Idling

[terrylamar]

Why? Almost, everywhere I have been in the past several weeks, the temperatures have been moderate,. Heck, it's been moderate for the last several months. I know I have a very great tolerance for cold, I don't idle above 30 degrees. I'm still new to driving so I really don't know how low I can comfortably go. Recently, I can see no need to idle your engine. The temperature is very comfortable. No matter where I park, back in, nose in or in the most remote section of the parking lot, some idiot parks right next to me and starts idling his engine. It always seems to be a particularly loud engine and they sometimes have reefers attached. Why? I am begining to see why so many states have bans against idling. Not only is it irritating, but it is a colossus waste of fuel and produces enormous amounts of pollution.

[Uturn2001]

Just because the temp is comfortable to you does not mean that it is for someone else.

In addition to that there are other reasons drivers may idle at "night".

Medical issues like CPap machines or allergies
Battery or starter problems
To block out the noise of other trucks.
Or just simply that they can not sleep without the truck running because they are used to it.

[allan5oh]

Medical issues like CPap machines or allergies

Do these require idling all night? What about a generator?

Battery or starter problems

Maintain your truck and this wont happen. Those are required to be in good condition according to federal law.

To block out the noise of other trucks.

Then get a quieter truck. Better yet, if nobody idled, there wouldn't be a problem!

Or just simply that they can not sleep without the truck running because they are used to it.

There are other ways to make noise for yourself. Spending $30+ a night in fuel isn't the best way!

[Mr. Ford95]

I have a very temp sensitive nose, if the temp ain't just right when I go to sleep, I start sneezing like crazy and can only stop by taking 2 Benadryl's. Taking them means I cannot drive, I think for 24 hours. I would have to keep my truck idling to keep the temp in the right place. Just 2 degrees difference can bring on a sneezing fit.

[GMAN]

The problem with the generators is the cost. They run about $8,000+-. In addition to the cost is the extra weight. I don't idle much unless the temperatures are too warm or cold. I will not wait until it gets to 30 degrees to idle, however. If my wife is with me I will need to idle most all the time because of her health problems. It is expensive to idle, but more costly to pay for doctors and hospital visits. There are a lot of people with allergies who must idle to keep from having problems. Some areas prohibit idling over about 5 minutes. I am sure they don't use heat in their homes until the temperature gets below 30 degrees and use the air until it gets over 100 degrees. Of course, if you have an animal with you it will exempt you from most of those laws. I suppose the comfort of people is more important than animals. You can always stop at truck stops who have IdleAir and pay them to park in one of their idle free spots.

[Roadhog]

You can always stop at truck stops who have IdleAir and pay them to park in one of their idle free spots.

Yes...actually...all you need to do is pay the basic membership fee. A basic Gold Membership is $10/ 6 months. You may or may not be inclined to use the services. Regardless...the services are due on what you use...and you turn it on or shut it off as you please.... or simply not even hook up to it if you won't be using it...period. CB channel 3...call, and they will assist in you backing out....if you need it.

I personally like to park out far...where I can generally find a spot to be alone. Nothing else, I park so my headboard side is against an area that has no further parking, next to me. I can open my bunk window for fresh air.

Most of the time I am shut down. I too do not do a lot of idling. I rarely...if ever care or feel bothered if someone is idling next to me. My tolerance is met when they have an air leak, or something loose and rattling. I have become accustomed to the motors. Sometimes I have to choose NOT to mind...and in a minute or two, I've forgotten about it.

One time I had an apartment next to a busy...noisy road. I thought I could never get use to the noise. Before you know it...I never heard it...unless something out of the ordinary caught my attention.

Anytime I am tucked in nice, and I get an irritating neighbor...I simply move. Fortunately...my little home is quite mobile. ....or I use my ear plugs. They are so nice....and I replenish my supply for free at loading docks.

I understand the gripe...a waste of fuel...and all. I just feel...there are certain reasons, and certain times I idle. I do not want or need someone telling me what I can or can not do with my truck. I also do not like or need someone telling me how to drive.

As mentioned...there are many reasons a driver may be idling...and even if one reason is...he just never thought about it, or doesn't care...so be it.
Anti-idle laws....f*** 'em.
I will be the last one to support that even in a passive way.

[TruckerChris]

Don't park next to me then, I idle probably 9 out of the 10 hrs I'm stopped. I need to power the TV and like to keep cool or warm. It also puts me to sleep which is a good thing.

[silvan]

I don't idle above 30 degrees.

I learned to shut the truck off between 45 and 60 at night. I would have liked to have some kind of thermostat deal, but I didn't. Below 45, odds were I would wake up freezing somewhere in the middle of the night, and not sleep well. Above 60, what a pansy you say, that's fine, I said the same until I woke up one morning and it was 120 inside the truck at 8:00 AM, and I had sweated all the way through my mattress. Woke up and wasted most of an hour getting the truck cooled back down to where I could sleep, and so I didn't sleep that well that time either.

Juggling the temperature, how high to set what before going to sleep, whether to idle or not, was the most annoying thing about sleeping in my truck.

(I'm glad I have only stepped into my current sleeper to marvel at how much bigger it is than the one I used to live in. If I owned this truck on this route, I'd probably save fuel and put a day cab on, but oh well, I ain't paying for the fuel.)

(Oh, and I only slept in a truckstop some handful of times over the years, so I wasn't bothering you anyway. I hate truckstops passionately.)

Not only is it irritating, but it is a colossus waste of fuel and produces enormous amounts of pollution.

Yes it does. As someone who has either driven for a company or an O/O, all I can say is give me an APU, and I'll use it, but if I don't have an APU, I'm still going to do what I have to do to sleep well. My sleeping well keeps somebody from dying a grizzly death. Maybe even me.

[COLT]

There is also a thread in matianence about idleing, I might not get to that one tonight, but how much fuel do you think it takes to idle a newer type enginine? In my line of work, in the north, we idle alot (i.e.) 18000 hr's = 400,000 mi. If it's cold, every truck in town is running, or they won't be tomorrow. It's not an issue. I just parked, it's not very cold, truck ran about 36 hr's, maybe 1000 mi. To tired to tell exactly. But that was alot of driving, somtimes only 400 mi. same hr's. I checked one day, it was frigin cold - 40 same F & Celcius... 1400 rpm, 14 hr's.. I refueled jus to see , less than 10 american gals ? It took 1400 to keep above 180- 200 F. How much fuel do'es your truck use ? Mine was a 550 Acert that year.

[Uturn2001]

Most engines burn around .8-1.2 gallons of fuel per hour at idle.

How much it takes to refuel your truck after a night of idling is not an accurate way to figure out how much your truck uses when idling. Fuel expands when it is hot, and that fuel comes out of the refinery hot. Also the tanks it is stored in are double walled and act like a thermos and keep it warm for a long time.

How much the fuel has expanded at the time you fueled depends on how far it traveled in the tanker and how long it has sat in the tanks before you purchased yours.

[golfhobo]

I drive team mostly, so if I happen to park for awhile at night while eating dinner or something, I rarely turn the engine off. No good reason.... I just don't.

I drive for a company (as MOST here do,) so an APU is not MY call.

I don't know just how well my battery will stand up to running the T.V. or Sat radio, cooler, etc. all night, and don't plan to find out!

I sleep like a baby in my bunk, regardless of how noisy the truck next to me is, and it is much quieter when I DON'T have to open my windows or vents.

If you don't like the sound of Big Rigs idling, perhaps you're in the WRONG BUSINESS.

OR.... it is YOUR choice to park in a TRUCK STOP parking lot, rather than a quiet off ramp, so perhaps the problem is with YOUR choice.

Let's make it about GUNS! I have neighbors that like to shoot off their guns in their backyards! There oughta be a LAW!!

And I don't like screaming kids, so I stay away from playgrounds! Kids should have their mouths taped shut when in the same Doctor's office I go to. And there should be a "NO KIDDING" section in every restaurant!

The other day, I drove by a farmer's field where he had the AUDACITY to spread manure over several acres to fertilize his crops!! Hang him!

And old folks should NOT be allowed to have "change purses" through which they search for hours to find one more penny to make exact change when there are 20 people behind them in line! Just give the nice lady another dollar and let HER struggle to count out the correct change!

To borrow a line from Timberwolf.... It IS what it IS.

:wink:

[terrylamar]

[quote="GMAN"
You can always stop at truck stops who have IdleAir and pay them to park in one of their idle free spots.[/quote]

Have you ever read the literature from IdleAire? It says while they discourage idling, it is permited. They allow anyone to park in the IdleAir spots even if you do not use their services. I don't know if this is true for all places or just a few. There are many places I park for the night and see trucks backed into IdleAir spots.

[terrylamar]

I do not want or need someone telling me what I can or can not do with my truck. I also do not like or need someone telling me how to drive.

Yeah, I feel pretty much the same way, it would really pi$$ me off if the government told me how fast or how slow I could run, what roads I could use, how many hours I could run, how many hours I had to take off, the state to which I had to maintain my truck and a myriad of other issues....wait a miniute, don't they regulate use now? I'm confused. What were we talking about?

[terrylamar]

I
Let's make it about GUNS! I have neighbors that like to shoot off their guns in their backyards! There oughta be a LAW!!

There are laws, as there should be when some people can't show restraint and consideration for others.

[terrylamar]

To me, this is an issue much like the smoking issue. Show self discipline , otherwise someone will discipline you.

[tweety bird]

Funny, my generator uses as much fuel idling as the truck does. So much for the theory that it is more wasteful to idle.

Personally, the wear and tear on the truck engine and generator engine are more important to me. Plus, we buy our own fuel. So, when possible, we shut everything off. But I don't take the holier-than-though attitude about idling.

We used to idle our last truck a lot- Volvo770. It was EXTREMELY well insulated and so it would be hot in there even when it was nice and cool outside. Heck, even now, we'll run the generator for a/c sometimes when it's nice out. I mean, sleeping in the truck stop with windows open isn't always the best way to go. Plus- those little windows in the back of most sleepers don't allow for a lot of air flow.

Idleaire is a neat concept, but having the a/c come through the passenger door window is dumb. We'll hook to idleaire sometimes- I figure the cost is roughly equivalent to running our generator. We do it for the power though- we plug in shore power to the idleaire outlet. I can't tell you what a pain it is to pop the fuse (which doesn't take much). Great concept/poor delivery IMHO.

And the federal government will now allow up to400lbs additional weight for a generator. But you have to carry certified proof of the generator's weight. And you have to be able to demonstrate that it works (or have certified paperwork that says it works- whatever that means). AND- and this is the most important detail- the states don't HAVE to allow it. So it's bologna in bologna out. More pointless legislation.