covenant to start charging drivers for idleing??

I think thats just a state rule because all the company has to do is man animals from being in truck.

 

Ok, let me be more specific about what I ment in my reply to your post that YOU would not be idling "just because". I'm reffering specificly to those drivers who let their trucks idle when they are away from it for an extended period of time. Say, anything over 5mins.. I realize there could be mechanical issues that require the truck to not be shut off, but I would suggest that is the exception, not the norm.

As an o/o it is, financially, to my benefit not to idle. My total idle time for the entire '07 yr was 20%. With IdleAir's new flat rate plans, I will now use their service more, and cut my idle time even further.

Company drivers need to realize that saving the company money by reducing their idle time could lead to their next raise, or give the company the ability to stay in business at all. However, I think the company bean counters need to understand that % of idle time sould not be computed on a per trip basis, unless they are willing to adjust for changing weather patterns on a daily basis.

 

I would suggest those leaving a truck idling for no apparent reason is also the exception. When it's really cold or really hot, normal... Just to leave it running for a long time... I never saw much of that. And I certainly wouldn't agree with doing it. By the same token, I don't pay much attention to what other trucks are doing in the lot.

My last company wouldn't pay for idle aire. I used it once last winter. It wasn't real comfy in that cold winter air. It cost me over $20.00 and that was hardly worth the effort. Would've been less, but I was snowed in for nearly 14hrs.

I think most company drivers wouldn't mind trying to save their company money, but not at the expense of their own safety. My earning a raise shouldn't cost me my good health.

I think if the company is so interested in saving money that they charge the drivers for what they deem "overly high" fuel usage(in this case 26% or more idling), they first need to take many things into account. You mentioend the weather... A truckers biggest enemy at times. That's one. But there are others, like the experience level of their drivers. Most of these major companies seek out fresh drivers who barely know how to move the truck, let alone get max performance out of it. They also use trucks which don't get the best mileage in most cases. You have those factors, then you find they put someone into a truck without an APU and tell them not to idle more than 25% of their time out. In most cases that's 3 or more weeks(I would hope). The odds of keeping idle time low is fairly poor when you consider things like not being likely to have a pre-assigned load to get on the weekend if you finished the last after 8pm Friday night... Now you're sitting somewhere, truck stop or otherwise and you may have no other power source aside from the engine.

In the end, you're working for them and with that, subject to their load schedule and their maintanence program and their not so efficient equipment. And you're not being paid very well either.

 

am with you i wud love to see some of the big company's go under

 

I do not wish that on any company but any company that treats their employees like crap deserves to go under and if they start making drivers pay for things that the company should be paying for then let them go under.No ildling saves them lots of money on the truck so they should be willing to use some of the money for drivers comfort.

 

At 30 hours a week Idle time that means 4 hours a day. There is no way I would ever sweat all night when there are better carriers that care about the driver's comfort than the all mighty $$$$. I dont waste my company's money and they respect that I need to stay Cool/Warm. Idle Air just makes my truck smell like an used ash tray. I no longer waste $ on them.

 

Actually, it's much less than that.

It's calculated on engine run time.

The maximum a solo driver will qualify for in a 70 hr work week, is 21 hours.

That number assumes he never stops for anything, including fuel, red lights, traffic, load/unload, etc, etc

Sitting at a red light etc...is calculated as idle time.

The software for Covenant (and others) is set up to detect and "log" motion after 3 complete turns of the drive shaft/line.

That's why it is so difficult for drivers to get their idle times down. ANY idle, is computed with the total.

 

I still say, until a driver could go inside the Covenant terminal in Chatanooga(or elsewhere) and notice the LACK of working A/C in the whole place... At any time... Screw them with their over idle crap.

I spoke last night(telephone) with an employee... I was told the company was paying 30miles from DH to LD and the drive was 90m... What's worse, they've informed said employee that the company will be charging "out of route" miles against the employee for the extra 60... Before I got all pissed about it, I said... "Hey! When they do that, because I doubt they will... You keep your documents and call an attorney."

But it does seem they've just about lost their minds in that place.

 

Then why not bust THEM for over-idling?
Nobody in the Big truck when it's idling --- pay the piper.
This ain't rocket science.

You must be into power naps instead of restful sleep.

Would you consider keeping your heart ticking a "mechanical issue"?

My hee-row!
Are you aware of the fact that IdleAir is about to go belly-up broke? Whatcha gonna do then, O/O?
Sweat & freeze with the peasant company drivers?

YeAH!
But more than likely, the company will just realize higher PROFITS.
Thank yew very much, driver.
Perhaps, the companies need to realize that when most drivers signed on the dotted line, "no-idling" WASN'T in the fine print. Can a company Big truck truck driver change THEIR rules, mid-stream?
Should they?
Big difference when the shoe is on the OTHER foot, ain't it?
SOME might consider that breach of contract.

Gee ----- ya reckon?

And, to make matters even WORSE --- there's a VERY simple solution to this situation ----

Raise the #### freight rates!

So simple ---- even a caveman could do it.
Ya reckon.

 

If I may interjdance , I beleive the qualcomm, is connected with the ecu that is triggered idle time when the air brakes are disengaged.

Not just sitting at light or stuck in traffic.......