[Kevin0915]

Was/am sitting in Laredo, TX (no, i'm not going to waste my money going into Mexico to watch the donkey show) where it is in the mid to hi 80s. I am sitting comfortable in my sleeper, vents open, and got a really strong breeze.

I thought about getting an IdleAire account. Anybod who has one, tell me what you think of it?? Is it really worth it?? I know it keeps your idle time down, which i am sure the company you drive for will like, but the cost for I.A. comes out of your pocket, and dont think the company would reimburse you for that.

I was about to go get one this morning, but then looked on their website, and it was like $2.50 per hour. I dont need the added gizmos...phone, internet, tv...etc. Just want something, seeing how spring is upon us, and soon, summer, that will keep me cool when i'm in the truck stopped. And before anybody asks....no i wont sit in a truck stop TV/movie room just to be cool. I like to keep to myself as much as i possibly can.

[jd112488]

you are aware that any money you spent that is not reimbursed is a tax deduction???

[Biscuit Lips]

Originally Posted by Kevin0915

Was/am sitting in Laredo, TX (no, i'm not going to waste my money going into Mexico to watch the donkey show) where it is in the mid to hi 80s. I am sitting comfortable in my sleeper, vents open, and got a really strong breeze.

I thought about getting an IdleAire account. Anybod who has one, tell me what you think of it?? Is it really worth it?? I know it keeps your idle time down, which i am sure the company you drive for will like, but the cost for I.A. comes out of your pocket, and dont think the company would reimburse you for that.

I was about to go get one this morning, but then looked on their website, and it was like $2.50 per hour. I dont need the added gizmos...phone, internet, tv...etc. Just want something, seeing how spring is upon us, and soon, summer, that will keep me cool when i'm in the truck stopped. And before anybody asks....no i wont sit in a truck stop TV/movie room just to be cool. I like to keep to myself as much as i possibly can.

I used to work for a company last year that payed for the IdleAire for up to 20 hours a day with no money out of pocket, you just swiped the fuel card *Comdata* in the credit card slot at the top of the window unit. With that being said, I very rarely used it. The few times I did hook up to it the next day I would be really sick and could barely drive. It's like
sleeping in the stankiest truck you can imagine with out actually being there. You get all the pet odors, cigarette odor, and the I quit bathing two months ago truck driver stank all bottled up and blown into your cab for your breathing pleasure. Seemed healthier for me just to idle the truck, leave the windows down if it was decent out, or just get a hotel room.
Landline magazine, put out by OOIDA, had an interesting article on IdleAire a while back

[Kevin0915]

Originally Posted by jd112488

you are aware that any money you spent that is not reimbursed is a tax deduction???

REALLY???!??!??!? you mean all those receipts i've saved since last August actually mean something???? i was using them to pretend i was stashing away real money, and going to roll around in my receipts once i got my imaginary million dollars.....oh man....what a waste.

[mike3fan]

I used it for $840 worth in 2008, never had a problem. Better than idling, but then again I pay for my own fuel.

[Rev.Vassago]

Originally Posted by jd112488

you are aware that any money you spent that is not reimbursed is a tax deduction???

Not necessarily. It is only a tax deduction if you earn enough to itemize. And even then, it isn't necessarily worth it. I would much rather pay $0.30 to the IRS for every dollar I make than spend the entire dollar just so I don't have to give $0.30 of it to the IRS.

Which makes the true question, "Is what I'm going to spend the money on worth the money I will spend on it?" Which is what Kevin asked in the first place.

Personally (and I am speaking from the perspective of an owner operator), I think their service is overpriced. The hourly rate they charge is at or above what it would cost me in fuel to idle my truck given the current fuel prices (granted, that was not always the case). The units themselves, according to a majority of the people I've talked to who use them, are poorly maintained (the smoke smell being the worst culprit).

I guess what you have to ask yourself, Kevin, is what will you gain by using the service, and will whatever it is you gain outweigh what you will have to spend? It would seem that a majority of the industry seems to think it doesn't, hence the fact that IdleAire declared bankruptcy. I'm not sure I'd invest a whole lot of money into a service that may disappear at any given time.

[Kevin0915]

Originally Posted by Rev.Vassago

Not necessarily. It is only a tax deduction if you earn enough to itemize. And even then, it isn't necessarily worth it. I would much rather pay $0.30 to the IRS for every dollar I make than spend the entire dollar just so I don't have to give $0.30 of it to the IRS.

Which makes the true question, "Is what I'm going to spend the money on worth the money I will spend on it?" Which is what Kevin asked in the first place.

Personally (and I am speaking from the perspective of an owner operator), I think their service is overpriced. The hourly rate they charge is at or above what it would cost me in fuel to idle my truck given the current fuel prices (granted, that was not always the case). The units themselves, according to a majority of the people I've talked to who use them, are poorly maintained (the smoke smell being the worst culprit).

I guess what you have to ask yourself, Kevin, is what will you gain by using the service, and will whatever it is you gain outweigh what you will have to spend? It would seem that a majority of the industry seems to think it doesn't, hence the fact that IdleAire declared bankruptcy. I'm not sure I'd invest a whole lot of money into a service that may disappear at any given time.

true. guess another poster said it well, that you're paying for a service where u get pet smell, B/O from other drivers, nasty truck smell. with fuel being $2/gal or less, its almost cheaper to pay to idle the truck. However Swift is keeping an eye on idle time, and i think regardless how hot it might be outside, they would rather you not idle the truck. My new Volvo shows me how much "g/h" im burning when i idle...and its 0.5 to 0.7g/h

[Rev.Vassago]

And what will Swift do if you idle the truck?

[Kevin0915]

Originally Posted by Rev.Vassago

And what will Swift do if you idle the truck?

with the ecomony the way it is, and the 'need' to downsize or get rid of the undesireables, i am sure they'd use 'high idle' as a reason to term you. i got a message a month ago about that. they wanted idle time under 25%. i was at 34 for Jan...and i'm under 15% since feb. they also look at mpg. who do u think would get termed first....a driver with 3 service failures, gets 7.0mpg, and 15% idle, or a driver with 3 sf, 34% idle and 5.9mpg?

[possum]

I use it some when I sleep during the day. They did have a special going for $1.99 if you got in by 12 I don't know if they still do. Thats about the only time I will use it, but it works good.