What’s The Deal With Idling.

I’m considering becoming a truck driver and would like to know about keeping the a/c on when needed. Can I generally keep the ac on when needed? Are no idling laws actually enforced? Do companies give you a hard time about idling?

Just wanting people experiences with this.

I’m considering becoming a truck driver and would like to know about keeping the a/c on when needed. Can I generally keep the ac on when needed? Are no idling laws actually enforced? Do companies give you a hard time about idling?

Just wanting people experiences with this.

Depends on the state or municipality.

You can google: truck idling laws (insert state name here) - and get a rundown by a particular state - or the EPA's state by state list:

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/CompilationofStateIdlingRegulations.pdf

It's funny (not funny) - all states have laws about leaving pets/children in vehicles in inclement weather - but don't give a rats ass if a driver freezes or roasts in their own juices.

Enforcement really varies from non-existent, to officers looking for "easy pickings".

A great many companies are equipping their trucks with APU's now - to keep the cabin temps livable.

COMPANIES can also have some bizzare idling rules - which vary from company to company - but they are more concerned with how much the fuel you burn costs.

With summers (seemingly) getting hotter - and winters (seemingly) getting colder - the ability to get decent rest is important, and in some climate extremes might be a matter of survival.

Rick

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.

Everything Rick said with one small addition. With the additional emissions equipment on these new trucks, idling can be very detrimental to the engine. The engines don’t really get a thorough regen when parked and down the road it causes problems. Cummins has a formula where idle hours are calculated into miles and used against the warranty. A truck may not be over on miles in the odometer for warranty issues but the high idle hours will actually put the truck out of warranty leaving repair bills in the company or individual owner.

As far as law enforcement goes, I've never had anyone bother me about idling to keep cool. Even in California, nobody has ever bothered me.