Autoblog

Frank Smith @ Mar 1st 2008 10:03PM

I have driven class 8 trucks with sleepers over the road for 18 years now, so I may be best suited for answering this question. Many "old time truckers" just have the attitude that the truck runs from the time I leave the house to the time I get home. This is how it USED to be due to the older style engines and the relatively CHEAP diesel prices 80 cents or less a gallon. In colder climates or winter months it eliminates climbing into a freezing cab or perhaps not being able to restart the big diesel engine with 11 gallons of cold thick engine oil. Start ups are hard on engines and starting components, but with the price of diesel over $3.50 a gallon currently and engine idle consumption from 1 to 1.5 gallons per hour this is where a $7,000 to $10,000 Diesel APU (Auxilary Power Unit) generator makes sense. The small one to three cylinder motor runs about 8 hours on one gallon of diesel and while running can heat the truck engine oil or coolant to eliminate cold starts. They also charge the trucks batteries and use the trucks existing batteries to start the APU. They use the diesel right out of the rigs tanks which is typically between 200 and 300 gallons so there is never any hasle about fueling them. Most offer 110/120 household electrical 3000 to 6000 watts and 10,000 to 20,000 BTUs of heating and A/C for the cab. I have one on my truck and I love it. One last thing is it reduces the wear on the engine. Idleing an engine is the fastest way to reduce engine life. You MUST set the idle at 900 RPM minimum to keep the oil pressure up to lubricate the engine while idleing. A 600 RPM idle for more than a few minutes does the engine more harm than actually pulling a loaded trailer up a mountain. (some will argue about the RPM #'s I just mentioned, but you get the idea) Idleing is bad in every form. Diesels require start up and cool down times and one big reason is because all class 8 trucks are turbo charged. It is important for longtivity of the engine life. Turbos will remain spinning for over a minute after the engine is shut down when the engine has been working and is immediately shut down. The turbo will not be lubricated when immediately shut down and this is why you must idle 3 minutes for proper cool down and turbo lubrication/life. Some trucks are equipped with engine timers for this purpose. Excessive Idle when a driver is not in the truck and does not need to run the heat or A/C to keep himself comfortable is ridiculous. It is a bad habit. With no APU it may be necessary for a driver who is IN THE TRUCK to idle so he is comfortable and able to get proper rest so he/she may drive safely after their break. If you think trucks should never idle please go sit in your car for 10 hours in 90 degree heat or in 30 degree cold and try to sleep with the car not running. After 11 hours of driving we must take a 10 hour break per FMCSR (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations) I have heard that states with anti idle laws allow a truck to idle if there is an animal such as a dog on board. I believe the law is the vehicle can not idle longer than 3 or 5 minutes while UNATTENDED. Drives want to make you believe that you can get a ticket for idleing PERIOD. If you are in the truck you can idle or If a pet is in the truck and you are not you can idle. There is no way they can enforce a law that may lead to injury or death (heat stroke/hypothermia) if a person sleeps in a vehicle that has a sleeper berth and has no way to keep warm or cool.
Just like the Bible, the FMCSR is full of interpretation. It is hard to get things in black and white. Let me write a particular quote on speed and logging (log book) and miles. code 392.6 Schedules to conform with speed limits. NO motor carrier shall schedule a run nor permit nor require the operation of any commercial motor vehicle between points in such period of time as would necessitate the commercial motor vehicle being operated at speeds greater than those prescribed by the jurisdictions in or through which the commercial motor vehicle is being operated. END OF CODE
NOW.... if you are in a 65 MPH state and drive all the way on the interstate and average 62 MPH for 10 hours straight driving (possible??? I say yes) can you log 620 miles in 10 hours if that is how you drove it and you did not exceed the posted 65 MPH speed limit??? here is 392.6 DOT interpretations in my FMCSR book. Question 1
How many miles may a driver record on his/her daily record of duty status and still be presumed to be in compliance with the speed limits?
Guidance: Drivers are required to conform to the posted speed limits prescribed by the jurisdictions in or through which the vehicle is being operated. Where the total trip is on highways with a speed limit of 65 mph, trips of 550 to 600 miles completed in 10 hours are considered questionable and the motor carrier may be asked to document that such trips can be made. Trips of 600 miles or more will be assumed to be incapable of being completed without violations of the speed limits and may be required to be documented. END This is BS in my opinion. I have got way off the subject here and I am sorry. I just wanted you people who really do not know anything about trucking to think that we are all redneck idiots driving big trucks with even bigger egos and pea brains thinking because we are bigger we rule the roads. We are suppose to drive under these rules and earn a living doing it. Our pay would have to double if we did everything 100% in compliance with the rules that were written for us.

Going green may prolong our stay on earth and if it also helps save fuel I am all for it. I am glad to see some positive light shined on the trucking industry. The new emissions for 2007 were very tough and the engine manufactures really worked hard to produce and meet the new emissions. It has drasticly affected the power of these engines and the heat they produce is breaking down fluids, requiring bigger cooling systems, and breaking down part life also. In the end we have trucks that DO NOT SMOKE at all and run very clean. The inside of the exhaust stack on our new 2008 trucks are still shiny. NO black soot inside the pipes. Amazing!!! A 1980 Mack truck taking off from a red light would shoot smoke 30 feet into the air and fall to the ground for a solid minute and the truck would be a half mile down the road. Those days are gone. The Trucking industry and engine manufactures have stepped up to the plate to reduce emissions and particulate matter. We are paying a hefty price for these new motors and I am sure the general public knows nothing about it. My boss bought a new truck with a pre-emission 2007 motor and paid $137,000 and that same truck today in 2008 would cost $150,000. I just want you all to know what has been done and at what cost and hopeully you are aware that everything in your house or office or anywhere you go was once on a truck and delivered. Without trucks America stops. I understand without the people selling us the fuel and building our trucks etc. etc. we could not move, but the fact is trucks are a necessity. Your car or SUV is a convenience in most cases if public transportation is available. So if you look at what we have done to improve the earth by making our trucks run cleaner, then each time you take out your car or SUV for a run to the convenience store for a cup of coffee remember you are doing the earth harm. Trucks are out here for a purpose every day, and not something you use to joyride in. So please give a trucker a break when you can. Most of us are good guys and just trying to make an honest living.

THANKS