What is it about idling?

[ATeam]

This is more of a rant than anything else. I'm sitting at a truck stop in weather that could not be better for sitting and sleeping in a truck without running the heater or AC. Yet a walk up and down the rows will show numerous trucks idling their fuel away.

Why do drivers idle their trucks on days when there is no need or good reason to do so?

 

[scottm4211]

I think a lot of them are big babies and they need their 475 hp pacifier at all times.

 

[skyraider]

This is more of a rant than anything else. I'm sitting at a truck stop in weather that could not be better for sitting and sleeping in a truck without running the heater or AC. Yet a walk up and down the rows will show numerous trucks idling their fuel away.

Why do drivers idle their trucks on days when there is no need or good reason to do so?

When I drove with my son in his KW900, he insisted to turn off the engine when the weather was just right , not to warm or cold. Yes, there where others that left their trucks running and maybe they were company drivers and they did not care that they were wasting diesel. IMHO

 

[layoutshooter]

Much of it is the "macho" thing, running the engine is something that is required to do to be cool.

There is another side to this. We often role up our windows, lock up as tight as we can, and run our APU when temps might not require us to do so. Why? Crime and the "stink" that permeates truck stops.

No point in chancing being robbed, most of us know of thefts and other crimes taking place at truck stops.

The "stink" is amazing. Nothing quite like the smell of baking urine mixed with burning diesel fuel.

There is a third reason, the noise.

 

[matlack]

We used a small (400 watt) inverter to run the laptop and the low battery alarm would start after about 30 minutes of use, unless the engine, APU or refer was idling.

 

[highway star]

Matlack, sounds like it's time for new batteries. You should be able to go much longer than that.

Sometimes the idling is throwing a charge back into the batteries, running the microwave, ect. But, yeah, there are those that are just stupid with it. I'll never have a truck without a generator.

 

[zero3nine]

Campgrounds are always so nice and quiet.... and I can generally plug into AC power. Crime rates are low and people aren't ****ing all over the place. FWIW.

fired at you from my Droideka

 

[matlack]

I agree, the batteries should be able to power the inverter longer than 30 minutes.

Most of todays road tractors in the large fleets have only two batteries...I guess it is that way to save on cost and weight.

 

[greg334]

This is more of a rant than anything else. I'm sitting at a truck stop in weather that could not be better for sitting and sleeping in a truck without running the heater or AC. Yet a walk up and down the rows will show numerous trucks idling their fuel away.

I think sometime ago I said pretty much the same thing in a thread. No one rally seemed interested so I dropped it. My statement was more rhetorical than anything else.

Why do drivers idle their trucks on days when there is no need or good reason to do so?

Well this is a newbie question.

For all the research you do, for all the great experience you have Phil, it seems odd of you to ask the question so maybe the answer is that a majority of these are actually company drivers who don't pay for fuel and the company does not keep track of their idle time.

 

[dieseldiva]

Along with the noise, security issues, and urine stink, I'll add the fumes. I can't handle fumes.

 

[TeamCaffee]

I think part of the problem is that many Expediters have not driven in the "big truck world" as a driver.

A truck might need batteries but the terminal does not think the truck needs batteries so we would idle the truck.

It is frustrating when we did not have a generator and wanted to watch a movie, cook a meal, or stay cool or warm and we had to idle the truck and pay the penalty of having the truck turned back in speed as the fuel mileage would drop. In that world it is all about speed and working against the clock and creating a novel with a log book.

I still feel in many ways that world is night and day with what we are doing now.

 

[scottm4211]

I think sometime ago I said pretty much the same thing in a thread. No one rally seemed interested so I dropped it. My statement was more rhetorical than anything else.



Well this is a newbie question.

For all the research you do, for all the great experience you have Phil, it seems odd of you to ask the question so maybe the answer is that a majority of these are actually company drivers who don't pay for fuel and the company does not keep track of their idle time.

"Because they can" is hardly an answer as to why you would want to on a mild day.

 

[bobwg]

I drove big truck for almost 20 years I hated when I would find a nice quiet spot in the truck stops way out away from the building would open the frieghtliner windows on top that had the screens and then the small vents and crack open the driver and passenger door windows so i had a nice breeze lay down and relax maybe turn on the tv and sure enough some jerk with a reefer, or a stinky bull wagon , or just someone that didnt turn off their engine would park right next to me with all the other open parking spots.

 

[moose]

We used a small (400 watt) inverter to run the laptop and the low battery alarm would start after about 30 minutes of use, unless the engine, APU or refer was idling.

Your reefer charges the battery's ?
is that a 'normal' set up ?
why don't they do so for dedicated reefers trailers ?

in my trucks, if the motor is not running, the APU dose.
that's what it is for.
the Battery/Comffee monitors might turn the system off for an hour or 2 if the weather is Extremely nice.

with the newer DPF's engines comes the California holograms, which take away the APU's in some cases.
many truckers out there do not have a say on this, and the carriers simply tell them to Idle the truck. a quick look at the EO classifieds show that this is the case with expediters as well.

BTW, that fuel burns while idling, can be calculated into a fuel tax refunds.

 

[Streakn1]

I'm sitting at a truck stop in weather that could not be better for sitting and sleeping in a truck without running the heater or AC.

Why do drivers idle their trucks on days when there is no need or good reason to do so?

I'm proud to say that I'm doing my part to be green! Not sitting in a truck stop having running my engine or gen-set because of the noise of some jerk next to me high idling his/her truck and the engine fan constantly cycling on and off. Or the stench of urine or diesel exhaust, or ****ing off my neighbors in the process. Instead I am using my "Idle Buster". It is a comfortable 80 degrees here with a cool easterly breeze blowing.

Only smells are the sweet essence of flowers and grass. Only sounds are birds singing in the oaks above and kids playing in the pool across the way.

We use our "Idle Buster" every chance we get. They come in different lengths and colors!

 

[BillChaffey]

Quite a few "Idler's" are in Company trucks and their not paying for the wasted fuel.

 

[pelicn]

I think part of the problem is that many Expediters have not driven in the "big truck world" as a driver.

A truck might need batteries but the terminal does not think the truck needs batteries so we would idle the truck.

It is frustrating when we did not have a generator and wanted to watch a movie, cook a meal, or stay cool or warm and we had to idle the truck and pay the penalty of having the truck turned back in speed as the fuel mileage would drop. In that world it is all about speed and working against the clock and creating a novel with a log book.

I still feel in many ways that world is night and day with what we are doing now.

I agree Linda! I would also like to add, that a normal tractor is a fiberglass box, it can be the most beautiful day outside with a nice breeze blowing and that box is an oven! It's much easier to stay warm in the winter without idling than it is to stay cool.

 

[matlack]

In some of the Straight Trucks the Reefer will send a charge to the truck's batteries which is handy in the case of the engine alternator goes out, it would allow the truck to be driven to be repaired rather than be stranded and have to call road service.

Also if the truck batteries were too weak to start the engine the Reefer could be used as well as the APU to charge the truck batteries enough to start the engine (in some trucks).

We have seen a Tractor Trailer where the Reefer was started and jumper cables connected to the trucks batteries to help jump starting the truck's engine or because the truck's alternator was not working.

My problem with the cheap small inverter might be a quality issue as the sleeper factory inverter runs for hours before low level alarms.
It acts the same in the different vehicles that we have used it in; less than 30 minutes before low alarm sounds.
We haven't connected it directly to a battery, only through the lighter plug.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

I dont idel but this KW better get a APU put on it By June YAMOE

 

[layoutshooter]

My reefer charges my batteries. Once, when I lost my alternator, I ran my reefer and APU to keep the truck running long enough to get the truck into the shop. Saved my bacon that day.