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

Number one issue is relaxing like a NORMAL person in the sleeper. If I am resting, almost 95% of the trucks out there you must be on your back in bed. Two exceptions are the Volvo 780 with the "workstation" sleeper which has table and two benches, and the KW Studio Sleeper on some 600/660/900 series trucks that has a bench seat option also. The KW is just rare enough in major fleets to not be common at all out here, and the 780 seems to have many other issues as to why I steer clear of it (Especially if i ever go O/O) I am really hoping that the manufactures create SOMETHING for there main fleet unit products such as the Columbia/Century/Prostar class of vehicle that would make it much more common in major fleets.

Other options that would be awesome:
-Pull out desks for laptops. Almost ALL truckers are laptop friendly now, but there is almost never any comfortable operating location.
-Flat Screen TV mounts
-Built in WiFi repeaters/routers would be nice also
-Making standard inputs for sat radio or ipods into the stock am/fm/cd decks would be GREATLY appreciated also. (An item that is on most 50 buck decks now a days.)
-Built in Refrigerators (most companies dont allow large inverters, and DC aftermarkets are pricey.)
-Intercom unit between sleeper and driver cab area for teams. You would be surprised how hard it is to hear with the curtains pulled.
-Sleeping on the top bunk while truck is in motion is not easy. It makes you queasy, and is pretty unsafe. The lower bunk is actually pretty comfortable. So most teams I know run sharing the lower bed while in motion which is always a bit of an invasion of personal space that we are forced to deal with. Having the upper bunk able to be lowered on a track system or something to the level of the lower bunk would be amazing. This way you still get your own bed all the time.

 

What if the fold out was to the rear? There should be a bit of space back there even with a reefer.

 

Yeah but what if your a Flatbedder with a headache rack. Those are U bolted down to the frame of the truck so sliding to the rear would not work in that case. I do like that idea though to have as an option.

 

Ya, and come to think of it, it would take like 10.8 hours before the first idiot forgets to put the thing back in before driving off. LOL

 

Just link it to the parking brake and that wouldn't be a problem.

 

Now that is an idea. That would work great! I mean the best way to have it move in and out with less problems would be by air.

 

Heres a link, I know its a cab over & european but if they can do this stuff in a small cab over surely it can be done in a north american sleeper even better ?????

http://www.truckingmag.co.uk/files/2010/11/01-DECEMBER-278.jpg

 

Here is a problem no one has mentioned yet, I think.

The cab of these trucks are so #### loud, especially as they get older! Road noise, engine//exhaust noise, etc...

During my relatively short career, I have suffered significant hearing loss, I believe it is due to the prolonged exposure to this loud environment.

Can anything be done to reduce the noise or improve the sound proofing of the cab?

Also, is there something to be done to make these trucks more resistant to drafts, especially in the doors and firewall area? Some of these trucks let in ALOT of cold air in the winter!

 

For gods sake, stop hiding switch gear and dials behind the steering wheel. I'd rather have some of my gauges along the top of the dash and outside of the diameter of the wheel. Also a dashboard wide enough to clip a bill of lading/papers/maps onto. (so basicly no narrower than 9").

If I was going to buy a super-luxury truck like a Lone Star, I've wondered about putting the bunk over the top of the driver's seats, so that the traditional bunk area could contain a small table and 2nd fold out bunk.

If I really wanted to get crazy, how about a truck similar to the old GM Futureliners?



Picture this: driver sits high and in front over the engine/steers. Climbs down and back to a doorway area (about where existing seats are on a conventional) and the bunk area is a full size state room. Yet the cabin footprint is about the same as your average T2000.

 

Okay I posted about 3am and I didn't have time to review what others have said.

1.) I know adding a full bathroom would be a pain, but how about a waterless toilet? Flushed with compressed air (where would we get that on a truck I wonder?) into a tank accessed externally. I know some drivers use the bucket, but man I would flip if I spilled that thing taking it out of the truck. Frankly my idea is a small john mounted right behind the passenger seat that empties to a small bottle below the floor and behind the starboard tank.

2.) Just because I want some sort of LCD gagues, doesn't mean I want to give up annalog interfaces. Look at what Ford is doing with their programable dashboards or iPhone interfaces. I am a little leary of getting rid of tactile gauges. It seems like touch screens are a bad idea when you have to take your eyes off the road. But I DO want USEFULL information from my dashboard. The Check Engine Light is useless, the engine is still under the hood where I left it. But exactly WHAT is wrong could be shared with the driver and not limited to the shop and their OBD scanners. Besides, many company shops never fix things right the first time. You could go in for a sticky injector and they change an oil pump instead.

3.) On the subject of repairs,,, NEVER design anything that will make it easier for the assembly line but impossible to repair in the field. Nothing is worse than being stuck on the side of the road trying to fix something that's "only seconds to replace when the body is off the chassis". Think about where your lines go, and for that matter add more external acess.

4.) Conversley, one thing I learned from trucking is how vulnerable you are when you are not moving. Anyone who's been around trucks can figure out a dozen ways to sabotage a truck from outside. Security is an issue here. And although it's morbid to mention, is there anyway to line the sleeper with Kevlar? Almost all trucks have the driver's head in the same spot in the sleeper.

5.) A bit of a luxury, but how about "power" sleeper vents? So I can open an close them on the road? I'm actually wondering if a small pnumatic circuit (like the high-low on the spliter) would be lighter & cheaper than small electric motors, (subject to breakage and waterproofing)

####,,, I'm giving away too many good ideas here.