If you could improve anything about the interior of your semi truck what would it be?

I am looking to design a cab that encourages exercise. What are your thoughts on that? Do you currently exercise? What would help you to do so?

 

Well then...Maybe you could design one with the door on top of the cab and some real cool monkey bars that we can climb on to get up there!

It's a stupid idea!

If a guy want to get some exersize he needs to get his ### out of the truck and get some exersize!

You know...Like walkin' around?

It's a truck, It's not a gym, It's not a bathroom and all of this crap that you guys are talking about is just foolish!

 

Well if you want to encourage exercise: take out that power steering, I had a friend that lost 2 shirt sizes after changing from Armstrong steering to power steering. No need for automatic transmissions either, and while your at it get rid of hydraulic or air assist clutches and put on some double return springs from a B model Mack so when you push that clutch pedal down you are really doing something! Get rid of those power windows too, and for the passenger side you will get to do some real stretches too!
If you look at trucking photos with drivers from the 1930's to the early '70's you won't see anybody that looks like they would have to worry about their BMI! They were all working real hard just to drive their rigs, and getting an extra workout sweating without AC and shivering from lousy, if any, heat in the winters.
Trucks have become much more comfortable, to say the least, but they are NOT an exercise center. Trucking exists on very narrow financial margins, so anything you add to a truck is probably a weight penalty and reduction of capacity, or an extravagant cost that very few could justify or prove a payback, let alone as a gain of efficiency or cost reduction.
Exercise is not only a physical activity, but a mind frame, and the 300+ pounders whose only exercise is waddling from the front row to the buffet won't change just because the cab has some exercise gizmos built into it.

 

You can put allmost anything in sleeper. Look at what custom studio sleepers out of mn gets in a 86" studio. Itc and ari also do a convertion on pet 63" and 70" sleepers. They all get lg refers,sinks,fold up beds w/dinnets. Showers,tvs stoves porta poties,the list goes on. As does the cost.most o/o aren't willin to spend the 20 to 50 k it costs to redo a factory sleeper or build a custom sleeper. Weight is not a real issue as you can build lite weight. My custom built 140'' weights in at 800 lbs more than my 63" factory sleeper. Not sure what you are really trying to build.

 

My input is this.

Gauges: KEEP ANALOG!!! Analog gauges are easier to read at a glance and are so much cheaper to replace if it breaks. One screen would be nice just to show fuel pressure, MPG, MPH, and those little things. As for gagues I hate the fact that newer trucks are getting away from the useful gauges like a Pyrometer, temp gauges for everything(coolant,oil, diffs, trans), boost, filter restriction. I like having everything right in front of me where if I have a problem that a gauge would tell me, I can then see it.

Bed: I have back problems so I would want a nice bed with a very good pillow top mattress. 4 years in the Marine Corp as a grunt takes a toll on your back and then going and being a flatbedder does not help. I also would want a larger bed so that way when my wife comes with me its not uncomfortable trying to sleep with 2 of us in the bed.

Passenger seat: If you ever had to ride in a truck and sit in the passenger seat that was cheap, uncomfortable and had no air ride on it you would be hurting after an hour of driving through a major city in the spring time with the giant potholes left from the winter.

Room: I love the way a 379 looks but I can tell you that trying to get between the seats to get back into the sleeper is a PITA! I am a smaller guy to, I am only 190 and I am 6'1". Give the passenger side enough room to be comfortable for those drivers out there running a team or those that have there spouse with them.

STORAGE STORAGE STORAGE: Now who thinks this is a good idea? I know you O/O's out there might like this. How about a nice tool storage box with actual pull out drawers somewhere? That might actually come in handy keeping your tools more organized since we do actually use tools on a regular basis. For clothes, how about a drawer for say socks and underwear? Even if it was down low in one of the hanging closets where you have to bend over to get it out it would still be nice and help with organizing.

I would not mind a small stowable work station that has an outlet for a laptop close so you can plug it in and do your paper work and also have somewhere a small spot to put a printer out of the way for those of us who use our laptops for logs and all of our other paperwork.

No need for a filing cabinet built in the truck, I carry my own small one so I can take it in and out of the truck. I dont see why you would want one that is set in place in the truck when you most of us would end up needing to take it out when were at home to do our paperwork.

The TV with storage is awesome and is much needed. Having say a 20" flatscreen takes up almost no room but having it mounted on say a hinge from the top of the TV and have it lock in place when both folded down and up is awesome. Having a spot behind it for say a small DVD player and some movies would be nice or a place to store other electronics is a great idea.

A small refrigerator in the sleeper is all thats needed.

 

Why not just get a mid box for a tool chest, one that is all drawers and stick it in the box on your sleeper?

I dont think they should stick that in from the factory, and the reason is, if you are a company driver and you quit, you cant take the box with you.

 

couple them blow up dolls and a big screen

 

A bicycle rack on the back of the cab! And some sort of cover to keep road grime off my other ride. Seriously.

I'm also going to add requests for more windows - sunroofs and the like. More light is a good idea. And did I mention my preference for nice light, non-grey colours in the cab?

P.S. I did hear of a guy who fitted his cab with all kinds of tension cables so that he could pump a bit of blood through his system. It's a good way to stay awake.

 

sun roofs on the kdubs are nice-until they start leaking and it looks like you peed your pants---windows are nice as well---but they tend to make it hotternhell in there--i usually keep all of mine covered up

 

Most trucks are designed for 2 people. They need more the size of a condo designed with one person in mind. That being said, throw out the top bunk and passenger seat and use that space more usefully. The passsenger door can even be welded solid and replaced by an escape hatch in the bunk area, passenger side.