Glad I moved over to Poly Trucking

The single bunks aren't as bad as they use to be....at least on a Prostar. They're only about a foot or so shorter and if they're spec'd right with the full wall cabinets they actually have more securable storage than a 2nd bunk. Plus a lower roof helps make the battery pack last longer since there is less space to cool/heat and the space between the roof and the fairing actually absorbs the heat that would have normally been transferred to the interior. So unless there is a need for a 2nd bed, that is just 1 less thing to whack your head on in a Prostar. I'd trade my double bunk for one any day of the week.

As for the 'why battery packs instead of a normal apu'....idle laws. Especially now with the new trucks having a DPF, that makes the APU have to have a Tier 2 APU with it's own DPF. And that adds a bunch to the cost, and eventual replacement of a DPF. Since Poly keeps their trucks in service longer than a regular 'for hire' trucking company, that would add a bunch both now and later. With the battery pack, just change batteries 3 or 4 times in the trucks lifetime. Plus since they do a bunch of business in New England, they're legal where ever they go.

 

I had a chance to look into one of the new ProStar+ when I was on the yard a couple of days ago. They are equipt with the battery pack, have one bunk, mid roof, and do not have full cabinets. Needless to say, there is reduced storage space.

I'm in Cheyenne waiting to deliver to Lowes DC here in the morning at 1000. I pick up backhaul Monday 0830-1400 going to Duncan,SC. Just have to decide if I want to deliver on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.

 

i am starting to not like what i am hearing bout poly the money would really have to be worth it small stripped trucks battery pac apus cash tolls may have to rethink my app should gross 62000 to 63000 here this year not sure what i would have to give up would be worth alittle extra money

 

That is a decision only you can make. Not everyone will fit in at Poly. That is why we post on this thread. I wish you luck in whatever you decided.

 

I'm sure the company may have used some of that stuff to make their decision on these new trucks. However, you'll never convince me that they are better for the driver. I've had trucks with several types of APU's and the Battery Packs are not even in the same league with the other APU units that run and provide endless power. In addition, all the battery packs require the truck to idle or be driven to recharge. I've had to wake up several times during ten hour breaks to crank the truck because the batteries were low. I make sure to not have many items plugged in since that only causes the batteries to get low even quicker. I have a battery pack ProStar now. I'd trade for a regular APU right now. I really like the truck I'm driving. It is a mid-roof and it doesn't have as much room as you think. Course I understand the heating and cooling space is better but that only really matters because the battery packs suck and don't cool as well. I guess it's cool if you like them. Thanks for your post of information. Just know this...if you've ever truly used all types of APU's I would find it almost impossible to believe a battery pack is a better system than some of the other types. Thanks again for reading.

 

I guess you think it doesn't sound that good then? I understand how difficult it can be to weigh all the options between two driving jobs. Only you know what works best for your needs. The Tolls aren't that big of a deal. Hope that doesn't weigh heavy in your decision. I'm very glad I came to Poly.

 

Well most everything going smoothly except my truck repairs but two out of three ain't bad I suppose. I decided to roll by the Frito Lays plant in Dallas in hopes of getting unloaded early and found out that we had an empty trailer there so I was able to d/h and head on over to the yard with nothing tying me down for that 0600 delivery on Monday. That is fortunate as my Monday morning load heading to Henderson is supposedly nearly done loading so I am heading out of here today.

So glad to be back in my regular truck with all of my stuff available but still have some problems they didn't fix but I will deal with them until my next scheduled maintenance. Going to try and book a load back to GP so I can attend the driver meeting next Saturday and get that knocked out of the way.

 

Great timbo I leave in the am and will be asking alot of benefit questions and I hope to get orientation around the same time as you. Ill keep you posted

 

you are right tolls are not a big deal but i have been driving a moterhome with a 5th wheel on it and poly sounds like a vw might be hard to coup with seeing i stay out for 5-10 weeks at a time but show me the money

 

A nice tidy 3439 miles for my first 7 days out with 7.5 hours still left to work with. Finished up the day here in Roswell, NM. Decided to take the extended U.S. Highway tour as I am want to do whenever I can. Only adds 30 or so miles to the trip and provides with a more pleasant drive.

Pretty chilly here in Roswell, having to look for aliens through my roof window instead of sitting outside for a while under the stars.

I am really enjoying this Volvo, everything is laid out well on the dash, etc and it rides better than any truck I have ever driven. Hope to hold on to this unit for quite a while.