# Semi truck parking/running in residential area?



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

A semi-trucker moved in behind me in a residential area a few days ago. 
Tonight hes been running his engine/something-sure sounds like the engine,smells like it too, for at least the last 4 hours. Its 10pm. Im starting to wonder if hes gonna run it all night. 

Does anyone know, is that legal? Has anyone run across this before?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Does anyone know, is that legal?


Your* local* police will know


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Thanks BFF, its still running, its past midnight.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

He may HAVE to run it all night IF he has a Refrigerated trailer. He may not have a separate engine to run the "Refer" unit and can not plug it in to run.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

In that case he may need to move to a truck stop & not a residential neighborhood.


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## Peace n Quiet (Jun 16, 2003)

Check with your town council... they may have an ordinance in place to prevent such things from happening.


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## Steve in PA (Nov 25, 2011)

It's a statewide law here, but most residential areas also have ordinances against it. 

Have you tried talking to them? They are your neighbor. Maybe they aren't aware it's an issue for you.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

If this is the first time what's the big deal? Do you know anyone who drives a truck? Its not like they can park 70+ feet of truck anywhere. And they don't turn on a dime. Most drivers avoid residencial areas like there are full of rabid zombie politicians. Too many trees over the road, too many below legal height phone/cable wire, too many cars parked in places making it impossible to turn a corner, etc.

They are often have to make scheduled drops at all hours of the night. Miss your slot and you'll have to wait for many hours for another and you don't get paid for sitting, you only get paid for driving. 

Unless there is something wrong with the truck it should be much louder than someone's AC unit running.


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

So how long did it run, or is it still running? Was it the tractor and trailer, or just the trailer? I wouldn't want to smell diesel fumes all night.

Peg


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

My dad was a driver and the sound was comforting to me when I was little, because dad was home. He is gone now. A few years ago, the next door neighbor in town began idling at night during the winter and it was driving another neighbor crazy, who lived farther away than me. The angry neighbor knocked on my door (I didn't play banjo then). He said how can you stand it? I grinned and said, I think that my dad is home and I go to sleep happy. The other neighbor soon passed away with cancer. Go talk to your neighbor with a happy face and make a friend. Find out if it is temporary. He may be somebody's dad, trying to buy groceries and school clothes. If he knows that it is becoming a problem, he may want to help the situation and find another way. You can go from there. Give it a little time. I hope it works OK out for all of you.


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## Yldrosie (Jan 28, 2006)

I drove truck for over 20 years, and even though I understand the problems with someplace to park, there is NO excuse for running an engine for hours in a residential neighborhood. If you must run it, even the reefer motor, take it to a truck stop or yard. The noise drives people nuts, not to mention the stink. Like other posters said, either talk to the people if you know them, or call the cops. I would.


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## cast iron (Oct 4, 2004)

Found these Anti Idling regulations from the fed EPA for each state. It's a pretty sparse list but maybe a search for anti idling and your county or city might turn up more info for your specific area.

http://epamap10.epa.gov/website/StateIdlingLaws.pdf


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

We used to have a neighbor do this with the reefer running all night. It was bad during the months windows were open. The City passed an ordinance against parking in residental areas and then provided a place to park trucks so there is no reason for this in our community. Your local police should be able to tell you the rules or if they won't, call city hall.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

He Ran it till 1am. Then the truck was gone. Theres 4 other houses closer than me, one of them may have had enough. Or maybe he just left.
In the 14 years Ive lived here, the person that owns the mobile he moved into, has always without fail rented it out to a crazed crack/meth head. I had hopes this tenant may have been a human.

Im not sure if he was running the engine or a refer unit. I couldnt see if he had the cab attached the way he parked. It sure smelled like an engine. My old noisy swamp cooler on full bore couldnt drown out the noise. 

I did decide to let it go last night. I am going to find out the local regs 1st. I needed to get up early for an appt & missed it due to lack of sleep. Due to his/her keeping me up. If it wasnt for that, & the history of the people that mobile has always been rented out to, I wouldnt have been as upset. Or if he simply would have introduced himself & said something about it.

Ive got a bum hip & cant walk well. If I could have I would have gone over there last night, hes right behind me & I have a fence up.The way the property's are laid out I have to use the street to go around. That works out to about 1/4 mile one way. I dont drive. Im not up for that.

Weve had a couple truckers move into this neighborhood lately. One thats not much farther. I cant remember him making that kind of noise, let alone for hours on end. 

Thank you everyone, and thanks for the link Wayne02. 

I checked our local regs last night. while there is no anti-idling laws per se,
there is a noise/nuisance ordinance- and loud smelly idling engines fall under it.


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## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

There is a guy not far from my house that frequently parks his truck and sometimes only the trailer on the shoulder just as our main road enters the main highway. It's hard to see around and I have often thought about calling the highway petrol, thing is, they have had to have seen it and have done nothing about it.


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## mamita (May 19, 2008)

in our old suburban neighborhood we had a business up at the corner that truckers often parked in. during winter they left them run all night. it was LOUD. it was legal, so nothing we could do about it.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

It is common for them to leave deisels running 24 7 especially in cold weather.


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

mekasmom said:


> It is common for them to leave deisels running 24 7 especially in cold weather.


Yep it seams funny folks don't like em on the road , see then or hear them but want their Corn Flakes delivered cheap and on time too :happy2:


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

I like the services a town dump provides too but wouldn't be happy if someone decided to set one up next door to me. Everything has a place.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Sawmill Jim said:


> Yep it seams funny folks don't like em on the road , see then or hear them but want their Corn Flakes delivered cheap and on time too :happy2:


I like my animals and the food they provide, but they're not in a residential area disturbing people.

There's a time and place for everything. Trucks on the road and in truck stops? Fine.

A truck practically in my back yard, idling all night long? Unacceptable.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

Pony said:


> I like my animals and the food they provide, but they're not in a residential area disturbing people.
> 
> There's a time and place for everything. Trucks on the road and in truck stops? Fine.
> 
> A truck practically in my back yard, idling all night long? Unacceptable.


Try to find a truck stop in some places. The wife has to make an extra stop to top off her fuel well north of Miami because finding a truck stop south of there is impossible.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Theres 2 truck stops in town. They welcome truckers. 24/7

Even if there wasnt, I dare some of you to put your money where your mouth is & rent them a place.:soap:


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

An occasional running truck or a crack head, I'll take the truck over the crackhead any day.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Ya really
And the way it sounded this is the first time? and making such a stink about it is not the way to win a good neighbor that is or sure.


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## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

I am curious what you would do if there were other noises you did not agree with. Things we contend with. A generator going all night long a couple of months of the year. Neighbors shooting guns and fireworks off during the time when we sleep. Very loud Four wheelers going up and down the road.


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

watcher said:


> Try to find a truck stop in some places. The wife has to make an extra stop to top off her fuel well north of Miami because finding a truck stop south of there is impossible.


Yep then if you can get in they got a few hundred trucks running while you sleep :hobbyhors


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

painterswife said:


> I am curious what you would do if there were other noises you did not agree with. Things we contend with. A generator going all night long a couple of months of the year. Neighbors shooting guns and fireworks off during the time when we sleep. Very loud Four wheelers going up and down the road.


Ya for sure. I live next to a field and when it is haying time, it IS haying time. And they have cut and chopped hay all night long.
Sure my windows are open and if they are not my AC is running in the bedroom, and IF that does't drone out enough background noises I leave a radio playing at night next to my bed.~! And that then does. 
Or I have at times even had the TV going all night long and with my Sound System I CAN out do those cutting hay, and fall asleep. LOL
While living in AZ I had people coming in and out ALL night long to work and bath their horses NEXT to my window as I lived in part of the barn. LOL
A radio does the trick. And this was for 9 years.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

painterswife said:


> I am curious what you would do if there were other noises you did not agree with. Things we contend with. A generator going all night long a couple of months of the year. Neighbors shooting guns and fireworks off during the time when we sleep. Very loud Four wheelers going up and down the road.


 Well since this is bone dry desert no one takes to kindly to anyone setting off fireworks.
In the 14 years Ive been here none of the rest bothers me much.

4 wheelers go up & down the roads all the time. You would have to ask them why they dont drive in the middle of the night.
Got a neighbor that shoots whenever they care too. You also would have to ask them why they dont target practice in the middle of the night.
Or why most here choose electric over generator.

So when are some of you gonna put up that rental sign?


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

watcher said:


> Try to find a truck stop in some places. The wife has to make an extra stop to top off her fuel well north of Miami because finding a truck stop south of there is impossible.


Then your wife is making reasonable accommodations for her position as a driver.

I fail to see the reason for bringing one's business into a residential area. There are designated zones for a reason.

I'm not dissing truckers (though I've had a few in the family who I'd like to smack upside the head). I am saying that we all need to be considerate of others, and that some rules are there for a reason.

Why would you expect someone to give up a good night's sleep because you failed to make appropriate provision for yourself?


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