Newbie Question About Idling

[Wham Bam]

Dear Forum Members,

I need assistance.

I will be seeking employment with a "training company". I have no problem paying my dues, but I would like to work for a company that won't make me sleep without AC in the summer and without heat in the winter.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

I can take almost anything an employer can dish out, but I cannot sleep if I'm not comfortable (which makes me a safety hazard if you think about it)....

Thanks for your help,
Wham Bam

[freebirdrfd]

Call some companies listed in the company listing at the top of this page and ask about their idle policy. P.S. you forgot to list your location in your profile information.

[repete]

Welcome , I think you'll find that most company's know that driver comfort is a biggie and have/are takeing steps to improve it. Like Freebird said do you research and don't "settle" on a training co PICK THE BEST that will have you!

[Copperhead]

A lot of companies now that take on new drivers also have APU's on their trucks for driver comfort. I would make sure and target only those carriers that have them installed. It is rapidly becoming a "drivers market" with the new regs coming online and proposed. Drivers, even new ones, can be a little more picky about who they are driving for and the conditions they are under. Don't settle for the first carrier that will take you. Ask all the right questions of any potential employer and don't be afraid to negotiate. With 2.5 million trucks running around this country, there is a right fit for you.

[Malaki86]

Celadon is getting new ProStars in with the same dogbox mounted engine-off a/c system that Crete runs. Looks like a cool setup to me. I'd prefer a true APU, though.

[One]

A friend of mine sat in Laredo, TX for 12 days without a lot, the company had no apus and eventho they allowed idling, they required a certain fuel mileage....If u dont move, u dont get fuel mileage so he ended up getting fired cuz he idled despite them asking him not to. They wouldnt pay for a motel room either, lol. So i guess you have to ask the questions: do you have apus? do you allow idling, is there a fuel milage bonus/minimum fuel mileage?

[Instigator]

No one should sleep with out a/c or heat in the winter. Although everyone above is correct about idling and fuel bonus, try shutting off your tractor when ever possible, limit idling as much as you can. I get a 2 cent fuel mileage bonus when i keep it around 6.4 mpg minimum. Some tractors have onboard computers that can tell you mpg, you will find ways to get that mpg where you need it. Idling will affect this very much if you are sitting around truck stops. What I do is when I am getting low on mpg, I just drive slower, the slower you go the better your mpg. When you average it out you can still hit your fuel bonus. Then again, I look at the fuel bonus as just that, a bonus, if I get it I get it, If I dont, well you need to make adjustments. But I never sleep without the air on to benefit the company, my sleeping comfort is more important than driving sleepy because I did not get the proper sleep.

APU'S still burn diesel, about half of what an engine will, they are more and more expensive (20 grand) to install on a tractor which is not worth it if they turn them every 3 years like my company does. The newer tractors due get the better mileage, so you do need to do your homework when picking a company and find out what there rules are on idling. Good luck!

Instigator!~

[Trudger]

Keeping the driver comfortable enough to rest is very important these days, even with all of the anti-idling rhetoric out there. NEVER work for any company that CHARGES you to idle would be my one suggestion, as there ARE some who DO charge drivers if they "over" idle past their threshold set.

[Malaki86]

APU'S still burn diesel, about half of what an engine will, they are more and more expensive (20 grand) to install on a tractor which is not worth it if they turn them every 3 years like my company does. The newer tractors due get the better mileage, so you do need to do your homework when picking a company and find out what there rules are on idling. Good luck!

Instigator!~

Yes - APU's burn diesel - at the rate of about 1/10th that of the main engine (1gal per 10hrs for an APU running nonstop). Cost is in the neighborhood of $8,500-10,000, and that's with buying them retail. A company that buys 3,000 trucks per year would pay nowhere near that amount to have them installed before they take delivery on them. Also, if the company sells their trucks outright (or even leases them out for purchase), the value of the used truck would be higher simply for the fact that they have them installed. I know that when I buy a truck, I want to find one with an APU already installed. If it's not installed, I want one installed ASAP after I purchase the truck.

I've talked to a number of O/O's that purchased APU's for their trucks and all of them have told me the same thing - within ONE year of installing it, the APU has already paid for itself when you take into consideration the amount of fuel you use just idling trying to stay comfortable in the truck.

[Wham Bam]

Dear Board Members,

Thanks a bunch for all your help.

I was thinking about going out to the truck stops this weekend and seeing if I could find any Swift or Rhoel drivers who could tell me about whether their companies have APU's on their tractors.......

I'm sure I will have plenty of questions in the future, and your help is invaluable.....thanks again.....

Wham Bam.

[Malaki86]

Roehl, some (if not most, by now) have APU's. Swift, none that I've ever seen.

[P0rk Ch0p]

I'm not a fan of those APU's, they are loud as hell, louder than the truck idling if you ask me..So it hinders the ability to sleep as well.

[ronjon619]

A friend of mine sat in Laredo, TX for 12 days without a lot, the company had no apus and eventho they allowed idling, they required a certain fuel mileage....If u dont move, u dont get fuel mileage so he ended up getting fired cuz he idled despite them asking him not to. They wouldnt pay for a motel room either, lol. So i guess you have to ask the questions: do you have apus? do you allow idling, is there a fuel milage bonus/minimum fuel mileage?

Wow, what company is that?