Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Do the truckers leave the engine running when they sleep in their cab on the side of the road?
Yes, they do. My older brother was a trucker in the 90's and I accompanied him on a few trips in the freezing winter.
We'd sleep in the back of the cab (where the bed was) and leave the engine running all night for the cab heater. It also kept the engine warm so as to prevent start-up issues (in -40C temps, they can make owning a diesel a real headache).
The small amount of fuel used was FAR cheaper than the time and money of a service call to get it running.
For longhaul trucks, time IS money
Agreed, and with the wider scale introduction of APUs, idling has been reduced, in our Class 8 fleet to less than 5% of engine run time.
However, the APU only circulates/warms the engine coolant. The problem becomes the engine oil in the sump is not heated and when you hit -40C, you still need to idle the engine or plug in with an oil pan heater.
Maybe we should take the earlier suggestion and move to civilization - where was that poster from - New Jersey ?
Now that's the ticket......