Idle-Aire

Join as a silver member, and those times when idle air spots are all that is avalible, pull in hook up to the tube, just do not use it, of course this only works if the weather is agreeable. Been there done that.

 

I've parked in Idleair spaces plenty of times w/out paying for the services.

What I was saying is that when they were *installing* Idleaire, they roped off row after row of spaces so they could set the crap up--nobody got to park there! It was very late and CH19 was full of angry drivers cursing Idleair.

You better believe I'm going to park in Idleair spots and NEVER pay.

 

We do loan out TVs. We hold your CDL (locked in the office, secure) while you're using it and give it back when you're done. We also loan out trickle chargers so you can throw a constant 10amp charge at your batteries while hooked up.

 

Doesn't everyone have bunk heaters for the winter? Maybe it's more a Canadian thing but most trucks have bunk heaters for the winter. We parked at an Idle Aire spot once but didn't even consider using it. Way too expensive for us.

Now that it's winter, everyone's idling their engines (except us who have bunk heaters!) so at least the reefer doesn't bother anyone.

I much prefer to sleep in the cool, actually, so rarely use the bunk heater and, when we do, we keep it at about 40 to 50 degrees in the truck - that's what blankets are for!!

 

i got a bunk heater... right now sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt.

if it works right i can set the termometer and be fine. otehrtiems when it works it has 'off' and 'hellfire' wehere tis either 0 degrees or 180.

today it seems to be workingl. last night not so much. # 18 degrees outside last night woulda been the time for it to bloody work!


on topic my only problem with idle air is when i need it its no where around. when i dont need it every truck stop has it

 

We now have 130 sites (actually might be a couple more now, I haven't looked in a week or so), and the Guide we put out every month has anupdated list of our sites, broken down by state and identified by highway and exit(s). The guide also contains a list of all the companies who pay for everything for their drivers (there wouldn't be enough room to put in all the ones who provide the discount for their drivers). There's also articles of interest to the trucking industry at large, NASCAR, NFL, NBA and MLB scedules (for TV) during the seasons.

 

IdleAir policy with TA is once the majority of other parking spots are taken they "must" let you park in IdleAir spots.... Far as Idling your truck they can not stop you even if it is posted "quit zone", but one must follow all state laws on idling trucks.... Again this is TA policy....

I suggest not calling IdleAir corporation but rather call the truck stops corporate office and report them.. this way they can get a track record of IdleAir violating the policy between them...

I personally have called TA (its on your roadking card) several times on IdleAir trying to keep spots blocked and trying to tell me I could not Idle..
each time I said oh really, then lets see what TA corporate has to say about this and pulled my roadking card out and dialed on my cell... Their attitude changes really quick but I don't stop with the report and TA will call them and also report it to the TA manager...

I was in Troutdale Organ one time and pulled in just to use the scale I had to snake my way threw all kinds of trucks parked in the opening there trying not to take somebodies hood off.. Took me a good 15 minutes to get to the scale (nobody was using at the time of this) because I had to wait for a few people to move.... After using the scale I went around back to park to get my scale ticket (98% of the time I do park even if I am only going to be a few minutes,) IdleAir had Evey spot blocked off using cones or the barricades.... Every spot (non IdleAir) have been taken but 2 of them where one would have to blindside back.. I then swung it around to take one of the spots and was irritated by IdleAir (by the way every spot was open in IdleAir except maybe 5 trucks using it) and on my way to the blindside back I ran over every little orange cone I could LOL looking in my mirror watching the IdleAir guy setting them back up....

Anyways I did call and report them as well, TA generally does take this issue seriously.....

By the way I got so much enjoyment out of running over the cones at IdleAir I still do it time to time LOL.... So if your at a truck stop and see somebody knocking over cones it probably is me LOL.. make sure you yell out on the CB for TruckerJo if you do see me........


(not positive but I am pretty sure all policy with Idleaire is they can not stop you from parking in that spot even if you are not using their service, one needs to call the "truck stop corporate office" to find out their policy)

 

WOW.
If you have a need to call someone, calling the TA (or other appropriate TS corporate line), should be done, but the IA customer service line should also be called. I ALWAYS reccomend allowing an entity to fix a problem, rather than just complaining to someone else. From experience, when the TA corporate line gets a complaint on IA, the information which makes it back to IA is very limited. The result is that I as a manager can not properly do my job, because I don't get all the information I need to do it.
As a side note, my uncle was a truck driver all my life. Many of my fellow IA employees are either former truck drivers, married to one, or in some other way related to one. I'd have been one if I hadn't gotten 3 bloodclots in my left leg during my 9 years in the Army (1 while invading Iraq in March 2003 driving a 50 ton truck & trailer through soft sand). IA reps are people, just like you, and if you talk to a couple, you'll find we're generally pretty likeable guys & gals, wether you use the service or not. Not for nothing, about 165,000 of your fellow drivers are IA members. With that many enjoying our service, there's gotta be a good reason or two.
After having worked on 4 different sites including the one I now manage, I can honestly say that the goal of the vast majority of IA employees is to take care of each and every driver they come into contact with. I understand drivers are sometimes treated rudely by IA reps in some locales, and that one bad experience can trump a thousand good ones, but the only way to get rid of bad reps is to report them to the people who can fix them. While TA should know if their corporate partner isn't doing as it should, IA has to know as well, so it can fix it's problems and we can all get along in harmony.

 

last time i was in troutdale i had to inform the ia folks that they are not allowed to block off spaces as per their presidnet in a truckstop mag....i even left the mag for them....but i did park and chatted with them...nice folks but it was really funny watchin a gal push the barricade out of the way without using a golf cart