That damn Idle Aire
#41
02-05-2007, 02:38 PM
I get about 5 miles per gallon going down the road. I can IDLE all night for about 2 or 3 gallons (I think - the needle hardly moves!) So.... at say, $2.50/gallon, that's $7.50 per night for heating and cooling. That's about the cost of my monthly power bill at home! And besides..... going down the road at 75 mph, I'm burning fuel faster and pushing out MORE of that "inefficent exhaust" per hour!
Now, don't get me wrong. I actually have DONE the math, and I think IdleAire MIGHT be more cost efficient than idling. But, IMHO, that is NOT the point! My point would be that IDLING produces less pollutants per hour than DRIVING the truck. And I am running the A/C or heat while driving, too!
IF, as I suspect, we burn a mere 5 gallons or so while idling overnight, that is ONE MILE of driving!!! (not EVEN enough time to bypass your sh#tty little town!!)
And as for you WIMPS that can't stand my SMOKING in a PUBLIC SPACE that I pay taxes for.... I GUESS, based on the above statistics, that you have NO BUSINESS being anywhere NEAR a Big Truck, Truck Stop or the Trucking Industry!!!
All THAT being said.... I kinda LIKE IdleAire (though I haven't had the chance to use it yet.)
I have to question your figures though. I've sat for at least 24 hours before, (every week lately) and the needle says I didn't use even CLOSE to 1/16th of a tank. With 240 gallon tanks (total) .... my last truck held 300.... that would be maybe 15 gallons. O.K. NOW you're talking about $40 dollars worth of fuel maybe. In this case... IdleAire would be cheaper. (Heck a MOTEL would be cheaper! ) Which I thought I SAID was a possibility.
According to YOUR figures, a 24 hour layover would burn between 24 and 36 gallons! I'm NOT seeing that.
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"I love college football. It's the only time of year you can walk down the street with a girl in one arm and a blanket in the other, and nobody thinks twice about it." --Duffy Daugherty 
#42
02-05-2007, 02:45 PM
10 hours of idling=10 [email protected] a gal is $24
10 hours of idleaire is $18.50 So i could possibly save $25 a week and around $1000 a year I wanted to get an APU,but with my set up I really don't have room for it and I defintely can't afford any more weight.I know you are supposed to catch a break on the weight but have already heard of guys getting popped for being over.Also with idleaire I get cable tv something I don't get with an APU.
__________________
"I love college football. It's the only time of year you can walk down the street with a girl in one arm and a blanket in the other, and nobody thinks twice about it." --Duffy Daugherty
#44
02-05-2007, 03:12 PM
Originally Posted by golfhobo
Now.... at the risk of exposing my "newness" to the business..... tell me MORE about this "Park N View." Does that have anything to do with those little "flying saucer" looking things in the parking lots?? What was THAT all about?? (Obviously, I wasn't driving in the 90's!) And don't be so quick to assume that "I" can't DRIVE OVER an IdleAire!! :lol: :lol:
They were, just like IdleAire is, subsidized by the guberment. When the government financing ran out, they went belly up. The same will hold true for IdleAire, methinks.
#45
02-05-2007, 04:51 PM
Originally Posted by mike3fan
I get about 5 miles per gallon going down the road. I can IDLE all night for about 2 or 3 gallons (I think - the needle hardly moves!) So.... at say, $2.50/gallon, that's $7.50 per night for heating and cooling. That's about the cost of my monthly power bill at home! And besides..... going down the road at 75 mph, I'm burning fuel faster and pushing out MORE of that "inefficent exhaust" per hour!
If it only cost me $7.50 a night to idle I would never worry about it. It is more like a gallon an hour. Okay, thanks for the info Mike! I really had no idea how much idling burns! I can't tell from the situations I've been in. If I'm "laid over" it's usually about 18 hours at a time. That would be 18 gallons (although I don't SEE that much change) at $2.50 for $45 to my company. That is why I said that I THINK IdleAire would be a good deal.
Now, don't get me wrong. I actually have DONE the math, and I think IdleAire MIGHT be more cost efficient than idling. But, IMHO, that is NOT the point! My point would be that IDLING produces less pollutants per hour than DRIVING the truck. And I am running the A/C or heat while driving, too!
Well... I don't store in memory EVERY thing I calculate. I was talking to an IdleAire salesperson (cutie) once, and she gave me some figures as averages. It sounded like my company would save money if I paid for IdleAire "IF" I was gonna be there all night. At the time, I was waiting for dispatch and didn't know if I would be there all night or not. So.... at THAT TIME.... I "did" the math. But, I STILL have NO reference as to the ACTUAL usage of my truck while idling. (BTW.... I've had this conversation with, and done the math, at least twice now. Not really my main concern!) I usually keep the wheels turning, and can estimate my fuel stops to the gallon!
IF, as I suspect, we burn a mere 5 gallons or so while idling overnight, that is ONE MILE of driving!!! (not EVEN enough time to bypass your sh#tty little town!!)
OOPS!! That really WAS a "Republican Moment!" (like a Blonde moment.) Got really turned around on that one! :lol: Of course I MEANT something like YOU said! At 5 mpg, I should have said 25 miles! With YOUR figures, it would be 50 miles! El Paso is 37 miles across! Either way, I can drive BY most towns for less fuel than I can sit and idle in them overnight! And take my MONEY with me! I've been known to spend much MORE than that in a T/S or town when "laid over!"
And as for you WIMPS that can't stand my SMOKING in a PUBLIC SPACE that I pay taxes for.... I GUESS, based on the above statistics, that you have NO BUSINESS being anywhere NEAR a Big Truck, Truck Stop or the Trucking Industry!!!
That comment had NOTHING to do with your "rights." It was an "aside" to another thread, AND it was all about all the poisonous emissions given off by big trucks, according to the website! Point was.... according to them, there are LOTS of terrible carcinogens and harmful fumes out there in truckstops.... ergo... those who want to BUST MY BALLS about smoking in public, NEED to stay out of trucking! For their OWN health!
All THAT being said.... I kinda LIKE IdleAire (though I haven't had the chance to use it yet.)
Well, yes I DO! I HAVE looked into it fairly thoroughly, even tho I haven't used it. Can you grasp that concept?? I've been gathering info with which to confront my company! I've asked SEVERAL salespeople about their rates, several times, at several DIFFERENT Truckstops. I certainly wouldn't contest YOUR figures if you've USED it (somewhere) but I know for a FACT that at the T/A in Santa Nella, CA., the girl told me it was a flat rate for the basic services for a FULL 24 hour period. After THAT, it was "by the hour." And the window adapters were $15.
I have to question your figures though. I've sat for at least 24 hours before, (every week lately) and the needle says I didn't use even CLOSE to 1/16th of a tank. With 240 gallon tanks (total) .... my last truck held 300.... that would be maybe 15 gallons. O.K. NOW you're talking about $40 dollars worth of fuel maybe. In this case... IdleAire would be cheaper. (Heck a MOTEL would be cheaper! ) Which I thought I SAID was a possibility.
According to YOUR figures, a 24 hour layover would burn between 24 and 36 gallons! I'm NOT seeing that. That's a REALLY good idea! Except that I usually "lay over" in California, and my company doesn't want me to fuel in California unless it is absolutely necessary to "get out of there." Something about fuel taxes or such. So, I usually get IN there with just over half a tank, and wake up in the morning (when I get laid over) with a "negligible" difference in my fuel guage. I don't fuel again until I'm in Arizona! I suppose I COULD do what you suggest.... can I tell them that YOU "authorized" it?? :lol: I guess I COULD "believe" the advertising slogans of the APU companies (as you suggest) but that's a pretty wide range between .8 and 1.5!! (Basically a range from HALF a gallon to a FULL gallon!) Not REALLY very helpful for my calculations. Perhaps YOU could give me some REAL figures from YOUR many experiences???? Surely YOU have done what you suggested, and can give me the EXACT amount of fuel used by a 2006 Freightliner while idling!
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#46
02-05-2007, 10:15 PM
We figure our Rigs consume as a rule of thumb...1 gal./hour. The amount can go up depending on how high the Driver sets the idle speed...and how much demand he is placing on the motor. A/C units will take more fuel.
We figure our APU's comsume 1/4 gal./hour. The specs sheet says .20gal/hr. Our APU's cost between 7-8K installed. For N.Michigan...the APU is a real deal....because of the engine block heater, and the system Battery monitor...which keeps the Rig's batteries charged up. Of course this helps me too when I'm out there on the road. You travel Hwy 80 in the winter...many places you park can be sub-zero at night. I run such hard tight schedules...I have to squeeze every drop out of my 11/14 hr. day as possible...and this has me sometimes doing my 10 off on a backwoods off ramp...or a rest area, etc. Or...late at night I seek a TS out in the N.East, and y'all know the chances of finding a place to park there is beyond laughable...after 6pm. I dare the government to say we can not run an APU either. hehehe :lol: Moron's....that's like telling me I can't run my Reefer. :roll: It's all BS. :evil: If some Daisey Driver is offended....I got your offense...RIGHT HERE!! (grabbing manhood) :evil:
#47
02-05-2007, 10:41 PM
Originally Posted by mike3fan
10 hours of idling=10 [email protected] a gal is $24
10 hours of idleaire is $18.50 So i could possibly save $25 a week and around $1000 a year I wanted to get an APU,but with my set up I really don't have room for it and I defintely can't afford any more weight.I know you are supposed to catch a break on the weight but have already heard of guys getting popped for being over.Also with idleaire I get cable tv something I don't get with an APU. It's harder for guys to set up an older rig to fit an APU. They are pricey enough. Too bad too. These are what should be getting government help...not Idle-Aire. It's just a better system for the Trucker and his Company. My rig is allowed 80,400 lbs. I have a 150 gal. fuel tank on the left, and a 100 gal. fuel tank on the right. (so minus the 50 gals. fuel...my weight isn't changing...yet I have the benifit now of that extra 400lbs. overall gross hehehe)  I protect myself with a Cat scale weigh ticket.....from even before I had an APU. That certified scale ticket is worth the $8.50....and the time to get it. For the record...I would NEVER support Idle-Aire. Yes I have an APU....but that is in this rig and this is my first. I drove for years without one...and always felt as I do now about Idle-Aire. They are the same as a lot lizzard coming up to me at the TS. I want nothing to do with them. I feel now my feelings are being justified. They are whores. Truck space whores. Don't get me wrong. I could care less about them...if they built their own TS's....instead of robbing what little realestate I have offered to me from the TS's I frequent. Now they are expanding into more and more of my favorite spots....and I am loosing TIME at their expense. I am sick of seeing MY TIME robbed so someone else can benefit.
#48
02-11-2007, 02:34 AM
Originally Posted by "golfhobo
However.... if I HAD an extra buck or two.... I WOULD invest it in IdleAire stock!!! As I see NO END to this "anti-trucker" trend!! But, when you look at the cost of using Idle-Aire versus an APU, the APU comes out ahead every time. I even know a guy that bought a "gas" Generator and keeps a couple of gallons of regular gas in a utility box mounted to the side of his frame. In winter, he uses a couple of electric heaters and the block heater. In summer, he parks and mounts a normal "window air-conditioner" in the passengers window. He says he replaces the generator every few years, but it's much cheaper than an APU ($400) and beats Idle-Aire all to pieces.
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#49
02-11-2007, 02:50 AM
Originally Posted by Windwalker
I even know a guy that bought a "gas" Generator and keeps a couple of gallons of regular gas in a utility box mounted to the side of his frame. In winter, he uses a couple of electric heaters and the block heater. In summer, he parks and mounts a normal "window air-conditioner" in the passengers window. He says he replaces the generator every few years, but it's much cheaper than an APU ($400) and beats Idle-Aire all to pieces.
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