We liked Idle Air..........of course at the time we were running all over with no working climate control in the the truck itself....seems like we posted something ourselves on this matter quite some time back.....for us it was a good break at the time........my husband still stops in and uses it when he's out longer been awhile since I've been there myself though I know he stills likes to get into one when he can

 

OK, the thing is, i look at the setup and that big yellow tube seems like they are all interconnected even though each truck has their own HVAC system?


2)When you park and decide to use the system, do you hook it up yourself or do you have to wait for an attendant?

 

hook it up yourself,takes 2 minutes top to have it up and running

 

From what I see the Idle Air folks went crazy with how many spots at each truck stop they are putting in, say you have a parking lot for 100 trucks, well they put 30 in Idle Air, 5 people tops use the service, that adds up to 25 parking spots not being used by possible paying customers.

We was at one truck stop that looked like the idle air part was discontinued, I think it was in WV, I think if they had started small and grown with demand we would not be having this discussion on idle air lol.

 

I am an IdleAire site rep that currently lives and works in Oregon. We just recently opened the area in the aurora TA. I am not here to make sales, let me make that clear. What I am here for is to get a general feel of what people think of the services that we have, what people have experienced and generally to hear any ideas that can make IdleAire better.

Let it first be said to those people who have been thinking that we have taken up space, or removed spots from the truck stops. While it is true a few spots have lost some spots, almost all cases two or three (for spaces that did lose spots), the general avg is that there has been a gain in total spots made.

Let is also be said, the air that is forced into your cab is from the cab itself. The air is sucked out, filtered through 3 filters, and fed back into your cab. On top of this, the units are cleaned after each use, and the filters are replaced after 300 hours of total usage or 3 months, what ever is first. The heating element cools and heats between 65 to 85.

I am sorry for any trucker who has had a bad experience with the services that are provided, or by the staff who works for IdleAire. Like any company there is some bad eggs every now and then, they are weeded out with time. And like every machine, things break, or stop working. We have people who are constantly checking and fixing any issues that come up as soon as we can, but some times, do to: rain, heat, or freezing temps things will break down.

In the case for truckers who have had the heating element fail on them during cold/hot weather. This is a problem that IdleAire is having to fix, while it is true that the air being pumped out is set at what you have chosen, during times of extreme hot or cold weather, the air will cool very fast. Even with you being in completely bundled up, or standing naked in hot or cold, your going to fill the effects of the temp around you. In those cases we don't mind idling, as everyone around you will most likely doing the same thing.

In the cases of idling, we ask that you don't idle for the simple reason as it is generally rude to the person next to you. A lot of drivers use the service just because it's a quiet zone. We ask that drivers do not idle so that those next to him/her, can get the sleep needed for the long drives that you all face everyday. These are rules that are set up by TA, and the other companies who have supported IdleAire

In the case of backing into our spots. I completely understand that a lot of you drivers feel that backing in is the best way to park, who wouldn't? You can see what is around you, when pulling out, and you can get out of the lot easier. The problem is that there is a $4,000 item hanging from the ramparts. With you being tired from driving, and in some cases, conditions of weather or time making it hard to see, you could very well hit those units we have hanging, trust me, people do it all the time. It is easier to pull into those spots, by facing forward when your tired, and you can see the unit and therefore wont hit it.

For drivers who do not know, we have staff at our sites 24/7, they are there for your use. We are not there to breath down your neck, or to force sales down your throat. We are there to help you in what ever means we can, this does include helping you back out, and stopping traffic so that you can do this. We are always carrying a CB radio, if you cant get a hold of us on that, which happens because they do get very wet and we have to replace them 3 or so times a month , you can simply walk up to the office we have and get aid that way.

On top of this, no one makes extra money from a sale. So those who are being over zealous in sales, are generally trying to prove that they are the best. If you feel pressured, let them know. In most cases they will back down. If they are not, inform the shift leader, or site sup.

The mornings are almost always dead slow until about 3am. So in most cases your going to see a Site Rep always there to help you, as he is generally cleaning the office from the mess we afternoon members make.

For those who feel that we have pressuring you into using the service. While it is true that this is a company, and the only means this company makes money is by you drivers using the service, we, as in at least the site in aurora, do not force you to sign in. We ask though that if you are a member to put the unit in the window. Now before the anger and death threats start, think a little about this. Having the unit in the window helps us, and you in a number of ways.

1: It shows that you are a member, its clearly easy to see that with the unit sticking out the side of your truck, instead of us having to look at the window looking for a card or knocking on your door to ask questions.

2: We don't bother you. We like to keep tabs on you guys, it helps us better help you by seeing if there is any problems that is going on. With a unit in the window, you will most likely not see us again, unless you want to.

3: You wont be forced to move. The TA in Oregon backs IdleAire, let that be said. Most other sites also back IdleAire. If we get full, and trust me at the Oregon spot, and a number of others, we do very quickly, we start kicking people out. We have the issue of people wanting to park and hook up. This is a hassle that I personally hate doing. I hate going up and down between the trucks looking for someone who does not have the unit in the window and knock on the door, informing them that they need to move so that a paying member can use the site. I hate this, with a passion, it makes me fill sick waking you guys up, and kicking you out over something so simple. Having the unit in the window ends this problem.

It ruins the image of IdleAire, and can make member, and customers stop using the services. Not a good thing!

4: The last problem is while the least in the eyes of the driver who does not want to hook up, is the most important for the company. In the case that you decide to sign in, the unit is already in the window and is not going to be a hassle for you later to have to do that yourself. The Oregon site puts the adapter and the unit into the truck. While we let drivers do it, we like to at least feel somewhat useful and help out when we can.

Last, and one of the biggest things I have ran into is the following:

IdleAire has leased the spots that they are using. We know that they are TA, petro, etc, spots. We still have general control over them. The general rule is that you MUST be a member to park in the spots. Thats it. Now this is what seems to piss off drivers the most, and I can understand that. But we are also a company who is looking to make money. If you went into a dinner, and just sat in there booth, not ordering, not buying anything, nothing, you would be quickly asked to leave. If you parked infront of a gas station, and the attendant walked up, and you informed them that your just parking here to park there, and not going to get any gas, they too would ask you to leave. IdleAire is going to be the same way.

We are a company, and like any company, money is what we are wanting to get. Now, I am not saying don't come to our spots, but be willing to sign up. Its free to get the silver card. Free. No money, no catch, nothing, just free. It takes 5 minutes.

If your only going to be down long enough to get a weight ticket and then head out, we understand and we are not going to really bug you. But if your going to be down for hours, like 3 or so. We ask that you at least sign up on a silver membership. You dont have to buy an adapter, you don't have to use the services, you don't have to do anything like that. You are just asked to sign up. It's 100% free to sign up on the silver membership. And its nothing really impossible to do. Give them your name, first and last, CDL and state, and USDOT. After that you can leave the site rep to finish the rest. As the last questions are a Security Question, and 4 digit pin number.

If you plan on staying the night, we recommend getting the adapter and putting the unit into the window. The adapter is always yours, and if you ever change trucks, you can get a new one for free. Again it's for the same reason as posted above, as you dont get bothered, and its only $10.00

For those of you who are Fuel Card Fleet Pays. You can find this information out by contacting IdleAire via email, or speaking to a Site Rep. You need to turn your unit off before 12:00AM, say 11:55PM. There is cases where truck companies give drivers only enough for a few hours, like 12 or so hours of complete services, this is generally rare, most give about 45.00, enough for a day. If you do not shut down before midnight, your funds will NOT be reset. You have to shut down at before 12 AM that night, or you have to wait 24 hours before you get your funds back.

For those who are Member Card Driver Pays. This means that your fleet is in a sense supporting IdleAire as an alternative means for you drivers to get the services. You can get the silver card, and get a discounted price of 1.85 an hour, this is gold card rate. Additional featues still cost silver membership prices.

We also ask that you be polite to the IdleAire Site Reps. It is very much understandable that you may be tired, or generally irritable because of what happened over the course of the day. This is not our fault though. Please do not take it out on us. We are there to help you, and while it can be very easy to vent on us, we are human just as much as you and it does effect how we work that day. We are there to assist, inform and to help. While we also do sales, we are mainly there for customer service, and to make your stay at IdleAire as pleasant as we can.

In the response to saving spots for people. We do this becuase people have called customer service well in advance, knowing that they will be stopping for the night there. They plan to use the services and to use the units for the night. This is nothing against you, never will it be against you. We do this, becuase people have asked us to save them a spot becuase they wish to use the services, not to get at you. Any member who plans on using the services that we have to offer can do this. You can call on CB3 if you are close by, or call the 877 number on the top of your membership card, to do this.

Again it must be said that IdleAire is a company, and like any company we are looking for business and to make money. By saving a spot for a member who is going to use the service, we make money. Again if you are a member, who is parked in our spot, and who has the unit in the window, using it or not, we will not bother you.

One last thing before I end this:

Shoot, lost my train of thought. That is what happens when you post 4 pages.

Well, if I remember what it is, I will edit the post. But that pretty much covers the basics of most problems I have seen, as well as heard. I want to see IdleAire succeed, not just as a employee looking to keep a job, but as a person who really thinks that it's a great system that was set up, as well as a person who is debating about doing what you guys do.

If you have questions, comments, or general concerns, you can pm me if you wish. Again, I am not looking to make a sale here, and I will not talk about that. I am here to just get of feel of what you guys think of the services, and to see what can be improved. I wish you all a good day, and to drive safe.

 

So, in a way the air sort of is being shared because the same filter is used.
AND
Also, air is being sucked out of the cab, the pumped back in; Recirculated air; not good.


i always thought that the box thing takes air from the atmosphere and pumps it into your cab, but oh well.

i suppose you could roll the other window down in order to have fresh air but things are starting to get complicated.

i'm not saying idleair is bad, in fact i may try it.

i still say the electrical outlet idea would be better.

 

The filters are heavy duty, about 2 inches thick, with 3 of them very closely placed together. They are changed after three hundred hours. They are like the cabin air filters inside of a normal car, but about 3 or so times thicker. A cabin airfilter can go a year to half a year of constant use and still be generally clean. So these filters will do very well. On top of that, the air is cleaner in your cab generally then it is outside, so even though we clean them out so often, they are still pretty clean, unless there is repeated heavy smokers, then we see the effects there. This is why they are changed out so often.

300 hours is not a long amount of time when you think about it.

 

Wonder how long you could get away with getting the adapter, hooking up the idle-aire, then just not use the stupid thing. After all, I already have AC power (invertor), internet (Sprint), heat (Webasto heater). It would eliminate having to fight for a parking spot at least.

 

We cant force you to use the service or not. When we go public, things might change, but right now as it is, we cant force you to use the services that we have, we can only present the option for you to.

It wouldnt be customer service or sales if we forced you to turn on the unit, and even more so, we would lose current customers, or potential customers. If your a fuel card - fleet pays, I dont see a reason why not to use the service, but if your anything else, I can understand why you wouldnt, or choose not to. You drivers are the ones who make the final choices on if your going to use the services or not, not us, and we cant force you, or decide for you.

 

I did try it a few times when it first came out, so I have a member card. Now, I just pull into a spot and do whatever I need to, without hooking up. I've only been bothered once, if you want to call it that. She only asked if I needed assistance and I told her no. If I did get asked to move, I plan on letting them know that I am a member, but I am not sure whether I'm getting a load soon and I'll hook up when I know for sure. I don't plan on EVER, literally, hooking up again. :wink: