So diesels dont like to sit....

msmith1199 wrote:

koda55 wrote:
When I was an otr driver I would idle my engine over night to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I would bump the idle up to 1000 rpm. I never had any problems with my engines. Many drivers never shut their engines off from the time they leave home until they come off the road for their time off. Of course there may be differences in big rig engines and RV diesel engines.

Just out of curiosity, how much fuel did you burn idling for 8 hours to run the heat or air? I always wondered if there wouldn't be a way to mount a 4000 watt diesel generator on big rigs to provide A/C and heat to the cab. Seems like it would burn a whole lot less fuel than the main engine.

We always figured a gallon a hour. But fuel did not cost anywhere near what it does today!! Lots of todays rigs have APUs (Auxiliary Power Units) which provide power and keep the antifreeze warm while the main engine isn't running. But you probably will not find these on regional and local run rigs. And many of the owner operators don't spec them because of cost. And they use fuel just like the main engine does, just less of it.

And Koda55, if they were concerned about drivers rest, they would have paid to put them in a motel like the union companies did!!! Company I retired from sometimes made long runs, and we had sleeper units, but they put us in a motel every night when we were on a long run. but I know where you are coming from, cause I did the same thing before I found a good driving job.