"Banking" idle time: A savings account for future needs!

I've thought about this, and it would be nice if there were a way to drop your idle percentage down in a more fair manner. Right now, we get dinged for every minute that the truck idles...but yet you don't get any credit for the times that you don't idle at night. Would be nice if they'd set it up that way...but then again it'd be nice if a frog's butt had shock absorbers....

 

APU's really are the answer. It always amazes me that there are tons of regulations for migrant farm workers, like how close a bathroom has to be to them in the fields, and the conditions of migrant housing, yet no rules at all for sleeping conditions for truck drivers that have a huge impact on safety. Telling a driver he's not suppposed to idle at 10 below, or at 100 in the summer is ridiculous. I almost wish an anti trucking lawyer could win a case because a driver wasn't allowed to idle and didn't have an APU.

Yes keeping track of total idle time vs. a company standard could easily be done, and credit built for future use, but just like fuel mileage, the pennies you save a company this month or quarter, mean nothing in the next time period.

 

IMO, this happens in a way now and thats by your reputation with the company. Ive had some crazy idle times with this company in my 14 months here and I have never been been chewed out by anyone directly. They send out a cookie cutter message to everyone with a high idle to keep it down...its costly and all that jazz, but Ive never got a message from anyone personally. Thats because I do what I can to keep my idle low and the fuel dept knows that but they also know that I will idle when Im uncomfortable.