Wondering about anti-idle laws

[WEC4104]

I went back and watched the McCain bus clip again, and while listening to it sitting there idling, I started wondering about a few things.

Many cities and states have enacted anti-idling laws for environmental/pollution reasons.  Last year I was on a chartered coach in downtown Phila., and the driver was absolutely paranoid about idling too long. He was having some issues with the automatic trans, and while he was playing with things and trying to diagnose what was going on, he was constantly shutting down the engine and watching for police activity. He remarked that someone from his charter company had been fined recently, and he didn't want to be next.  If I recall, the time limit was pretty short, like 10 minutes max.

So now I get to wondering if any of our members have ever run up against this. Laryn's recent comments about downtown DC got me wondering about the laws that might apply there.  I was wondering how the laws apply to non-commercial coaches.  Obviously McCain's coach appears to be a "for hire" situation, but some of the members here own rigs that look similar (minus the exterior lettering) and are only for private use. 

Anybody here ever been ticketed, or warned by a cop for idling?  Obviously our gensets and battery systems reduce the need for us to do so, but I also know our group includes guys that drive seated coaches commercially.  [and if it is alright with everyone, I'd like to steer clear of the "Does idling a diesel for long periods hurt the engine" discussion which has been beat to death in previous threads.]   

Anybody?

[lostagain]

Many towns like ours are passing no iddling bylaws. It makes environmentallists and tree huggers feel good. The signs look good to the tourists. It is not enforced in the small towns like ours, although the RCMP could issue tickets. Some of the worst offenders are parents waiting for their kids to get out of school. Others are delivery trucks, although the high price of fuel has many of them shutting them down now.

I'm all for it myself, (bad for the engine, noise and air pollution), except as everyone would agree, sometimes it is nice to iddle such as in cold weather in winter, especially with a bus. For example with the hockey team's bus, when they come out of the arena after a game and it's 20 below, I'll be on fast iddle for half an hour while they trickle in out of the dressing room. If I didn't, I'd have a big problem with the players and the coach! I need to iddle for 10 min. at least to keep the windshield defrosted before driving off.

On a hot summer afternoon, the heat builds up pretty fast in the coach if you shut it off, then you hear it from the passengers! But if there is enforcement, they understand and put up with it.


So I guess, as laws and enforcement get tougher, everyone will have to put up with cold and heat... Hey maybe the next generation won't have this issue when  their propulsion engines won't be noisy or polluting...

Just rambling...

JC

[Ednj]

Wayne,
Just keep a dog or a cat in your bus with you and you can idle as long as you want.

[Busted Knuckle]

Well DC is by far the worst we deal with regularly! They have a 3 min idle law! And they DO enforce it! Now for you private coachers, no worries! They go around the places that attract huge #'s of tourists, and watch for idling charter buses. Now when they find 1 idling they first take the company info & tag # and write it down. Then sometimes they find the driver and ask if there is anyone onboard (drivers don't count), sometimes they don't. But the driver never sees the ticket, they mail it to the company along with a notice they will have the ICC & IFTA permits suspended if not paid! If there is just 1 passenger on board there is nothing they can do about the bus idling! But it's up to the company to prove a passenger was indeed onboard if the driver is not asked! I have a habit of finding out of the way places to hang out while waiting, and I always sit in the drivers seat looking around all the time in the mirrors and everywhere. Or if it is a shady area I'll stand or sit outside watching. But I try to keep my bus as comfortable as possible for my customers! I hate the wasted fuel & pollution as much as anybody, but happy customers are TIPPING & repeat TIPPING customers! LOL!
By the way the first offense in DC for a company is only $750. The second is $1500 and any after that is $5000! FYI.   BK 

PS. I know a driver who when they first started it carried a blow up doll and a blond wig and would lean "her" against a window so "she" was easily seen! 9at least that was his story for having her, and he stuck to it!) But he got a suspicious cop once who beat on the window repeatedly while Tommy just stood and hoped the cop would give up. But after she didn't respond he made Tommy open the bus "so he could check on her". When he came off the bus carring her he was laffing so hard he almost fell down the steps! Tommy thought he was home free. But the cop pulled out his pocket knife and sliced her across her back, handed her to Tommy said 'heres yer little sex toy", and got out his ticket book! They threw the book at Tommy, for trying to "beat the system", and not the company. He had to hire a local lowyer to fight it for him so he didn't have to appear (probably was too embarassed to!), and after the lawyer fees and the $1000 fine & court fees he said it cost him almost 2 grand! I asked if he replaced the doll (lol), and almost got knocked down! LOL!

[TomC]

You can go on line to the EPA site for a state by state regulation on idling.  With passenger buses, if it is above 100 degrees many states allow the bus to idle.  You just have to check with your area.  Florida is pretty lax since it has a breeze blowing most the time.  Good Luck, TomC