No APU's

TV whats That? I aint got none of that fancy technology in truck lol not yet anyway lol I'm looking for a good deal on a 22 or 24 inch LCD waiting for the after christmas sales!



Anti Idleing crap is retared! we don't idle just for the fun of it, in fact I hate sitting in this truck for hours while its vibrating, I sometimes need Heat (when The wabasto breaks) and AC I refuse to sweat my %#$ off to save $5 or the enviroment, and Power of course.



American Trucker

 

If your DM isn't returning calls, responding on the QC, then you need to document when you're trying to reach that DM. With your documentation you need to then go over the DM's head as a last resort. However, seriously consider who your fleet manager is. Is the FM a person who listens or one who considers drivers as replaceable meat? If it's the second type then you may wish to look at changing fleets.

As for idling. I idle when I need to. I'm 54 years old, intelligent and menopausal. I know when I'm hot, cold etc and when I need heat or a/c. I know when I consider it safe to sleep with windows down or not and therefore I will idle as I need to. Period. I keep a journal of large times of idle and the reason for it. On the rare occassion I've been spoken to about idling I pull out my journal and start talking. One thing that is always a person's best weapon is documentation.

 

That is one of the most stupidist comments I've read yet.

 

Document your idle time on the Qcom+ on paper if it becomes an issue. CA, PA, NY, FL and parts of TX have laws about idle. Don't idle in the rest areas.

I have idled in Ontario CA at the TA. Nearly everyone was.

Page 429 FMC Safety Regulations JJ Keller book.

392.3 Ill Or Fatigued Driving:

No driver shall operate a commercial motor vehicle, and a motor carrier shall not REQUIRE or permit a driver to operate a commercial vehicle, while the driver's ability or alertness is so impaired, or so likely to be impaired, through fatigue, illness, or any other cause , as to make it unsafe forhim/her to operate the commercial motor vehicle.

WTF else do you need to know???? Tell them to get you a motel after sending a message with 392.3. Read, understand, and embrace the law.

 

But if it's only about 90 - 100 degrees out, you can usually get away with idling the truck for 5 minutes w/ A/C on full blast windows up and it will stay cool enough in there for 55 minutes then you can idle for 5 minutes again. Use a fan to circulate the air, and just Man Up your ancestors did OK without A/C.

That was actually a real live message that I had received across the QC last summer. They also recommended planning out your day like if you know you're going to a shipper/receiver or ending your day, about 10 minutes before you'll be pulling in, run the A/C full blast to cool the cab down and it will last about 55 minutes. Swift will even give the driver a free 6" fan that plugs into the 12 accessory.

 

some of the older swift trucks has got opti idle, it will turn off and crank up when the temp inside the truck reached a certain degree. I don't know about the new trucks though.

 

Look, I agree APU's would be nice. The stuff that I posted which was a little heavy with the drama and sarcasm, is actually very close to Swift's company policy about limiting the truck's idling time.

I had mentioned time at shippers/receivers up there as well because oftentimes you might be backed up to a dock for an extended period of time. Sometimes the S/R will not allow you to idle the truck on their property. I have had a few that refused to unload the trailer until I surrendered the keys to the truck. What can you do if it's 110 degrees out? They might have a little driver's lounge to go sit in but a wise truck driver knows that the time it takes to unload the truck (sometimes hours) is valuable sleep/rest time to recharge the ole batteries of the body for the next big load that might have to be driven all night so the delivery can be completed during the daylight hours at most consignees.

Here's to hoping Swift takes some of the stock money and outfits their fleet with APU's