do swift trucks have apu's

Discussion in 'Swift' started by boommm78, Jun 8, 2010.

  1. jenziedk

    jenziedk Medium Load Member

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    Dec 12, 2013
    Houston, Texas
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    Nope, they aren't even allowing their owner-operators that lease trucks through them get an APU.
     
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  3. Graverly

    Graverly Light Load Member

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    Sep 30, 2014
    Richmond VA.
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    Ok no apu and I hear no inverter unless they plug into a lighter socket. I guess tv and video games is out when stuck in a truck stop.
     
  4. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    APU's are not cost effective when you keep trucks for only around 500k miles. Do the math. Swift has, as have I.
    8-10 grand for the installed unit, and then maintenance costs and the fuel to run it.
    Figure out the fuel savings over time to see just how long it would take to break even.

    And you can play video games and have TV via a laptop computer, which is easily powered by a plug-in inverter.

    If that is not good enough, I guess you need to buy your own truck so you can have full control.

    As it is, I have all that I really need.
    I have a laptop for e-mail and games and videos, and even TV with a USB TV tuner.
    I have a cooler to keep things cold, and a lunchbox oven to cook very good meals with.

    Not having an APU is far from the end of the world.
     
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  5. MsJamie

    MsJamie Road Train Member

    $10K is, at today's prices, about 2700 gallons of diesel.

    Idle at 1 gal/hr (typical) = 2700 hours.

    10 hours/day = 270 days. (Reality is closer to 12-14 hours/day.)

    Assume running northern US, so idle 90 days/year = 3 years.

    Yes, the APU uses fuel, but at about 0.1gal/hr, so that would add about another 27 days to the break even point.

    I'm not factoring in maintenance, since APU maintenance would be offset by the reduced maintenance on the truck engine, specifically the DEF and DPF systems.

    Someone who runs mostly Southwest region can save enough in fuel alone to pay for the APU in one year.
     
    Chinatown Thanks this.
  6. jenziedk

    jenziedk Medium Load Member

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    Dec 12, 2013
    Houston, Texas
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    I have 2126 hours on my APU since I had it installed in February, it would have more but it's having issues currently.
     
  7. Graverly

    Graverly Light Load Member

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    Sep 30, 2014
    Richmond VA.
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    I agree. I might not be a trucker but I have been in maintenance and repair for over 30 years. Now I do have a friend that tells my there is an EPA issue with his in California. His unit is 5 years old now on a 2014 truck.

    Having said I agree do consider this... say you replace your truck every 1.5 years. First year pays for the unit so your only saving money for the next 6 months. I don't know the reliability of the unit but it is getting close to being not worth it.. again if you replace the truck... or even unit every 1.5 years. That is only a savings of 5 grand over 18 months if the unit is reliable 100% of that time and doesn't cause the truck to be out of service one day for an unscheduled repair. If that happens that truck didn't make any money that day so..... how much did the repair really cost.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2014
  8. Rug_Trucker

    Rug_Trucker Road Train Member

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    Near Nashville TN
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    Who keeps a truck 1.5 years? The lease is usually 4 for a new unit. Thing about an APU is it is easier to run a real fridge, microwave, coffee maker, toaster oven, and crock pot. If it is your truck the savings on eating out, and healthier food is also a factor to consider.

    You can get 110/12V TV's with CD players in them for a couple hundred bucks.
     
  9. MsJamie

    MsJamie Road Train Member

    Yep. "Quality of Life" is a huge factor in the decision to use an APU.

    Plus, factor in at least one service call for a dead battery. Or, a tow when you're down two hundred miles from nowhere because your alternator quit. In both instances, the APU could have prevented the service call.
     
  10. 25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Sep 18, 2006
    the road less travelled
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    APUs aren't trouble-free, and I can't remember the last time I lost an alternator on a tractor less than 7 or 8 years old. I can't say the same for the pipsqueak alternator on an APU. I have had 2 alternators fail on tractors, both when I wasn't pulling a reefer And both trucks were around 8 years old with close to a million miles

    If the APU is tied into the cooling system,like a standard TK Tripac, the truck can't run both the APU and the truck engine at the same time. The ones running their own cooling system could run while the truck is running.

    I was parked next to a Swift trailer faced nose in that was running an APU for a while yesterday morning. That one sounded like an unmuffled garden tractor, and before you say it can't be, I didn't walk back to check and see if it was just a trailer being pulled by another company's tractor.

    We have a guy in my small town driving for Swift, newish Cascadia, and no sign of APU.
     
  11. Graverly

    Graverly Light Load Member

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    Sep 30, 2014
    Richmond VA.
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    Swift average age in fleet is 1.7 years I think it was. USA truck is 2.1. They don't keep them long.
     
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