apu or inverter? and payment questions?

I have an inverter with a laptop and a small tv.
Swift allows you to idle when its hot out.
We have bunk heaters when its cold.
I have a propane hot plate that I use to cook.
And I have a coleman 12V "cooler" hardwired into my truck.

 

I really need advice:

I purchased a 1600W inverter and wired it to the battery....Problem: From my understanding the remote kill switch you can buy only kills the outlets...I wish to kill power to the unit completely from a switch mounted in the cab while leaving the inverter switch to the on position....for clarification....I wish to turn it on/off with a switch.

Any advice will help....

 

Thats alot of power running through those wires, what I would try is following the positive wire in the cab cut it half. Put in an terminal on both sides and hooking it up to a battery kill switch.

 

don't let swift catch you hardwiring anything on the truck if you are a company driver. shop has to do it. i don't think swift will have a problem if you pay back the loan early. but you mite want to check to see if they"ll make you wait for the 13 months to be over to start paying you back.

 

Normally when you are using that much current it is best to use the switch to trigger a relay that supplies power to the inverter.

 

If you are a company driver they won't let you have a wired-in inverter, so you'll be limited to a plug-in.
That means you're also limited to 150W of power, because that is all the 12V plug can handle.
No matter the inverter you buy, when you use the 12V plug it will only output a max of 150W.

That is fine to run a laptop or small TV, chargers, etc.. (if you have a laptop don't bother with a TV, just get a USB TV tuner from Best Buy)
Not a microwave, however.

I also use the Coleman 12V cooler, and it does a very good job. I've had 2 other brands that didn't do so well.
And I have a 12V lunchbox oven that I cook meals with. It does take a bit longer to cook certain things than you might be used to. A baked potato can take 3 hours or so, so it's best to get it started before you stop for the day.

As others have said, we have bunk heaters. And you might even get a truck that has a working one.
2 of my first 3 trucks didn't, so I idled when I needed to. As a new driver you tend to get older equipment, with all the problems that go with it.
I also idle when it is too warm.
My idle times are always way too high, and my DM says something every month about it. Got written up for it once as well.
But my MPG is always in the range they want, and I have a good safety and on-time rating. I think those things are much more important to them.

 

I had a swift recruiter told me last month, that swift would furnish me an inverter for my cpap machine at no cost to me.

 

You are NOT under a contract to work FOR Swift. You are under a contract to pay them back, just as you would be with any loan you take out. All Swift wants is that you show them you will make efforts to get the loan repaid if you go somewhere else. If you don't make good on your promise to pay, they will pursue you to make good on the total amount due. If you go somewhere else you can arrange for them to pay Swift back through payroll deductions.