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TForce | How do reduce idle time?

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brown67

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Just started as the vacation fill in at my center a couple of weeks ago. My idle time is a little high and just wondered what you do to reduce it. Any tips would help. I do shut off the truck when I'm not moving, but still need to get it down more.
 
when backing down an incline, line the truck up straight, shut it off and let it roll.


(thanks for letting me interrupt your forum for one more of my smart-*** comments.
 
Brown67 said:
Just started as the vacation fill in at my center a couple of weeks ago. My idle time is a little high and just wondered what you do to reduce it. Any tips would help. I do shut off the truck when I'm not moving, but still need to get it down more.
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Average idle time for the day shoud be about thirty minutes.
Depending in the type of job you are doing it may be higher. CPUs in city traffic can run up idle time.
Driving under 5mph will be recorded as idle time.

I shut the tractor off everytime it stops rolling (except in traffic) in the yard, at the phones, standing by, waiting to get by a driver backing on door, etc.
It takes some practice to get it down under 20 minutes unless you have run with one turn around and its all highway driving between buildings.

Don't unplug the IVIS like was mentioned, it grounds for disipline.

Do the job and do it safely. Let some manager worry about the numbers....because that's all idle time really is.... a number.




Good Luck

PS Don't let it worry you, worry more about the four wheelers and other idiots out here driving around you.
 
Take this with a grain of salt as I don't know you or your equipment.

Our safety man at OD taught us that the newer tractors on the market today don't need hardly any warm-up time, one to two minutes just to get the oil flowing through all the parts, and the tractor won't really warm-up anyway until you get it under a load.
 
If I was under a knife about idle time I would start it and hammer down, get to a stop and shut it down. Do it their way and remember it is their engine & starters they are killing. Rag it and go if they are so picky about the number game.
 
A lot of my problem is just being new. Takes me longer to back and put together sets. Monday my idle time was 76min. Friday when I punched in it was down to 36 min. Learning curve is helping. I'm just get quicker at everything and I don't need to idle my truck as much.
 
Brown67 said:
A lot of my problem is just being new. Takes me longer to back and put together sets. Monday my idle time was 76min. Friday when I punched in it was down to 36 min. Learning curve is helping. I'm just get quicker at everything and I don't need to idle my truck as much.
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Tractor should never be idling when you're hooking a set. If you're out of the seat the tractor should be off and keys in pocket PERIOD
Not only does this reduce idle time but protects you from anyone moving the tractor without you knowing.


Practice makes perfect

Safety By Choice, Not By Chance
 
I don't leave it on when I'm hooking set up, but I was quite slow at first just backing up and getting everything lined up right. Learning curve is really cutting time back the most.
 
My advise to you is; "Don't sweat the small stuff". Idle times are subject to many variables during your shift. Road construction, weather, traffic, etc., all effect your idle time. Management will always push you on that but as long as you try to do a good job you should be fine. Always remember that SAFETY is your #1 priority. If you are in situations where you must move slow for a while then that's eggs-ackly what you do. Be safe and management will get used to your idle time and you won't get stuck trying to explain an accident by hurrying so you could lower your idle time.
 
Drake said:
My advise to you is; "Don't sweat the small stuff". Idle times are subject to many variables during your shift. Road construction, weather, traffic, etc., all effect your idle time. Management will always push you on that but as long as you try to do a good job you should be fine. Always remember that SAFETY is your #1 priority. If you are in situations where you must move slow for a while then that's eggs-ackly what you do. Be safe and management will get used to your idle time and you won't get stuck trying to explain an accident by hurrying so you could lower your idle time.
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Egg-cellent advice.....quack,quack
 
Just remember,you are being paid the the hour,not by the the amount of moves you make(yard jockey's) Just follow their word,and the speed limit, and then have the sup go over where you are possibly going over in your idle time. This happens more often in a metro type dist.(N.Y, L.A, Chi) with stop and go traffic. Just remember,Safety First. Anytime you step out of you tractor, shut it down,and secure the vehicle.
 
don't insert your card until you are hooked up and ready to go. then insert it and input your trailers/dolly info. also, do not shut the truck off if it will be restarted within one minute or it will accumulate additional idle time. for example, if you shut it down for 10 secs, start it up for 10 secs, shut it down for 10 secs then start it back up, it will show 2 minutes of idle time - even though less than a minute has actually elapsed. it rounds up to a minute regardless. we've tested this out in our yard. kinda like cellular phone companies...
 
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