Poll. Idle Air. Is it worth it?

[Grumpster]

I'll agree that if the company pays for it it makes since, but if I'm paying for the diesel, then my genset only costs me about 70 cents per hour. Way less than that if I have it on auto start temperature monitoring on mild evenings. As a bonus, it keeps my batteries charged, supports both my and my wifes desktop computers, (yes we have those in the truck) parking lights, TV, microwave, and all our other power drains. I can't afford the high cost of idle air.

[TimD]

How much does IdleAir cost? I like the idea of it all.

[Grumpster]

Last I heard it was $2.18 a hour but I don't know if they've raised it lately or not. Karen was just reading up on their plunge towards bankruptcy, and according to their December 31 financial statement, they only have enough available funds to continue operations through the end of Apr. They have already let go of about 40 top executives in the company and cut back on site employees as well while giving the board members a guarantee of 18 months severance PLUS one million dollars if basically anything should happen to the company. They've hired a financial management company who states that idleair does not have the revenue to support their expenses and idleairs own statement is even more dire saying basically, that if some one doesn't give them more money that they will not be able to continue operations. Their attempt to go public with an IPO to gain funding has stalled "due to current marked conditions" according to a idleair spokesman. They are in negotiations with some banks and have been for months now, but their hasn't been any indication given that that will result in any relief either.

From what I've seen and from what actual users have told me, they are not maintaining their sites and fixing broken units and all expansion has stopped due to lack of funds. They lost over 90 million net last year and still haven't even paid one single interest payment on any of their loans yet. Their first interest payment of a little over 20 million is due at the end of the year and that alone amounts to about 2/3 of their net income for 07.

Would any one like to start a lottery on how long before idleair shuts down for good? I'm betting that the board of directors will take their 18 months severance pay and 1 million dollars and the the rest of the employees will show up one day and find that they don't have a job any more and that their final paycheck isn't in the mail.

[TimD]

Thanks DJ. It just seems like a good idea to me. Too bad it isnt working for them.

[Grumpster]

As much as I hate idle air, I have to admit that it is a good idea. Unfortunately, like so many good ideas, it's one that will never work. The cost of installing and maintaining the sites, makes it a business that can never generate a profit. History is full of really great ideas that just don't work, and idleair is one of them. Sad things is, their are probably even more not so good ideas that somehow do work and make a good profit. The pet rock, mood rings, Chia Pets, and a ton of as seen on TV items that I just can't believe that any one actually buys. I've been seeing infomercials lately for a rubber ball that they are selling as a exercise thing that will supposedly make you look like Charles Atlas or something.

[Prairiepartners]

Idle Aire is $1.85 per hour with a gold membership and includes some of the basic cable channels and electrical outlets also.

[TimD]

Not a bad price for all of that. I could idle that in our Minivan in an hour and not be able to watch TV.

[Omega Man]

The only thing Idle-Air does for me is I can usually find a parking spot there. I pull in, start my APU and go to bed.

[Grumpster]

Personally, I like it when they put those orange traffic cones in the spaces. Easy for my wife to move and I just pull in to my reserved space.  Now, those barricades I have to get out and move my self instead of having my wife do it, but still have the space, pull in, start my APU, and go to bed.

[TwoTruckers]

Frankly I don't understand why a company would pay for a driver to use it [Idle Air]. They would be much smarter to pay out the money that would be spent on it up front and put APUs on all of their trucks.

The APU would pay for itself after a few months, plus it would add to the resale value of the truck, where as all the company gets from IdleAire is saved engine hours.  An APU is the much smarter way to go, not just from a dollar and cents point of view but from a more practical point of view. The APU can be used to save idle time anywhere anytime, not just in 100 or so locations.

[Trucker Lee]

I use Idleaire as often as I can , however my company pays for the service and I'm very grateful they do. Come on guys .. with the high cost of fuel .. It only makes sense !!

I wish I could  convince my office of that.   They think I should pay my money to save them fuel!    Yeah,  RIGHT!

[Grumpster]

When I first bought my truck, fuel prices were around $1.50 a gallon. I analized the cost/benefit of a APU back then and though I was looking at about a 18 month return on investment, it made since. I didn't actually install a APU till later when fuel prices rose above $2.00 a gallon or so. It made even more since then.

Remember, I'm paying for it out of my own pocket so I actually have to be able to justify that kind of expense, not  only to my self, but even more important, to my wife, who I have to live with.

With today's fuel prices, not having a APU is just plain financial suicide. It also creates a SERIOUS driver safety problem when drivers "try" to sleep in uncomfortable temperatures and end up driving tired and fatigued just because the company expects the driver to save them a lousy dollar. I'm sorry, my life, and the life of the people on the road around me isn't worth that kind of fiscal logic.

Any company that refuses to see that in the interest of saving a dollar at the drivers expense is, as far as I'm concerned, putting their money ahead of not only their drivers safety, but the safety of the public as well and I'd refuse to drive for such a company under those circumstances. We're talking about more than saving a few dollars. We're talking about saving lives.

[keger8]

me & my dad are always thinkin about trying but we are waitin til we hit the truck stop during the noon=ish time so its onlt 2$ instead of 2.50$  per hour

[cacheweasels]

We use it as often as we can. And we pay for it. It's a lot better than rebuilding this engine from the wear

[AwayWeGo]

I initially signed up because it was the ONLY parking left available. That's pretty much when I use it, is if I need parking. Even then, I may only actually pay for an hour or two then shut it off when I go to bed.