Truck shortage

Soon as the Grant money ran out, they stopped putting APU's on trucks.

 

They told me they got tired of working on the APUs. Said the drivers were dogging them out keeping fridges, tvs, microwaves, etc... plugged up. It's all about the dollar.

 

Way to many drivers were leaving refrigerators plugged in 24/7. This burned up inverters and kept the apu running constantly. The apu is a luxury and shouldn't be abused.

 

what the fridge I bought from walmart isn't good for my inverter and apu...ok kidding...my computer and my phone are plugged into the inverter and I have a small TV that I bought is on my own little inverter...

 

Anyone with a bit of knowledge about electronics knows these are excuses and also a typical Roehl tactic of blaming the driver for their own issues. I run my tv, dvd player, laptop, printer and phone charger off of a 200 watt inverter plugged into the accessory plug. I have a 1.7 cu ft fridge plugged into the apu's inverter which I also use for the 700 watt microwave and my George Foreman grill. The fridge only draws about 175 watts normally and peaks at about 500 watts when the compressor runs.

The truth is that these ThermoKing apus are far from maintenance free and are out of the league of most of the Roehl mechanics. I have had to replace all the mounting brackets and motor mounts as well as the main bus fuse and bracket, alternator and starter. In short I have spent almost as much on the apu as the whole rest of the truck. The starter was $830, the starter was $500 and the fuse and bracket was another $350. The only reason the brackets didn't cost me anything was that the alternator kept breaking the mounting brackets until I got fed up and complained to Thermoking district management. They put all new heavy duty brackets on and didn't charge me.

 

isn't that what we are supposed to do?? blame the driver for everything??? like when your headlight burns out between checks and gets caught at the scale...or you get a flat tire...or the routing computer wants to run you over a bridge that is rated for 10 tons under what you gross out at....then get a call for going out of route 30 miles cause you had to find a way around...(yup I did it, the out of route not the lights or tires yet)...

 

Well if that's true that's crappy. Drivers who've put in time deserve to get the newer trucks first if they want one.

 

Lots of new trucks in Marshfield...had hopes of getting one but told none available...oh well maybe next time LOL...there is a nice Coronodo sitting in the yard with a multi million safe mile driver sticker on the side...looks like the company hooked him up good...
My trucks in Marshfield getting some work done on it...I had a laundry list of issues (non DOT)besides a PM... well see what the mechs say on saturday when I return for my girl...maybe I'll get lucky and they will have taken a buffer to her and shined her up nice and good...(i did the hood by hand one day while I was home...)

 

That Coronado is nice, I would drive that.

 

it is a sweet looking truck...that must be one special driver for the company to buy that for him.....There are quite a few trucks in the yard...Well considering most of the fleet is home there would be...but there are lots of new trucks in the yard waiting for stickers...so us guys with the oldies...well things are looking up for ya