covenant to start charging drivers for idleing??

Not to mention that they would have a barracks with a much better ventilating system than a truck sitting in the bright sun and small windows.

 

I forgot about Bragg. They have the old metal type quonset's I think. I think the truck would be better at least you can move it to shade.

 

Even though this does not effect me because I am home every night. It effects my friends that drive OTR. I would really like to know how people legislate these types of rules? They are either at home or at a hotel. Do they know what it is like to sleep in a truck? To me, your truck is your home while you are away. I would like to see those proponents of the idle bill sleep in their house without air conditioning or heat.

As for companies charging the driver, where do I begin? Why would anyone ever accept being charged for anything while in the service of their company? You should be the one charging the company. You receive a certain amount of pay and benefits that you agreed to when you came to work for them. Maybe the companies would re-think their position if they were required to provide and pay for lodging and meals. My company does but I have only been away from home once in about 4 years.

There is no need for any driver to suffer from weather extremes in this day and age. If the company can't provide you with the basic necessities for you to be prosperous, comfortable and happy, you are at the wrong company. Maybe, they will eventually catch on.

Drive safe

 

I work for Covenant. a solo is alowed 30 hours of idle time for ever week unless they have a tripac. Teams get 25 hours of idle time. if you go over the alowed time you CAN be charged up too $5 per hour over your time. I hope this clears some things up.

 

That does have a diffeent effect....................J

 

The idea of charging me for idle time atoll is reason for me to think I wouldn't want to WORK for you... I'm on the job, not vacation. I won't be idling "just because" while out there.

 

With more than 24 yrs in this industry, I've seen plenty of "just because" idling.

 

Beware of this - if it's happening to us it'll happen to you.
On 4/22/2008 Covenant drivers were notified of a new policy concerning idle time. It goes like this teams- are allowed 25% of their run time and solos 30% of their run time per week. If you go over the limit then you'll have $5.00 per hour you go over taken from your pay check.
Here's our current scenario. Hubby and I have been with covenant for 3 years running team. This week on 5/5/08 we were supposed to have been home for a week. Today is 5/6/08 and we are sitting in Green Bay WI. about 700 miles from home. It seems they always have to **** you around at home time so you go home mad and wore out. Its crazy they can get frt from point A to point B on time but never a driver. I gave up a long time ago on scheduling appointments or family commitments because 9 times out of 10 you're home late. Anyway back to the idle deal. Qualcomm idle was cleared on 5/2/08. We were delivering a load that morning to Raleigh NC. So we didn't get alot of run time that day. We were reloaded in Charlotte NC. The original dispatch was one pu in Charlotte and a delivery monday morning to Chicago area. It was a broker load and we were supposed to call the broker. When I dialed the number it was to a directory assistance program and if I said yes my phone would be billed $9.99 a month for the service. I sent them a message and asked for a better number. I got the broker number and was informed by the broker that there was a second pu "down the street", which was really 50 miles into S. Carolina. They redispatched the load a few minutes after my call to the broker. The delivery appt changed in Il from Monday at 0600 to Sunday at 1800 with a second delivery in Green Bay for Monday at 0600. Okay, its Friday at 1730 and I can't call to confirm these appts so a little skeptical we proceeded with the pickups. After a big long break in Indiana we headed into Chicago for our 1800 sunday evening delivery. We find the place down a lane that is 1/2 mile long. Get to the gate to read the sign that says open at 0600 do not block the gate. Hubby puts it in the R gear and we back up. Happily there was a wide spot just before we would have had to back out into a four lane highway. We probably weren't supposed to park there but we did. It was outside a large chemical plant we didn't see any suspicious oozing puddles or birds with glowing wings so we camped. We were unloaded on time and headed to Wisconsin for the 2nd drop. We were empty by 12 noon on 5/5 Our dispatcher sent message that they would be loading us out and setting up a swap to get home with but today is 5/6 at 0830 and nothing yet. This is were the idle thing comes into play. Since we only have 24 hrs of run time on the truck we are only allowed 25% of that which should be 6 hrs. Thankfully this is May and not January in Green Bay. There is no idle aire here. The company will pay a $1.00 per hour for idle aire the rest is on you. So we would be freezing or paying if this was winter or if this was Phoenix AZ we would be sweltering hot today I'm sure. We have been watching this idle time since they implemented this and it seems to us it racks up quicker than its supposed to. For instance I crawled out of the bunk this am at 0700 and it is 57 degrees in the truck. The batteries are so low the alarm is beeping and the frig is not running. I turn her over and watch the qualcom it says engine warming after 10 minutes it switches to engine warm and we go from 2.12% idle to 2.44 %. The thing we have had trouble with is we run refrigerated. When you park infront of a running reefer unit and roll your windows down you are smelling a smell like paint thinner. They don't maintain the reefer units very well and they run like ****! You also get to inhale everyone else's truck fumes that are idling. You also get the noise, the bugs and the dirt. Some places are not paved you know and anthing that moves blows dirt and before you know it everything in the truck is covered in grit. Some of these bugs that fly around in some of these states I can't even identify and if its been flying around the truck stop nasty lot its certainly not welcome in our truck. I'll get screens for that problem. Then there is the security issue. I wonder if the execs in Chattanooga go to bed with there windows down? If you've had any type of training or experience at all you know this is not safe. I don't know how many times we've pulled into a truck stop and before you know it someone is up on the side of your truck looking you square in the eye asking for money or selling something. With the windows down there is no way to control this. We bought a big curtain and a fan that plugs into the cig lighter outlet. This helps with the heat only a little. Last week in Nashville we sat in a truck that was 95 degrees inside. It's only May and its going to get lots worse, and then there is winter. We're probably going to look else were for a job or get completely out of trucking we don't know. I think it is such faulty stupid greedy decision making that allows a driver with a pet to idle their truck but people take a second seat we have to suffer. We don't as a team qualify for and APU those will be given to solos only right now. Wish there was something that could be done about this. We noticed the truck batteries seem to be getting weaker. It doesn't take long until her warning beep starts. I have a microwave but can't fix a meal unless the truck is rolling down the road. This really hurts us because we don't like to eat in the truck stops not healthy. We stock up at walmart every couple of weeks and fix our own or we thats what we used to do.