It's Hot Out There, What's A Trucker To Do? Can't Idle.

CDL Life, a trucking news and entertainment website, underwent an experiment recently to illustrate the danger for truckers of anti-idling laws.

It's hot out there, what's a trucker to do? Can't idle.

It's sad when you can go to jail for leaving a dog in a car - but no one cares that truckers can suffer or die.

Not that I agree with leaving dogs in cars, mine never gets left in one - or I leave it running with the AC on full blast.

Rick

I idle and have never gotten any hassle from any LEO.

I idle and have never gotten any hassle from any LEO.

I've watched tickets being handed out quite a number of times in California. I'm from New York, which is also a no-idle state, but in really hot or cold weather they won't say anything. A lot just depends on the location, the conditions, and whether you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time that day.

It's sad when you can go to jail for leaving a dog in a car - but no one cares that truckers can suffer or die.

Sad but true.

In school they told us to get a dog nobody will write you a ticket for idling with a dog, maybe a stuffed dog will be enough to fool some people.

Unfortunately nobody cares if we melt.

It's sad when you can go to jail for leaving a dog in a car - but no one cares that truckers can suffer or die.

Sad but true.

Not to mention the horrible tragedy when a child is left in a over-heated car. Breaks my heart.

Since were on the subject, many trucks have sensors to prevent idling when the outside temp is below a certain degree. I think Schneider was 72 degrees. There were a few times when it was about 70 degrees outside, and my truck wouldn't idle for more than 5 minutes. I could try to park with the front of the truck facing the sun to heat up the sensor (My Frightliner had the sensor in the back of the driver side mirror.) However, even at 70 degrees, it can reach 80 or more inside the cab. I thought about wrapping a 12V heating pad around the mirror to trigger the sensor, but never got around to doing it.

Hot weather is a real problem for me as I get older. I can bundle up in cold weather, but I can only take so much off before people start calling the police. So, my question is: How do you deal with the heat?

It's sad when you can go to jail for leaving a dog in a car - but no one cares that truckers can suffer or die.

Sad but true.

Not to mention the horrible tragedy when a child is left in a over-heated car. Breaks my heart.

Since were on the subject, many trucks have sensors to prevent idling when the outside temp is below a certain degree. I think Schneider was 72 degrees. There were a few times when it was about 70 degrees outside, and my truck wouldn't idle for more than 5 minutes. I could try to park with the front of the truck facing the sun to heat up the sensor (My Frightliner had the sensor in the back of the driver side mirror.) However, even at 70 degrees, it can reach 80 or more inside the cab. I thought about wrapping a 12V heating pad around the mirror to trigger the sensor, but never got around to doing it.

Hot weather is a real problem for me as I get older. I can bundle up in cold weather, but I can only take so much off before people start calling the police. So, my question is: How do you deal with the heat?

My trick for dealing with unavoidable heat requires some practice, but one can get better at it: fasting. If you've ever tried it you know you start feeling cold after several hours. You can use that to advantage. At the very least, eat lightly.

Personally I idle if its hot. If I get a ticket so be it. I too can sleep great in cold weather but not at all when I'm hot. If I were ever to have LEO try to write me a ticket I would at the very least ask why every LEO vehicle I see sitting on the side of the highway has the windows up (idling) and ask for his home address so I can disconnect his families AC while they try to sleep in their home as I am trying to do in my truck which is my home. At least it might make him think before writing a ticket...or not.

"Snitches get stitches". Not advocating violence against the rat-bastids who are outing idlers. It's just fun to make a rhyme sometimes.