just letting tractor idle - probably a dumb question

[TMGT]

Police cruisers still carry radio equipment, radar equipment etc. that will drain a battery extremely quick.
I dont think anyone here is arguing that there isnt other ways to do it, but not with the current equipment available.

As for OTR, it is not common for them to be idling for long periods of time these days. Owner operators can't afford to waste the fuel and larger companies will usually have policy against long idle times or already have APU's on the trucks.
Diesel isn't cheap like it use to be.

Police Cruisers are not carrying temp controlled meds...nor are long haul trailer trucks (unless they have separate refrig engines...)

Even in the ONE seemingly justified EMS medicine temp case there are a LOT of ways to deal with those issues that do not involve thousands of hours of engine run time.

 

[aczlan]

Police cruisers still carry radio equipment, radar equipment etc. that will drain a battery extremely quick.
I dont think anyone here is arguing that there isnt other ways to do it, but not with the current equipment available.

They could put a big deep cycle battery in the trunk (like you would use for a trolling motor) to run that equipment, but you would still need heat or AC. Down the road when they release a hybrid police car with a electrically powered AC compressor (like the Prius has) where it can run in AC or heat pump mode with the engine off, I can see that happening, but not until then (although, IIRC, Ford has a "K9 mode" for their police SUV that will automatically run the engine as needed to keep the inside of the car at a comfortable temperature for a K9)

As for OTR, it is not common for them to be idling for long periods of time these days. Owner operators can't afford to waste the fuel and larger companies will usually have policy against long idle times or already have APU's on the trucks.
Diesel isn't cheap like it use to be.

Yep and many states make it illegal for big trucks to sit idling, so many have an APU or small genset to keep the driver warm or cool.
That may be the next step for ambulances as well (that or a hybrid drivetrain with an electrically powered AC compressor and chiller for the medicine fridge).

Aaron Z

 

[PILOON]

I agree. There are people who can probably operate a cell phone safely (just talking) while driving, especially where they have hands-free connections to the car radio. But those idiots doing text messaging while driving are literally criminally negligent. Distracted is distracted. There are certainly degrees -- texting on the worst end and hands free voice on the other end but distracted is distracted and it clearly causes accidents and sometimes deaths. No way around it.

Another counter point to the airplane and automobile analogy: the airplanes are not 30 feet apart doing 70 mph foolishly tailgating, switching lanes for no good reason missing other cars by a few feet , running 6 abreast on the beltway, etc. The standard for vertical separation in the air is 1000ft and on same-level aircraft separation can be labeled a close call measured in miles or fractions of miles -- not a few feet. Then there is the NEED for the radio contact. In aircraft it is absolutely essential. In the car -- heck it did't even exist until a few short years back yet -- on the order of 100 years after cars went on the roads -- it never was essential and is not now. A huge % of the voice traffic in cars via cellphone these days is meaningless drivel and trivia, not 'Needed' communications.

Bad analogy.

My response:
Cars (generly) travel at less than 70 MPH or so.
Aircraft, in a pattern, are a mix of anything from 100 and up to close to 200 MPH.

Example I once flew thru a military zone (me at 120) and tower advised me to keep a lookout for high speed traffic doing circuits.
Visibility was at minimums (3 mile) and that traffic was 2 Voodoos doing circuits. (a Voodoo covers a lot of distance in that 3 mile visibility range)
LOL, needed to change my drawers. (think they relied on radar)

Just to say in the air things do happen faster than U think, especially in limited visibility conditions.
FYI, a cockpit is a very busy place for advanced equipped aircraft.
One plus is a well equipped AC will have a PTT switch on the control stick and pilot generally wears a headset with a boom mike thus leaving his hands free.

Basically it is all about 'multi tasking', some can handle it and many can't.
From experience I know that I can to some extent, but I know that many cannot.

For many a simple cell phone should not pose a problem but I agree that texting is certainly not to be included.

 

[bunyip]

Brings to mind a quote I heard, I may be off track but I think it was Chuck Yaeger, 'you don't know what lost is until you are lost at mach 3'.

 

[corl]

Visited Dawson City in Canada a few years ago. The miners idle their D9s all winter since they can't get them started in the cold. They said they idle at 5 gal/hr. Talk about big diesel bills. Have to find that gold.