Swift: Fighting For Idling Time

LittleTrucker said in another thread,

My trainer showed me a trick where you can turn on cruise control which will stop the truck from shutting off but we have gotten idle warnings, which my trainer would ignore, but then his dispatcher will call every now and then and the two of them will have an argument about it for a while. He basically ends up telling her to fire him if it's that big of a deal. They've reached a compromise where he agreed to do it a little less.

The Swift management sends out a "Don't Idle So Much" message on the Qualcomm every so often. As a company they want to cut expenses, and even the drops of diesel fuel burned when your truck is idling add up when you multiply your truck by hundred of trucks.

But they always end with a comment that your comfort (and ability to drive!) is important, so they really do not argue if you idle over night. Summer is a different story, but in cooler times, the bunk heater will do the job.

The bottom line here is the DM can certainly work to keep her drivers' idling down, but the discussion should not get to the "so fire me!" level. If that's just part of your trainer's personality, so be it, but it's not necessary to get down and dirty arguing about idling.

Qualcomm:

Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.

Dispatcher:

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.

Dm:

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.

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.

EPU:

Electric Auxiliary Power Units

Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices