Better to idle the tractor or turn it off?

[Don87]

I am curious.....
why do some occupations think they are so high and mighty when a LOT of different occupations make this world go round.

I agree, trucking is a tough job, and there are a lot of great drivers out there (there are a LOT of A hole drivers as well) but there are tons of tough jobs as besides trucking, be a coal miner, a iron worker, a oil field worker, a farmer.......

There are many more occupations as hard, or harder than truck driving,

I'm not really sure of your question, but if you read my previous post, it may shed some light on the questions that 'I think" you are asking.

 

[Soundguy]

Lord God Almighty..........you have no idea just how much I agree with your view.

scarry ain't it!

 

[Don87]

I am curious.....
why do some occupations think they are so high and mighty when a LOT of different occupations make this world go round.

I agree, trucking is a tough job, and there are a lot of great drivers out there (there are a LOT of A hole drivers as well) but there are tons of tough jobs as besides trucking, be a coal miner, a iron worker, a oil field worker, a farmer.......There are many more occupations as hard, or harder than truck driving,

With every one of those workers, they have access to free showers every night, whether it be a company paid motel room for the oil field worker, or home for the rest. truck drivers do not have that luxury.

 

[Don87]

Boy,this thread has gotten off track.

Yes and no........I drive 2 tractors.........a Massey Ferguson, and a Freightliner.........only difference is that one is off-road, the other is on-road. Both have the potential for idling for extended periods, but sometimes for different reasons, as I was describing.

One tractor is growing the food you need, the other tractor is delivering everything thing you own.

 

[D7E]

With every one of those workers, they have access to free showers every night, whether it be a company paid motel room for the oil field worker, or home for the rest. truck drivers do not have that luxury.

Spent many months at a time when i was single Doing 18/24 even 36 hr shifts on tractors with no ac in temps like you describe 200 miles from home for large farm companies . When you do get to sleep due to rain it's in a trailer with no running water . Slept in my car more than i can remember on many jobs .
Dont feel to hard done by ..

 

[rsewill]

I've thought all week how to 'respectfully' resond correctly to your comments.

No disrespect is intended here, but this is a 'learning experience' for those that don't know the industry.

If a person is able to sleep in the 100 degree heat, even with a fan, and the windows open, allowing bugs to come into the truck..........think of how much a person would sweat in a 10 hour time period. May need to throw the mattress out every other day.

If a trucker gets 50 gallons of fuel, he can get a shower for free.........after spending 10 hours sweating his b*lls off in his bed. If you can't get 50 gallons of fuel( company won't allow fueling there, or they have no showers at that fuel stop), ya gotta pay between 12 and 20 bucks for that shower.

I dunno of too many "normal people' that will go without a basic necessity such as a shower, after being required by law to sit in a 100 degree truck for 10 hours, yet those same people think it's the 'drivers duty' to do this.............go figure.

So many aspects of the trucking industry that so many non-truckers don't realize.............I've driven over 250 miles at a clip, without ever finding a place to pull a 50 foot rig over to go pee............ever hold your urine for 5 hours, til you can safely pull over?

No, I always planned my stops ahead of time and didn't drink if need be. But it was rare that I couldn't find a place to pull over and kick my tires. Also, where I trucked it was rare that it got to 100 when I wanted to sleep. And showers were easy to come by. I could screen out mosquitoes but it was a hassle without Velcro. I mostly stayed west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rockies by choice. You have to have a sheet, blanket and a pillow by law. My pillow was the hardest, the rest was easily washed. Now mounted fans are uncommon in trucks.

 

[TGF]

I turn it off just because of the noise.

Wear during starting, excessive fuel during starting all those things are myths with modern tractors and the current tolerances. The only time I let it idle is for 5 minutes of turbo cool down post hard work. The the reason why is the manual says so. In fact the JD manual suggests you don't let it idle excessively.

 

[Redneck in training]

I've thought all week how to 'respectfully' resond correctly to your comments.

No disrespect is intended here, but this is a 'learning experience' for those that don't know the industry.

If a person is able to sleep in the 100 degree heat, even with a fan, and the windows open, allowing bugs to come into the truck..........think of how much a person would sweat in a 10 hour time period. May need to throw the mattress out every other day.

If a trucker gets 50 gallons of fuel, he can get a shower for free.........after spending 10 hours sweating his b*lls off in his bed. If you can't get 50 gallons of fuel( company won't allow fueling there, or they have no showers at that fuel stop), ya gotta pay between 12 and 20 bucks for that shower.

I dunno of too many "normal people' that will go without a basic necessity such as a shower, after being required by law to sit in a 100 degree truck for 10 hours, yet those same people think it's the 'drivers duty' to do this.............go figure.

So many aspects of the trucking industry that so many non-truckers don't realize.............I've driven over 250 miles at a clip, without ever finding a place to pull a 50 foot rig over to go pee............ever hold your urine for 5 hours, til you can safely pull over?

If I am not mistaken truckers are required to sleep in hotels/motels in Europe. Since it is a law it levels the playing field. I have never saw a sleeper on any EU truck.

 

[Soundguy]

their roads are too small for the longer trucks..

 

[Redneck in training]

their roads are too small for the longer trucks..

The semis are about the same size and tonnage as in the USA. The reason is safety as tired driver is considered dangerous. All long range (inter city) semis have a "Tachograph". It is a device that records speed, gear, brake etc versus time. Loading and unloading counts as work time. I don't know what the current regulations are but years ago when my brother was a truck driver single driver was allowed to work 10 hours/day maximum and two drivers 12 or 14 (I don't remember exact number). There are other regulations such as brakes, kW/ton, weight/axle etc.

Back to the original topic. When i worked in Siberia trucks and in fact any vehicle were never stopped in the winter. They either moved or idled 24/7 due to very low temperatures. Most trucks at the site were Ford 150, 250 or Toyota Landcruiser. All with diesel engines. I don't recall anybody complaining about engine issues.