Hello And Question

Topic 10258 | Page 1

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Pitmaster's Comment
member avatar

Hi all. I am a 30 year old gent considering a career transition into trucking. I have been lurking about and reading and I will probably land with Roehl in their paid CDL training. Especially since I am only about 35 minutes from their Phoenix terminal and can still be home during school.

Anyway, I was wondering about parking and idling. Let's say I'm stopped somewhere for the night, a truck stop or rest stop. Am I allowed to idle the truck to keep my power and climate control going? If not, does that change if I am driving a reefer? Are you then allowed to idle to keep the reefer cold? Also, DOT limits you to ten hours a day driving correct?

Thanks.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

Sclose757's Comment
member avatar

I may be wrong in my reply and I, sure I'll get corrected but I believe most trucks now have an APU to keep your sleeper berth climate controlled and maintain power.. Reefers have their own generator to keep it running and that means you have to keep an eye on its separate full as well

Sleeper Berth:

The portion of the tractor behind the seats which acts as the "living space" for the driver. It generally contains a bed (or bunk beds), cabinets, lights, temperature control knobs, and 12 volt plugs for power.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Tracey D.'s Comment
member avatar

My boyfriend drives for Roehl. I know that the reefer runs on its own fuel that needs filling and a watchful eye. Qualcom messages come pretty quick if they detect the temperature not where it should be. As for your own comfort, I believe they state "they want you to be comfortable," but I know that they don't like you to idle. I have heard his stories of how he will be sitting all day and will have AC running until his battery goes dead. And then he doesn't want to start it up again unless he absolutely has to. It doesn't happen often that his battery will die before it is time to start up again on another 14 hour day.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

JakeBreak's Comment
member avatar

The trucks at roehl have apu's now and it'll depend on what kind of truck you get as to how well they work. Internationals have an auto start the fires up the truck to charge the batteries when they get low

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Jeffry T.'s Comment
member avatar

All of roehls trucks have apus so there is no need for idling in fact there trucks are equipped with idle shut down unless it is less then 15 I believe or over 80 outside. When I was with them I never had to idle my truck overnight but you do have to be aware of the things that need power because there apus run off a bank of 8 batteries.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Spreadneck's Comment
member avatar

You can work 14 hours a day, only 11 driving.

Spreadneck's Comment
member avatar

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/summary-hours-service-regulations

CSA:

Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)

The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle

FMCSA:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.

What Does The FMCSA Do?

  • Commercial Drivers' Licenses
  • Data and Analysis
  • Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
  • Research and Technology
  • Safety Assistance
  • Support and Information Sharing

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

Fm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
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