Swifts new Idle policy

I talked it over with my friend whos an o/o and he lets his other driver idle all the time. Also, he pays for idle aire. If I can go work him, I will do it w/o question for the reasons mentioned in this post. To him he thinks Swift is worse than Stevens and some others.

KH

 

My company does not have an idle policy but I still do my damndest to keep it as low as possible. Last April, I was able to get it down to 6%... this year must be a little warmer out or I'm not running as hard—I have a hell of a time even getting it down to 30%.

I think 20% might be a little unreasonable goal. It all depends on where you run and how long they make you sit for loads. I guarantee in the winter up north, my idle would be over 50%.

 

Well, we haven't had any trouble with idle times. Our dispatches are pretty much JIT and since we run home empty every load, we just go home. Our idle time is never over 7% (and that's if we leave it running in the dock while delivering).

Teaming definitely made it easier while we were on 48 before moving to dedicated, although only when they were able to keep us moving and not parked at some truck stop for 48 hours doing un-needed resets.

 

As bad as this sounds,
But what's going to take to get these mega companies to wake and install apu's so a driver can be comfortable at -20 or 120+?
A driver dying in the truck?

 

If this offends anyone I will say this it is my rant take how you take it.

I guess when you get to pay the fuel bill than you might have a different outlook on things.I could idle if I want hell it's my truck but why would want to blow my money out the pipes?I don't have a apu I live in ca and run to houston and the south east alot and go up to the north east alot and the I very rarely idle.It has to be 15 deg out side before I will start the truck up hmmm they make these cool things cold comforters and blankets and in the summer I have fans and windows in my sleeper I actully use to keep cool I can hangout in the truck sitting with the truck off until about 95 deg outside if it gets uncomfortable in the truck I will go find a motel it's steal cheaper than idleing the truck.
Also Every day I hear people complaining that they had there trucks turned down.Well I guess maybe they don't understand that companies are trying to control cost so you will have a job tommarrow.If you drive slower and keep the left door shut you can get there just as quick and be more relaxed.
I used to be the same way when I drove a company truck the truck would idle when ever I wanted to I would drive 75 mph all over the country and seen no problems with it.Then I bought a truck and ran the same way for about 2 weeks and seen how much it cost to operate like that.Thats sometimes the only way to open peoples eyes ....go out and do your own thing and run fast and idle all the time and see how fast you will go broke.

2 things that for sure happen on a day to day basis........The first is no matter what you will find a good parking spot for the evening where you have a decent breeze and it is in the mid 70's outside and some jack*** will pull up next to you and high idle the truck with the fan kicking on and off allnight to with the heat coming off there truck to keep you awake.
Second is listening to somebody bi*** about how they got there truck turned down and they think it is bull**** that a company would do that.

Wow wonder how the old timers made it threw those hard times of no a/c small sleepers 200-318hp engines and no power steering,cruise control or even apu's and the lack of a/c in the truckstops to get out of those prehistoric trucks and get a nice relaxing shower as often as they wanted.

Welcome to the Pusifcation of America.

Once agian these are my views you may or may not agree with me but this is how I feel about the situation.
Good day

 

hey has anyone seen trucker steve?

 

Back in my day we had to drive uphills bothways at 120F in the middle of a snowstorm to do loads that needed to be there three days before we picked them up....



I'd worry more about the fuel if the company wouldn't deadhead me 410 miles for a 120 mile load, or not leave me in the middle of Vegas in 104F weather. Why do old timers like to brag about "back in my day...." so much. Half the reason trucking is so messed up is you old goats bickered which was better a small cam cummins, a screaming jimmy or a kitty kat and didn't band together when these megacompanies started raping their drivers.

And if the companies cared about fuel costs, why don't they have accounts with idleaire? apu? more than three batteries? Or when I show up to a yard only to find out that drivers have to use the portapotty outside because they can't use the company office one inside, do you really think that I'm going to care about idling? Treat me like I'm human and I'll be nice, treat me different and I'll not care.

 

Amen Sad_Panda, while i do my part with my company to try and keep the idle time down but i also want to be reanably comfortable seeing that th truck is my home, kelgar50 since u are paying for ur fuel I understand that it is cheaper for u to get a hotel room or pay for idleaire for yourself but 99% of these companies wont pay for a room for their drivers granted some do pay for idleaire but not all do, I mean if it is a comfortable night out sure shut the truck down and get the freash air but if it is a cold night or hot night I will run the truck so I can get a good nights rest and meaning the next day I will b a lot safer and able to think clearly because if I am awake all night cause it is too hot or too cold then I dont think a person will b able to make decisions like those that we do all day long plus the chances are a lot higher that a driver will fall asleep behind the wheel and possible kill a family and that is something none of us want to do.

 

My hubby drives for Swift. His first week solo, he only had 200 or so miles as he was home for a few days during that week and his pick up/delivery was on the second to last and last day of the pay cycle. Anyhow, they sent him a nasty gram that he had 45% idle time...well, duh, he only had 200 miles so compared miles to idle, it was high! The funny thing was they could see that he only idled three times during the two day period for less than 20 minutes each, something about the qualcom recording starting/shutting down of truck (no I really don't know what this actually is but that's about how it was explained to me). LOL.

The following week, when he had normal miles, he got a congrats gram telling him he had one of the least idle times of the whole fleet. Why? He HATES air conditioning. Even at home he has a fit when I turn it on cause it messes with his sinuses something fierce, BTW, he's out for the next three weeks and my air IS on LOL. He also doesn't really like heaters either...they do the same thing..so he uses a bunch of blankets and tries not to run a heater very much if at all.

 

I fully agree that a driver should be allowed to idle when it's downright hot out (can be 70 but if that humidity's high it can feel horrid) or cold (if you're sitting in your cab and see your breath, yeah, that's to doggone cold lol). I think the problem is the drivers that needlessly idle. My husband has seen numerous times drivers parking their trucks at the truck stops and leave them idling while they go inside, take a shower, have a meal, etc. Now if you have a pet out there then yes, please do leave it running, but not all of them do, they just want it cool/warm for when they finally mosey on back out to their trucks.
It's possible a few rotten apples spoiled it for the whole bunch, which is really sad if so many have to pay for the misuse of others.