Use recorders to keep tired truckers parked

It will happen IF (and only IF) enough truckers voices are heard. But you DON'T hear OOIDA (allegedly THE Voice of Truckers) saying anything about this. Again; whose interests do they represent?

 

Would someone explain this to me? (Remember, I'm the token four-wheeler here.) Why would the number of spaces decrease "if you wish to be comfortable when it is HOT or COLD"? And while I gather that APU's are heating/cooling units installed in the truck, why would someone ban their use? I assumed these were installed to eliminate idling?

 

For every three spaces they "remove" to construct their "Services", they only replace them with two. For example: if they take up a area originally occupied with 100 parking spaces, they replace it with 65 or less.
Any truck can park at an IdleAir space, but if you arent using it they have the right to ask you to move if a "subscriber" needs a space. If you REFUSE, they can have the driver arrested and have his truck towed. Also, according to their rules, they can designate the entire IdleAir spot as a "Quite Zone". You CANNOT idle your truck or use a APU (auxrilliary power unit) in their "Quiet Zones". If you use their parking (but not their service), they DEMAND you turn your truck (or APU) off regardless of what the temperature is. NON-IdleAir spaces (which only amount to about 25% of the total parking now) are in HIGH DEMAND and almost always full, no matter what time of day it is. They BAN the use of APU's because they dont get paid if you arent using their service, and the truck stops dont "get paid" as well, because IdleAir pays a "Rental" fee to the truck stop based on the number of trucks using the service. IdleAir doesn't give a crap about pollution, green-house gasses or the comfort and well-being of truckdrivers, regardless of what they claim. They are only interested in MONEY they get from drivers using their service. And remember....IdleAir got a HUGE Start-Up Grant (read: Tax dollars) from the U.S. Government to expand as fast as they have (as well as buku bucks from private investors). Please view my previous post in this thread, I posted IDLEAIR's "RULES".

 

My hubby uses idle aire all the time and he has guys park beside him running all night long....as of yet nobody makes them shut down or tow them.

 

Thanks for your explanations! Do the majority of truck stops lease space to Idle-Aire? Do you think it is a growing trend... or do you think APU's will eventually replace this service? I would assume the APU's would be more cost-efficient...?

Oh... and are refrigerated units really called "refers"... or did Petro/IdleAire no proofread their copy very well...

 

As a matter of fact YES, in another thread, I said that I was required to MOVE from an IdleAir parking spot, because I idled my truck. I refused and the Know County Sherrifs Office was called, I was threatened with arrest and having my truck towed if I did not leave. IdleAir and Petro employee claimed that they had the right to do so, and had the right to designate the entire area as "Idle Free Zone" if they wished. I was even told that they could demand I move, if I was not using IdleAir and a paying customer needed a spot. Even after I explained that there was no other parking available, explained that my hay-fever necessitated me to idle the truck to breathe and that I did not have the "hours" necessary to move, they didnt care. Also in that same thread, someone else said that several drivers at the TA in Paulsboro NJ were threatened with arrest for parking at IdleAir and not using their services.
Nevt time you are at an idleair spot, count the old parking places by the old marking, and compare with the number of "new" spaces. It doesn't take long to realize that there are less spaces available regardless of what they claim.
If they have an "agreement" with the truckstop, they can enforce any rule they wish by having a Law Enforcement Officer come on the premises, whether they demand you turn off your APU, or truck. Regardless if you have actually seen them enforce it or not. And it IS Happening.

 

Once again Big Brother is not adressing the real problem. My license says "Commercial Drivers License" not dock worker,not warehouse hand,nor shipper or consignee. The longer we as drivers continue to count,load and breakdown freight,the longer they will expect us to. When asked,the answer is"NO,I don't load and unload and I don't believe you helped me fuel my truck or clean my windows". I would also like to know where all these trucks are going to end up when the on-board recorder shuts them down. The shoulder of the road? An off-ramp?