Sleep trouble from idling trucks??

This is a newbie question.

I've noticed that truck stops often have many idling trucks. At least they did in the past; I am not sure if this is always still the case.

Does the pollution from the trucks bother drivers when they are sleeping? Does their ventilation system filter out the fumes? If you don't run the ventillation system, does air still seep in through the cracks? Do you suffocate from lack of oxygen if it doesn't?

This may sound like silly questions, but I don't want to harm myself (in the long term) with this kind of pollution. So I need to know if this is an issue for drivers before I get into trucking.

Thanks all

 

This guy might help you here: Trucker Sleep Problems. Hopefully he can answer for you. Most of the time, YES the fumes go UP in the air unless you are driving a "grass-burner" (a truck with the exhaust on the bottom of the truck pointing to the ground). I would NEVER drive a "grass-burner" again due the such a high risk of death from the fumes.

 

Yes, the exhaust in some truckstops does bother me. Ordinarily no. It depends on what the climate is there & then. If there's a breeze of any kind, no problem. If the air is stagnant, you'll be in a concentration of it.

More importantly is the exhaust system in your truck. Yours runs under the sleeper & if there's any appreciable leaks, it can make you pretty ill & in the extreme case, kill you.

There's also a problem with small but continuous doses of it over a long period. It can cause anything from simple sleepiness to headaches to several other maladies that no one thinks of as caused by exhaust fumes.

A good idea is to install a battery operated smoke sensor in the truck. You'll need to make sure it senses CO & CO2 as well as other gasses.

No. It doesn't filter out CO or Co2. Depending on where the fumes are coming in from it might be enough to keep fresh air coming in.

Thanks all

 

thanks for the answers.

This is bizarre! Aren't truck drivers worried about their health?

Is there anything I can do to avoid the death or long term disability from this problem? Do truck stops have areas where trucks are not allowed to idle? I'd rather freeze to death than develop weird health problems from the fumes.

Is there a good solution to this problem? I wouldn't mind not running my own truck, but if everyone around me is running theirs, I'm still worried about their pollution.

Guess I may have to look at other careers...

 

Yes, truckers are worried about their health...same as the slaves were in the 18th Century, but nothing they could do about it WITHOUT help.

 

I just bought an air purifier for my house and it comes with a ciggarette lighter plug in so that it can be used in any vehicle. It would help some.

Suzi

 

I made sure to put a detector in my boyfriend's truck. He hadn't even thought of something like that.

 

I know some truck stops have motels. Are these any good? Cheap? Somehow, I doubt they are the greatest.

Are their discount motel chains that can accomodate (allow parking) for truckers who pay for a room? Motel 6 for instance or another chain that has rooms around $45 a night?

I know this would eat up a lot of my income, but I'd rather lose money than die. Are there truckers out there who stay at motels regularly?

 

you have nothing to worry about. I drove regional for 2 years and didn't have any problems. the smoke stacks are 11 feet or so off the ground. the exhaust goes up in the air. it's not like running a car in a garage with the door closed. also, if you DON'T have the truck running, you won't suffocate. these trucks aren't sealed up that well. I've slept with the truck not running and was quite comfortable (oxygen wise.)

 

I should have added a disclaimer to my post. You aren't likely to die from the exhaust you encounter in the truckstops.

It's the fumes leaking from your own pipes under the bunk area that can get into the cab while you're sleeping & do the damage.

Fumes could be entering through the firewall or even the climate control air intake while you're going down the road. This, over a long period of driving, could bring on a headache, tiredness etc.

I should also have said that the long term inhaling of higher than average concentrations of exhaust fumes can lead to weird affects as your blood fills with these gases. However, once you stop the fumes from getting to you, the health problems mostly go away in a short time.

In other words, death is an unlikely but possible result of an extreme intake of exhaust gases that probably came from your own truck while you were sleeping with no windows or vents open.

It doesn't happen often..but it does happen.
Usually you'll just suffer the little inconveniences.

As to the stacks being high enough to port the fumes away from you? Look at the condensate during the winter or stalled weather patterns. The fumes can and do drop down out of the stacks & accumulate on the ground levels during certain climatic conditions.

Always check as much of your exhaust system as you can. Look for the telltale black soot around joints & other connections. If there's soot, there's probably a leak.