Upgrading Company Truck's FM Radio

I would think they would except for one problem. My company would not let any driver do any wiring under the dash. We haul gasoline and they just do not want to take any chances. But I think you could work it out with the company to have the shop install it. You just have to remember that once it goes in it's unlikely you will get it back.

 

When I worked out of pensacola, we had a driver install raised letter tires, aluminum drive wheels, new paint job, hardwood flooring, on a COMPANY TRUCK. If I'm lying, I'm dying...........Seriously, at his expense, on an old classic. Not trying to steal your thread, but it brought up memories.............

 

Most companies don't mind some updating.. BUT not by the drivers.. You must either take it to their shop or have a dealer instal it.. Drivers have a habbit of hacking into any wire that's hot and use things like band aids and duct tape to hold it together..

Remember it's not YOUR truck your just driving it.. They have the ultimate say.. No one wants their truck to have a voided warrenty, or worse catch fire because some idiot did somthing back ###wards!

 

I've never asked to change out the stereo. I have one that I always use in the truck with the input on the front. I just swap it out when I get in it and swap it back when I get out of it. I use those twist on wire caps for the wiring.

Not that I recommend doing it my way.

 

When I worked as a construction driver....anytime I painted, fixed up, or put in a radio...next thing I knew...they switch trucks on me.......


You can build a box out of particle board.....Buy your system and mount everything in the box.....I used that black amp cabinet cloth around the boxes to make them look finished....
Buy some quick connects or you can use lugs if there's CB terminals.....

Some "el" brackets and sheet metal screw to anchor the cabinet to the floor board and it's stable until you need it moved to another truck....

 

They sell those boxes too, with a slot for the cb as well. I only do it in a truck that I know I'm going to be living in for a while. Running local I just use an fm transmitter or listen to the local stations.

 

I did this with my last truck, since it was a company truck, when I got my 1st Sat. radio unit I was unhappy with the stereo. They paid for the first replacement radio, when it died a few years later, I bought a new, better one at my expense, it was still there when the traded in the truck. I also upgraded the speakers as well. Since it was my assigned truck, and I knew it wasn't going to change, I didn't mind spending the money. Oh, I also wrote it off on my taxes.

 

You could also just get a FM transmitter for your mp3 player. That way you just have to have the radio set to a certain station to listen to your mp3 player. Its very low cost and involves no installation and you can always take it with you.

 

if you have a tape player theres a device that connects to the headphone jack on the mp3 then slides into the tape deck, thats what i use and it only cost like $5 at walmart