No APU, 5 minute idle, 90+ degrees - is this legal?

Well, you can think it is a trucker story all you like. But I know as a fact that one of our drivers died near Dallas last summer due to heat. As I said in my post, I have no idea about the other 2. If they were our drivers or not.
The issues the driver faced were not due to his truck not being able to idle. Even though I do not know if his truck was working properly for idle. He could not legally idle his truck where he was. Tried to sleep. When they jumped the truck (battery's were dead) he had 3 fans running in the bunk.

I am normally the first one to jump on people for idleing the company's truck when not needed. But if it is over 100 degrees outside and you are trying to sleep in that truck during the day. It will be 150+++ in that sleeper. No matter how many fans you try and use.

 

The sad thing is that many of the drivers do not have the funds available to even go to a motel. Let alone a decently priced one that a truck can get in.

Then consider that alot of companies hold the driver responsible for the load and want them to remain in the truck.

 

To make any Human or Animal sit in the extreme heat or cold is cruel and unusual punishment, and should be illegal. So why do some on this site defend it? Why is it okay for a driver to live under such conditions but the rest can have the comfort? Eg: Heat or A/C in the house.

A car or truck heats up and cools down way faster then the house. People that defend this make me sick.

 

Personally I don't care if a driver idles the truck or not, it should be up to him. I live in the far north and we had 30 degree temps just last week. So if I hit a place that's 70 out, I get hot right away. For myself I need the cooler temps. The way things are now, I think APU's should be mandatory on all OTR trucks.

 

I worked for a place that did that to me, when I explained that the load could not be delivered cause I'd be logging all that time on duty they changed there tune. Of course I can read the writing on the wall and it said start looking for another job!
I find it real hard to believe that a driver couldn't find some place to cool down. No way I'm sleeping in S.TX in Aug. with out A/C. I'd sling a hammock under the trl first!

 

Got to Memphis one really hot night and the truck did not cool off till 4 am with the windows opened. Finally fell asleep and was woke up an hour later for my dock.

 

I was in Laredo at the pilot a few summers ago. I was trying to be a "good driver" and not idle so I had purchased the window screens and had then in the windows, a little 12 volt fan to pass any cool air into the bunk. Finally after sweating all day, I managed to halfway fall asleep. Around 1200 am, I feel the truck rock like someone stepped on the running boards and I hear the screens creaking. I pull the curtain aside to discover this individual with his left hand, up to the elbow reaching for the inside door handle!!!

I silently grabbed my tire thumper and smacked the offender's arm as hard as I could! You would have heard him screaming across the lot. Needless to say, he very quickly extricated himself from my truck, breaking the window screen in the process.
When I contacted my corporate safety director that morning to see what the company policy was regarding my personal safety and their culpability if I had been harmed by this attempted breaking and entering, all I was told was to stay in the company terminals. Unfortunately our closet terminal was in Katy, TX and if I had dead headed that far w/o permission, they would have fired me!
I asked the safety guy, how about paying to replace my window screen since it was their policy that led to it being broken, you would have thought I called his mother a two dollar crack #####!
Needless to say, I was none too happy. I decided from then on, I would idle the #### truck if it was too hot or if I was stuck parking somewhere that I didn't feel safe enough to leave my windows open.

 

And how would that happen without the individual knowing or realizing their core was heating up? You don't wake up when you get to hot?

And no no medical degree. I have lived in deserts, jungle, and the blast furnace that is southern New Mexico. All without any artificial cooling. Seen thousands of good men with full gear survive the temperatures discussed for weeks on end without artificial cooling.

This is about a company not letting someone idle their truck, and some fantasy that it caused a drivers death.

They were sent over their to supply some comfort for the soldiers serving. It is a comfort and due them for standing their post. However they do not hide from the heat with them at all times. In fact while a moral booster the places to plug in an AC are quite few and far between and the enemy just will not cooperate and face you where you could enjoy it.

 

And my point was and is why would someone try and stay in a 150 deg truck?

 

People to ignorant to take care of themselves and then blame others for their actions and decisions make me sick. So I guess we are even.