idling

1. States that have or are pending laws against idling, my suggestion is to contact the state legislature and explain the con's of No Idling. Reefer’s are not friendly to the environment either, and that creates a food safety issue. Granted they are exempt, but in my opinion what’s the difference? My argument is Driver Safety. Extreme heat and cold affect our bodies.
Invite you legislature to sit in a truck in the summer on hot asphalt and in the winter. Ask them if their office or home climates are at 65-70 degrees. Point out that the use of a furnace and a/c also have emissions.
I challenge the Politian to not only sit in the cab of 10 hours, ask them how one is supposed to survive a 34 Federally mandated HOS restart in severe weather, hot or cold when you have no climate control. Bet they opt out of that one.
2. The only time I have ever heard a Truck Stop employee mention no idle is they are attempting to enforce the state law. Rent-a-cops as far as I know, and I suppose it depends on the state, can not issue a summons. A police officer can issue a summons, most are reasonable and if the point that I mentioned before is addressed and explained in a polite manner, the officer will probably understand. Bring up the fact that the patrol car is equipped with heat and a/c. They do sit in their vehicles and idle while completing reports and keeping up with their daily work. Invite the officer to sit in the cab for a few minutes and the point will more than likely will be made.
I emphasize to be polite and you will probably be given a verbal warning, maybe a written warning. If you have attitude with the officer, I can all most promise you a summons.
If you are summoned to court, again mention the previous points made. You may have success or you may not. Bring the issue up to your Safety Manager which is required anyway, and they may even pay the ticket. Personally I would rather pay the fine as opposed to a warrant being issued for Failure to Appear. Get pulled in to a scale with a warrant and see if you get to hit the road. After they check your drivers license. This depends on the type of warrant issued and I don’t have the time or room to explain this.
3. OSHA….unsafe work environment. If drivers would take a few minutes and write a note to OSHA, OSHA will conduct a investigation. Be specific. I know that with state Motor Carrier complaints the driver making the complaint is not revealed to the company and I assume that this would be the same for OSHA.
4. Address the issue with Safety Department if you have a company policy. I know the argument….Idle + $ and poor fuel mileage. Would they rather have a driver pass out on the road from heat or cold related illness/injury? Ummm…..workers comp? Law Suit?
No one can make changes unless they take the time to address the government. Writing in a forum or complaining on the radio at the truck stop will not get you anywhere. Numbers count. More than one person will have to take action for anything to be done.
PETS
Most companies that do not allow pets and the reason is they are concerned over food safety and others just because they can. We are more than willing to pay the extra detail fee when the truck is turned in.
The companies that do allow pets, DRIVERS, clean the in cab filters. Those filters are huge contribution to ventilation problems and the crude in them whether a pet is in the cab or not, I don’t like breathing the accumulated crap.
My personal opinion on having a pet with you is not cruel. Why bother having Fido if you have to leave him or cared for? I think that is abuse.
Our dogs get plenty of exercise. Since having them our three hour window gets tight so that we can let them have a break. We walk them after we park for the day. We get more exercise now than before the dogs were on board. And we enjoy having them…someone posted “good for moral, emotions, etc.”
Smoke.
OK, guilty. I do attempt to keep smoke breaks limited to the truck being stopped and I can go outside. I also have pride in our ‘motor home” and keep the truck clean and detailed. We have our own mattress. I realize that some drivers really don’t care and you can’t change a Leopards spots.
Final note. My definition of gross are the soda bottles filled with yellow liquid. At least get the thing to a dumpster. Talk about lazy. There is no excuse nor will there ever be for bottles to be laying around nor the contents being dumped on the pavement. It is disgusting and it is no wonder that where we are parked for the night smells like a rotten porta-potty.

 

Great post!

 

How does that stop the situation? you are still in a 120 degree or a freezer while you sleep? A couple hours of sleep, for me anyway is Driver Fatigue.

 

yep...lobbiest are a pain in the behind. Enough the drivers quit complaining over the CB and take a few minutes to let their state rep's know of the issues, it may or may not hurt. At least efforts are being made and if enough people take a moment...someone might listen.
OSHA will listen.

 

The 34 is a gimmie deal! And thank God for it, as I love it even if some whine and cry about it thinking it can be used against them, how I still can't figure out how I'm getting bent with it!

You take a 34 to reset your hours. You do not HAVE to take the 34! It's a gift to me! After the 10 off and after 12 midnight if you haven't gotten back from 7 days ago, hours to work you might have to wait till 0001 hours (or 24 more hours) for another days worth of hours to come back. This is the same thing we did before the new HOS came into being and the same HOS that Unions, ATA, CRASH and MATT and MADD are trying to have rewritten AGAIN! That's 24 plus whatever you sat to get hours back. If the first 10 off and it's after midnight and 7 days ago you ONLY got ZERO hours back that was a big waste of time! so in 10 more hours or less depending on how many hours you did before that 12 midnight you get all those hours back that's a good thing especially if you were sitting there waiting for ANOTHER zero to disappear from your weekend at home! Zeros in a row sucked big time!
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Back to the thread!

But keep the argument and just change the 34 to 10 hours for a regular reset. Just add the 34 reset but add a statement that most drivers can not afford a motel room to stay in while in an anti idle area even for 1 night or how ever many they have to stay in this area.

The 10 hour is the main argument. Ask why do you think companies and owners have a sleeper that adds weight to the truck and cuts into freight weight except to save costs on motels and carry on with the argument and ask do you think there are that many hotels that can cater to 75 feet long x number of trucks on their property? Are there enough motels in the state? What are the costs for rooms and do you think they can afford that much money for these rooms and do you think freight rates will stay the same if every trucking company would have to demand more money to haul freight to pay the thousands of dollars of unnecessary motel costs when they have a room on the truck? Also because motels don't have that much security cases of loss to theft can add to the cost of trucking and fall on the consumer again.

When you are arguing "Laws and Rules" get them straight in your arguments or they will not go any further than your opening arguments! Put more information into your arguments also to show where these "laws and rules" are hurting the economy and in more ways than one! Just the threat of raising the cost of their toilet paper, food or liquor can scare even the worst (spelled: stupid) politician!

But give that politician an invite to sleep in a truck in 80* and up or 35* and below temps for those 10 hours AFTER their daily shower and then add more time because of that "there are no loads yet" message! They'll get the message! But ask them to also turn off their office and home AC/Heat after it's been on for 10 hours, the time starting at 12 midnight like our log books do!

Now to add something funny, these new CARB compliant engines now produce cleaner air than what goes in out in LALA Land!

 

I can't speak for everyone, but there are times that I need a break. Taking one day off plus 10 hours will not hurt my wallet at all. For those that want to work forever without taking time off, what are you doing with your money that you can't afford to take a day off to step away from the truck? Most of us still have lives outside of slaving for weeks on end without a break.

 

They're the ones you see playing that horse racing game or playing cherry master, parked at the casinos or sitting in that dumpy bar next to the truck stop. Why do they need to go home when all that they need to call a life is at a truck stop or next to the interstate or they have no home!

 

and the companies looking at the DAC take it at face value, they won't even give you a chance to explain ANYTHING! If you are in a accident not your fault and something is towed or someone is hurt.....you are screwed.

 

Sorry....I posted this in the wrong spot.....but ya'all get the message.

 

You have to have a good resume that has everything that's on the DAC on it! But with what the incident actually is! When the section of your resume has an EXPERIENCE section with the whats and wherefores it actually helps a recruiter or safety guy see things as they really are and if there is a rebuttal on that DAC then it's even better!