I'm new to Trucking!

As far as I know, you are allowed to use an inverter as long as it can be plugged into a 12V socket. I wouldn't go any higher than 400W for that. Anything higher would draw too much power, overheat the wiring and has the potential to cause a fire.

 

Hard-wired inverters have caused fires in trucks, especially Volvos, when they aren't wired correctly. I saw no fewer than 3 Volvos hauled in on a hook to the Troutdale yard in Nov/Dec 2007 that were pretty much burned to the frame because of large inverters.

We have some fairly new drivers pulling 3K miles/week, but don't be surprised if you don't get that straight out of the gate. A lot of that depends on your relationship with your DM. A more realistic figure to shoot for would be a 2,500 mile/week average, although it is possible to get 3K.

It sounds like that Swifty had some 12V stuff and maybe a contraband 1,000W inverter.

Get your truckstop cards when you get out here. Swipe it each time you fuel and points will be added to your card. It doesn't take much time to accumulate enough points to either get the stuff you want outright or get a huge discount. Each point is worth a penny. One fuel can put $2.50 on your card and some truck stops give double points. I just emptied more than $65 off my old Pilot card.

 

You can check out a place that sells campers and motor homes. They usually have all the same stuff, but not sure if the prices are any different. Also look around online I'm sure you can find good deals if you don't mind waiting for the stuff.

Just some ideas

 

Wal Mart sometimes has the stuff a lot cheaper than truck stops.

 

Camper/RV store often carry decent 12v accessories. I found that carrying 2 thermoses was better than buying a coffee pot, since the the 12v pots died after 1-2 months. (Note: to be fair, I drink a lot of coffee. The problem was the cigarette plugs wore out from heavy use/vibration.)

Oh and keep an eye out for a "cooler" with a thermostat. It'll only cool down to about 40 degrees below air temp, but since I never let my rig get above 85 degrees inside the food was plenty cool. That way it only runs to maintain the set temp vs running full-time. Much less battery draw. Found mine for $100 online.