Sleep trouble from idling trucks??

That is true...I remember once I had a truck that leaked exhaust into the cab (didn't know it at the time) and I would wake up with SPLITTING headaches every day...took it to the shop and asked them to check and, sure enough, it had a hole in one of the pipes coming from under the truck, they replaced it and I was fine, PHEW. I remember a lady who had to quit trucking as she got so much exposure to exhaust for so long that she almost died and will never be the same again (constant health problems now). She was LUCKY she wasn't dead for sure. If I remember right, someone broke into her truck when she was late delivering and found her asleep, and not waking up...took her to hospital and she barely made it. She said she wishes she would have died now with all the problems she has...so YES, it CAN be very dangerous. Check your exhaust often!

 

It will help with typical particulate matter like dust, dirt, soot. It won't filter out the noxious gasses like Co, Co2, Nitrogen oxide etc. These just pass through & recirculate.

Motels:
Motels are ok but inconvenient unless you're taking more than a simple break. Most don't have or want a truck parking on their lot. They're expensive too. Some hotels offer a CDL discount. It's just impractical to look for a motel every 10 or 11 hrs unless your boss pays for them as a regular expense.

 

BobC, you are right, I agree 100%. There ARE other ways (external heating/cooling systems) to heat/cool a truck with much less danger/fuel. BUT, these cost money and the companies are spending that money on recruiting drivers and NOT on these issues.

 

You would think that these companies would order their new trucks with a aux heater/cooler/genset.

As every state is falling into the ridiculous no-idle mentality, a driver needs to have some climate controls available. In OEM quantities these aux power plants should be considerably cheaper than in single lot & a natural progression towards saving fuel while conforming to the rules & keeping their drivers comfortable & rested.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm willing to take the ticket before I go uncomfortable. Even at a T/S, I'm more likely to be in my truck than inside the T/S.

 

Agreed, I would NEVER pay that ticket and would fight it though if I got one for idling. It is against the Constitution IMHO.

Life (cannot live in a truck at 120 degrees or 20 below zero), Liberty (a trucker SHOULD have the same rights as anyone sitting in their house with the air conditioner on) and the Pursuit of Happiness (this assumes you are still alive to pursue happiness in the first place).

 

I rather hear the Trucks Idle over hearing a Reefer unit run all night long, Never Park Near One, Cause you might not sleep soundly

 

This is one of Mr DOTs things to check for. And its all GOOD and All for the Safety of the driver.

While in most cases in warmer weather we Crack the birth breathers out to cause a flow of AIR.I do this in the winter time too... Just to keep Fresh AIR in the birth.

If your worried about Cracked manifold's allowing fumes in the Sleeper, not only crack the Birth breathers, but Crack your windows 1/2 inch each to allow even more ventilation.

All the best,
Matthew

PS ... Good Topic...

 

Some of those great Rig Power generators and other makes sound about as nice as a reefer unit late at night.

 

you definintely want to check the flex pipe under your cab periodically, especially on an older truck. it's the same kind of flex pipe like you might buy at an auto parts place to do a cheap repair on your car exhaust system, although a bit larger. but if exhaust fumes and overly bothersome to you, quit driving altogether, cars and otherwise. you breathe a lot of exhaust and dust and dirt just driving down the road.

 

Exhaust also affects race car drivers. Rick Mast drove his last Winston Cup race in 2002. Carbon monoxide poisoning had reached a level that was not conducive to treatment. The poison accumulated during years of racing on short tracks across the southeast and “cooked his brain”. Not even a hyperbaric chamber can reduce the levels of carbon monoxide in the blood.