticket for it I'm fully prepared to fight it to the fullest extent possible. So much talk here and only one or two taking action. Write, email or call your senators and anyone you can get ahold of with each regulatory agency. One person or one group won't make a big change but with the number of truckers in the US 1% would make a heck of an impact. That goes for all regulatory issues that come up. So many people complain about problems expecting someone else to fix them.

 

You are working for the wrong company.

 

That's easy. Just prop something against the brake to hold it down. The vehicle won't shut off then.