May idle policy

you go out with a trainer for a few weeks, based on how your trainer thinks you do, as little as (i think) 2 weeks and up to like 2 months or longer. lots of the bigger ones send you out for months no matter what. then you return, and test with safety, as long as that goes ok then you're good to go, same test you take when you are in orientation just now you actually use all the gears. the equipment is good, newer trucks for the most part, and good trailers, for the most part ^.^ I ran reefer with may, the company Im with now I run dry van and well yeah sometimes I miss having the nicer trailers that may had. Idle at your discretion, and when you do, submit an idle request and you should be fine. summer is like 45% and winter is 10??? i think that 2nd one is wrong but Im sure someone will correct me.

 

Read The Forums Everything Is In These Forums.

 

Why do people put up with this crap? I refuse to be cold/hot when Im sleeping in a truck.
When it comes to the point where I couldnt find a company that has respect enough for a drivers comfort
and safety that I couldnt be comfortable, time to move on to a different career

 

Well, not out in your area, lol. Just gotta search long and hard, there are carriers out there that are small
and take on drivers with new CDL's. And in my experience, they treat drivers a whole lot better than these
revolving door training companies.

 

I'm not going to argue the bolded part, because for the most part it's true. Thing is, why should a new driver be treated as a second or third rate citizen. We all have basic needs, and one of them is to be comfortable in our "home environment". As an OTR driver, that truck becomes one's "home environment" whenever they are away from their traditional home. To requre a driver to freeze and/or boil is just wrong. I know it's been stated that you can send in a request for idle time, but really, that shouldn't even have to be. I know fuel is expensive these days, but OTR drivers sacrifice so much being out on the road. Crappy food, crappy showers, away from family and friends for weeks at a time, etc. Why should they have to sacrifice basic temperature comfort as well?

 

ok idling... it is a percentage, of time that your truck is on and NOT driving rather than driving. so say, you get your truck, you have it RUNNING for 12 hours. 9 of those hours you were driving, 3 of those hours you were just sitting there with the engine on. your idle is 25%... get it? 75% of that time you were driving, 25% of that 12 hrs you were just idling (running the engine), not moving. its easy with may, cause you can see your idle on the qualcomm. so, the more you run, the lower that number will get. in the summer they let you run the truck more, because the ac needs the engine to be on or you're gonna kill that battery quick. winter time, may has bunk heaters, that dont require the truck to be running in order to run it. it will still use some of the battery but not nearly as much as the ac does. of course there are lots of other ifs and buts, but thats just the basics.

and its not that may wont let you idle, they will... they just want you to be aware of it, but that horse has been beaten dead quite a few times