idling

I am a non-smoker. Every ###### company truck I EVER got into, I've had to roll down the road with the windows open to air the thing out for the first couple months before I could stand being inside the thing with the windows up. When I bought my truck, I had a lot of cleaning to do....ash trays and such...and again, spent some time with the windows rolled down to air it out.

If I hire a driver to drive my truck, smoking in the truck will be grounds for immediate termination. I don't care WHAT you do in your own vehicle...you ain't doing it in MINE.

It isn't a health thing for me. It's a comfort thing. Being able to breath without gagging due to the stench is important to me.

whatchutalkin'bout, willis?




My only rule is no animals on people furniture. When my dog got too big to stay on the floor (and the weather got warm enough that he would need to put his head out the window to keep cool), I built him his own chair. Used plywood to build it, then a floor mat to pad it. After a year, floor mat is showing quite a bit of wear & tear. If I had left the jump seat in the truck, it would be junk by now.

Vacuum the truck out every once in a while to keep the dog hair in check and it ain't nothin' to be concerned about.

 

I don't give a rat's patootie whether or not the apu on my company truck is 'carb-compliant' or not!

as far as smoking goes, I am HIGHLY ALLERGIC to cigarettes and GTI managed to get me into a good truck that has NEVER been smoked in!

 

Good info, Rollover, and you're "right on" on all of it. A buddy of mine was saying NYC tried similar crap a number of years ago, so trucks stopped delivering there and went to NJ instead. It put a hurting on NY so they relaxed a bit. Same thing needs to happen in CA, it'd just be tough because they're the 800 lbs. gorilla in the room. BUT, they are going bankrupt.

My hope is, they'll run out of money before they can start slapping fines on everyone. If they don't have money to operate, they can't pay people to enforce their stupid rules. (Until the Feds bail them out, of course...)

What hacks me off more than anything, is the fact that it doesn't seem like truck manufacturers and trucking companies are standing up the these people. They're typically all to eager to show how fast they can spend money and try to comply, meanwhile, CA is thinking of ways to make it even MORE tough.

I'm trying to think of an analogy, and all I can come up with is: say I ask a neighbor to bring batteries to my house. I see him at the door and say, "whoa, you can't come in here unless you upgrade your footwear to a pair of $900 italian loafers (just pulling that out of my arse) AND, you have to pay for it, neighbor". Well, he can comply if he wants, or he can say, screw you, find someone else who'll play by your stupid rules. That's what trucking companies should say, but unfortunately, it's not that simple, is it?

 

There might be some safety issues, if you can't sleep in the federal mandated rest periods.

 

Not to be picky, but the rules do not dictate you have to sleep during the rest period.

They also do not dictate that the company allow idling.

 

Even though they should. I don't think anyone here has any illusions about the rules making sense, though.

 

I know.

It just amazes me that with all of the concern about truck drivers getting proper rest and all, that they allow no idling or do not mandate that the companies provide motel rooms. They are given motels in trains.

 

I wouldn't want a motel room, myself. To me it's just more work every day hauling stuff out of and back into the truck. All just to sleep in a strange and usually uncomfortable bed.

I do wonder with all this bs concern for the environment, the government is willing to throw away millions of dollars to buy whole new trucks, or fund alternate plug in stations that nobody uses, but doesn't feel the need to chip in for apu's for existing trucks. And why is a relatively simple apu unit so ###### expensive?

 

Seen the new 2011 werner trailers with the side fairings? Of course, they bought a whole bunch of 2010 trailers over the winter without, to save money...hahahaha...

And then therse the experimental model with TAIL FAIRINGS, seen that? Somehow it folds out from the back of the truck at speed and folds back in when you stop...therefore its legal with length laws. I've never driven one, lol...

My question is, why is an apu unit that is so ###### expensive such a piece of #### that breaks down so much?

Why does werner, who spends 100s of 1000s on apus, not give a #### when the apu is broken, leaving the driver no way to keep comfortable? Then they route you to a terminal to leave you waiting for a week for it to be fixed....god...

 

When I read her post I had the same feelings you did - though I am not as "eloquent" at giving directions

Though beggars can't be choosers - I will now scratch PTL from my list of applications while in driving school