Driver Comfort in Hot Weather in Sleeper During Downtime

Actually if the Sun is out 75f can get uncomfortable quickly.

 

I have an APU and for as much time as I spend in Texas with the wife in the truck, no way in h*** would I run without it. Get an APU or find a company that has them.

 

Depending upon what Crete does over the next few months (I have to stay at least through September due to a vacation commitment), I'll be making a move. Really want my own truck for a lot of reasons (not all of them money), and if it does, it'll have a traditional APU. If I'm forced to continue being a company driver, I'll hook up with an outfit that utilizes APUs.

 

Unfortunately, Crete has chosen to go with the battery-based systems of heating and cooling. Their trucks are programmed to idle no longer then two to three hours, though I got mine to idle all night last night. I have no idea how...in fact, I couldn't sleep the first few hours in anticipation of the truck cutting off!

As good as my miles have been here over the last year or so, I just can't abide having to run without a backup source for heating and cooling. Honestly, I'd leave now if I could, but circumstances being what they are, I've got to tough it out a little longer.

 

I beg to differ. Just left denver and it was 80. Hot as hell in my sleeper

 

Limit your idle time.

Many drivers forget that there is an OFF position on the ignition switch. So they idle constantly, when they're fueling for 30 minutes, when they're inside the truckstop for 2 hrs, showering, and eating lunch, when they're waiting in line to load, etc.
Then, when they NEED to idle, to keep cool, or to be warm, they scream and moan that the company is clamping down, "they won't let me idle", "lousy commies," etc.etc.

 

Put the curtains up to block the sun.
Get a 12volt fan, or two.
Keep things off the floor, it can't 'breathe' that way.
Crank the ac full max for the last 30-60 min of the driving day.
Pour a little water on the floor where the heat from the driveshaft comes up.
Open the hood at shutdown for the day to let the heat out.

All things that can dramatically reduce idle time.

 

More and more states are enacting their own anti-idle laws. It is such hypocrisy when these jackwagon revenue generators are sitting there writing you a ticket in the middle of summer for idling when they are idling the whole time they are writing the ticket

 

I've heard good things about Crete and am going to apply there. You're saying good things about Crete. But whats the deal with this battery powered heating/AC thing? I don't know how that works. Is it that it's unreliable, not powerful enough or that it only runs for a certain amount of time. I'm just a CDL student, but I'm a big guy too, so this thread is really making me remember that I need to make sure my company allows me to have AC in the summer, or I won't sleep much at all. I know about the new clean idle feature on new trucks and APUs, but I don't know about this battery stuff you've mentioned.