Why must you idle?

Coolers full of food that need to be kept cool.

Truck sitting in the sun with window rolled up will have a higher temp.

Most drivers do not want to sleep with windows open or are light sleepers and hear everything. The engine provides a white noise.

 

Some drivers belive that you just aren't a trucker if you don't idle that truck. Doesn't matter what the weather is doing that truck has to idle. Heck i even see them idle while fueling. That one really gets me.

And they wonder why states have anti-idle laws.

 

The owner of my truck says that he would rather have a engine last longer by just running than be worn out by shutting it off and turning it on all the time. I do shut it off if I can fine a quiet place in cool weather. A lot of companies that I deliver to will send a man out to unlock the gate and let me park at the dock till morning. I love those places. Don't smell like urine.
Last night, I was parked in a very quiet place with no trucks running and about 11:00 PM a Train goes by and blows his horns..... I shook for about a hour past that!

 

My window of NON idling is 0-65.

Anything higher or lower, the truck idles if I'm in it trying to sleep.

BTW, 72 degrees does not translate to interior temps with the windows rolled up, in direct sunlight. Thieves love open windows.

I saw JB Hunt shut his truck off and go to bed in TX, in 90 plus heat. Does this make him a most cost conscious driver? Or a pawn being used by a company for a dollar.

 

Why idle?

because every person handles temps differently than other people. Let me ask you, at what outside temp do you begin using the A/C ? If your like most people, you probably don't think about the A/C until temps are above 65 deg. If the sun is shining bright and outside temps are above 50 deg., there is a good chance I will have the A/C while driving, heck this past winter I was running the A/C in the truck on a day when the outside temps were in the low 40's, but the sun was shining bright and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

I recently had to sit outside a customer in a no idle area of Alb., according to my outside temp guage, it was 127 deg. and my entire truck was in the shade. Now granted this is effected by engine heat, so i looked across the street to the bank sign it read 105. I was broiling, I had the windows down, the fan blowing whatever air it could circulate through the vents, my shirt off, hell I almost stripped naked to cool off. I was exhausted and tried to lay down for a nap (I was 2 hrs early for my loading appt.), that lasted all of 2 minutes and I was miserable. To me any time the outside temps are above 70 deg. I can guarentee you I will have the truck idling with the A/C on. But then again, if I go someplace where I have to sit and idle the truck for more than 12 hrs due to weather or stranded while they try to find me a load, if at all possible the company will have me get a hotel so the truck doesn't idle.

Now, in the winter, I will generally not idle the truck for heat unless temps are below 20 deg. outside, I'm normally bundled up in my sleeping bag. Several winter back, I was parked outside a Freightshaker dealer in Idaho Falls waiting for them to open so I could a part for my trailer brakes. The overnight low hit 8 deg., when I woke up in the morning it was downright cold in the truck, no idle, and I was fine, until I got out of my sleeping bag to fire up the truck, then I was downright cold.

 

I agree Striker. Another consideration is for drivers who come into a parking lot at night and despite nice temperature and breeze in the open the air is dead between those other 2 rigs. They happen to be idling (perhaps because they went to sleep in the heat of the day? I don't know, and I won't try to answer for other drivers) So your rig is stuck between 2 hot engines, no air movement. I was stuck in Salt Lake City last week with these type of conditions, it was raining off and on, the temperatures were PERFECT for me to let fresh air in the truck, but when I got back out to the truck even with my fan going it was danged hot inside.

I love the fresh air, when it's a temperature I can handle resting in (1) i believe it's healthier than the filtered air 24/7 (2) I like the fresh air because despite keeping Cookie cleaned and brushed I can still smell her.

Finally I don't rough it, if that means I'm not a trucker oh well. I believe in my creature comforts when I am sitting and my batteries have to be charged from time to time so my truck may run for a little while to recharge....but anyways this is just me and I can't answer for everyone.

 

1st let me start by saying: let's start the O/O vs. company driver nonsense. We've seen stupidty on both sides of that fence!
Now regarding the topic: when drivers idle in cool weather, it forces companies and lawmakers to create stupid and inhumane policies. Perhaps if we engaged the brain before we crank up the idle, this wouldn,t soch a thorny subject. If we only idle when needed and shut the #### thing off once in awhile, maybe the people who make this decisions would have a little more empathy for us.
But here is another dumb question, why cant they make engines, apu's, reefers alot quieter?

 

Here is why I Idle.

1. I like the truck 50* at night.

2. I need to run my marker lights, cause you dumb steering-wheel-holders like to run into the cars that are overhanging on my rig.

3. Cause when you hit a car that is on my rig, you keep going, and I have to chase you, I dont need to see triple digits on a cold motor.

4. Because, when I stop my truck on a 70* day, the cab will quickly get to 90 when shut off, as I have 4tons of drivetrain that is 200* under me and it heats the cab up.

5. Cause I dont want my windows open for security reasons.

6. Cause I like global warming, i want summer all year round.

7. Because I dont pay for fuel.


K

 

Every driver is different. I'm sure anyone idling has a reason for idling, whether you or I think that reason is valid or not is moot. It's valid to the driver doing the idling. Get over it and get on with your life.

 

Why MUST I idle?

For the same reason my company pays about 10% less than hub miles driven... THEN, pays only for a route requiring tolls and will
NOT pay for toll(thus requiring the drivers to take a slightly longer route without pay).

Therefore, my truck rarely gets below 180 deg. within my work week, period.