I tell you what. YOU go out on the road for a one to two week run. You are tired, you are out of hours that the government says that you can run, and you have to take 10 hours off. A rest area is not the first place you want to stay, no food, no showers, no break area, but you have to stop. Lets say it's 97 deg. outside, and you can't run your truck. When you shut it off all of the heat off the engine, transmission, exhaust, and radiant heat from the sun and pavement sink in the cab. Now it is probably 115 or more inside the cab. Boy, now you're ready to sleep. Nothing like smothering in humidity and sweating like a race horse to make a good nights sleep, not to mention how well you look and smell the next day.

I used to run trucks many years ago that did not have A/C. I had to sleep with the windows down, and I would only get an hour or two of sleep because in the morning when the sun came out the baking heat would wake you up. Makes you a real alert and safe driver. Now I wouldn't dare sleep with my windows down, too many loonies today.

Today there is so much traffic that you can't afford to not be alert for one minute.

Yes, the new aux. heat and A/C units are nice to have. Most companies won't spend the thousands of dollars to buy an unproven in the long run product. Most owner-operators can't afford the 7 to 8 thousand dollar purchase price. Yes they save fuel, but it would take many years to make up the cost when you count in maintenance and the amount of fuel the aux. unit uses.

I did not like to idle my truck. It cost me money, but you have to sleep, and you usually can't stop where you would like. And contrary to popular belief, a truck DOES NOT burn 1 to 2 gallons per hour of fuel. Mine would use about 1/3 to 1/2 gallon per hour.

Try turning off your heat or A/C at home every time you go to sleep and see how you like it. It's the same thing. For most drivers, their trucks are their home.

That's my rant. Thank You.

 

Yea what he said but LOUDER!!

Hey I have a novile little idea... Stay at a motel/hotel where the wont allow trucks!!

 

QUOTE: off-topic - why do truck drivers try to pass another truck on a hill when they know all that's going to happen is you stay beside them for the length of the hill, never get enough speed to pass, and hold up traffic?

Most of the time it is a matter of lots of traffic, different governed speeds, and different weight loads.

I may be faster than the truck ahead of me because of his governed speed. I may have to wait for 5-10 minutes for a space big enough to change lanes without cutting someone off, some of us still try to drive courteous, while some don't. When I finally get a break, I take it, for another may not come along for awhile. Sure as the world when I get beside the slower truck we come upon a hill, thats when I find out his truck is either loaded lighter than mine, pulls better, or both. If the hill is not too long all you can do is ride there, then we top the hill and he starts coasting down the other side. Now his truck is as fast as mine, but we are both slower than traffic. I have to ride there till we get back on level ground and his governor slows him enough so that I can complete the pass. This may take quite a few miles in an area with rolling hills. I can not get back behind him after I start passing because the traffic has came up behind both trucks, and there are no openings to get back over.

When you start the pass you have no idea that it will take so long to complete, because most times it does not, but many times it does, and there you are stuck out in the passing lane holding up traffic, when you just knew you could pass quickly.

But people must understand what the situation is that you have gotten into, for when I finally make the pass, some drivers will come by and hand motion to me that they think I am a number one driver. It really makes me proud that people think I am doing a good job.

At least that is how I end up holding back traffic flow.


EDIT: 13MWZ posted while I was writing, but both post are good perspectives.

 

Hahaha, I edited to bring up the weight issue, then saw your post. Good one!

 

Same here. Once I had to stop at a rest area to actuall get an hr or two of sleep on the way up to CO. I liked that there were some trucks there. Also the rythmic (sp?) sound of the diesels running actually helped me sleep

 

I am just a lonely little 4-wheeler, but I have to stick up for the truckers here. For those of you who might not understand the truckers job, go buy a cb, throw the mic out the window, and get on a long trucker route for 24 hours and watch and listen. Every time you stop to stretch, eat, go to the bathroom etc, that truck you have been tailgaiting the the last couple hours keeps going. Everytime you stop, you will catch up with him down the road, after about 15 hours, you will begin to realize, that this guy has not stopped once, has not eaton, slept, or releived himself. They have a tough job, I wouldn't want it. But I appreciate all the stuff I've got, which got delivered by a trucker.

 

Probably the reason I couldn't do that being the type A personality I am

I would be pushing on the steering wheel to try and go faster

No harm - no foul !

 

(Other B here)
Back when I used to travel alone a lot, I would look for a place with a lot of rigs parked rather than an empty rest area/lot/whatever. I felt a lot safer among the truckers because most of them are pretty good folks.

 

Many States do have that law. Some States say you can't run a truck on idie for more then 10 minutes. Some States say 3 minutes. Some infroce it more then others. I can tell as a retired trucker that alot of time I had to idle a truck just to stay warm. But now adays a lot of trucks are set up that when it drops below a temp. The truck will start auto and warm up then shut off automaticly. Also a lot of truckers now have small genurators to provide electric heat or A/C. I hope that helps you a little.

 

My wife got mugged at a rest stop a while back, the layout of the place was perfect for that to happen, phone booth right beside the bathroom door, perfect place for an assailant to hide. Anyway, she didn't stop to think, her dad is a career driver, and he had told her first to never stop at rest stops, second, if you do, knock on a driver's door and have them go in with her, most would be happy to, just because, not just because of her looks.

 

When we drive to Mexico, we usually pull off and take a nap about halfway--too close to get a motel but too far to take all at once. I always look for a stop that's got a lot of trucks, especially if they're pulling in or out pretty steadily. Seems like less chance of someone bothering you if there's traffic.

 

I never sleep at the rest stops to sleep, but I always travel with someone. I would rather drive, and have the other person sleep so that we don't have to stop and get a motel, or find somewhere to crash.

 

The rest areas are there primarily for the damn truckers. They need sleep also, or do you prefer them to drive dog tired & possibly kill you in the process because they fell asleep while driving.
You are driving a car, pull yourself into a motel and get a room. If you can't afford a room, then why are you driving such a far distance from home?

Now being a damn trucker myself, and knowing that there are alot of damn truckers registered here on this site I will jump up and say that you should learn the reason why those trucks are running before you cry like a little girl about it.

Now, imagine this........

Imaging turning your oven up to 425 degrees, getting good and hot then climbing into it to go to sleep. OK, now that being said.....

The sleeper on a tractor-trailer works like a oven in the summertime. If the truck is not running then you have no A/C. Those sleepers atract heat & then it becomes boiling hot in there. Now can you be comfortable sleeping when the sweat is pouring off your body like a garden hose? I think not.

The same thing goes in the winter time, but the exact opposite. They get colder then Antartica........


Sorry, had to rant. When someone complains about anything that has anything to do with the trucking industry ticks me off. Before morons complain, they should realize everything that they purchase, from the twinkie to the $50,000.00 SUV was on a truck at one point or another. Also, people should live the industry before they complain about it. Then maybe they'll understand a little & have more common sense.

 

I knew the temperature on this thread would rise.

Research...Research...Research.

If anyone is looking for the "Why do trucks drive beside each other on hills posts"...you can find that newly created thread on the GAD forum.

 

Well, for me the sound of a diesel is just music to my ears... but then I slept in field tractors as a kid.