do bunk heaters blow cold air as well?

The company has different idle options the shop sets with the laptop hooked up. You can ask them to let you idle and have them change the settings. Other than that they don't care about driver comfort. Get your minimum time in and move on. Keep this as one of your ask the recruiter questions. For now you can buy a 12V fan or pay for IdleAire if it's real bad.

In the old days they would hang a hammock under the trailer.

 

I used to try to shut down late...between 10pm and midnight. It can be hard to find parking, but I always managed. While searching for a spot and for a few minutes after parking, I would have the dash and sleeper a/c both wide open...get the truck as cold as possible before shutting it off. Pull a blanket if need be. By the time that cold leaves the cab, the night air is temps are dropping and generally by the time the daytime temps get too hot to sleep in...you'll have a good sleep in anyway. Worked well for me anyway.

 

OK, I prolly shouldn't do this but if OP is grown enough to drive then he can make a grown up decision about idling and his company's policies so here goes. Couple of tricks to bypass the idle shut off: (Caveat - one of the tricks will NOT be to chock the wheels and trick it into thinking it isn't parked. Not that I haven't done it, but I simply couldn't leave it. Ate at me about moving even though I was empty, on flat ground, nose in to the curb and wheel chocks on the drives with the trailer brakes set. Didn't work that great anyway. Only bought me about an hour and a half. Wasn't worth the nagging feeling "but what if . . .")

When the lights start blinking indicating shut off is eminent;

First try hitting the override switch. On a Cascadia look for it under the parking brake and trailer air supply (aforementioned yellow and red thing-a-ma-bobs) between the mirror heat and regen buttons. Hold it down about 5 seconds. Truthfully, that will probably only buy you another ten minutes but sometimes it does bypass the preset. Never know til you try and holding it for the full five seconds seemed to be the thing that confused the computer (or whatever). Just tapping it will definitely only get you another ten.

Next, when the lights start blinking try fully depressing and releasing the clutch. Sometimes THAT'S the secret override. There's always one. Mechanics couldn't work on them if they had to restart it every few minutes or go get the guy in the shop with the laptop, software and OEM software trainiing to override then reset it after. Shop production at a mega would go down. They got numbers to meet too, just like your DM does and you do and the FUEL MANAGER - but hey, if you need to idle I feel ya. Caveat Emptor in the trucking modern world.

Next, turn the key off. Let it sit 10 minutes. Then start it. THEN hit ON, on the cruise and you can try hitting set to kick it to high idle but that doesn't usually work. Sometimes but not many. Idle it up with the ACCEL button. Sometimes that works.

Next, key off for 10 minutes, start it and when the lights blink pat the fuel pedal to the floor REALLY fast four times. All the way to the floor and as fast as you can four times. So fast the engine doesn't really start to get good revs from it.

Lastly, try various combinations. Or deal with the heat. Also remember that there's three settings. The ten minute one, one for about 100 minutes and complete bypass. If you think you got the complete bypass but only snagged a 100 minute one and you go to sleep; when the engine dies the key will be in the on position until you turn it off. If you are asleep and don't wake up - you might wake up to dead batteries and an embarrassing call to breakdown.

I am NOT advocating violating your company's idle policy. I'm totally not up for any save the environment arguments tonight. I get it and I do my part. I use my bunk heater (now that I have one - that thing WILL run you out the sleeper for a breath of cold air). Most times I idle for a little while super cooling the cab and bunk with both AC's on "meat locker" with the curtains blocking the windshield and windows, when it's cold I shut her down and crash with vents and windows open some, sleep on the top of my covers w/ a 12 v fan and I'm just Dandy. But sometimes it's just REALLY hot and that won't cut it. Waking up every few hours to light off the main and re-cool messes with my sleep so I'm gonna call Safety Measure on it and idle.

The four times on the throttle works on my 2012 Cascadia with a Detroit "smart" 15 for the full override, but it took me a while to figure it out and it doesn't work EVERY time. Usually, but not always. Sometimes it only gives me the 100. Haven't figured out the ONE thing that works consistently yet . . . but I bet'cha I do. Until they get me an APU. All I ask is for comfort and it doesn't even have to be motel quality. Just let me get cool or warm after a hard day pushing off 40K pounds of hardware in either a cook box or freezer trailer and having to sleep in a rest area. I'll gladly comply, but do your part too Mr. Fuel Manager. Don't half arse it (bunk heater only). Go the full Monte and put in an APU. You'll see my idle time in the low single digits same day! Til then I'm gonna keep on figuring ways out to bypass your idle cutoffs.

 

You would have to disconnect the fuel pump, without fuel it will blow air just like a fan, easier just to buy a 12 volt fan and go with it.

 

Is there a box in the sleeper that says Detroit Deisel? Would be above the sleeper hvac controls. If so it has opti idle. If not, find a new company.

 

They blow lots of cold air when they are broken during the winter months.

 

Yes, it worked with a full-size Cascadia.

 

Wont work. If the cabin heater sees that no fuel is getting to the igniter/burner assembly, it will shut down and start flashing codes.

 

My Esbar has a heat or fan switch. But it doesn't draw air from the outside, so it would be just waste to run it. Does your truck say Opti-idle anywhere? Inside outside stickers.