Should A New Driver Allow No APU/INVERTER to be a Deal Breaker?

I eat pretty good in my truck, with a cooler and an oven.
Tonight I had baked chicken, steamed carrots and a baked potato.

None of it was with a microwave. It was properly cooked.
Can't cook anything properly with a microwave.
(Rather like CD quality compared to a record - no comparison, especially with discrete quad.)

 

I'm currently with a company that doesn't have apu's and doesn't allow inverters to be hooked to the battery. I have to chose between my comfort or my performance bonus. Last summer was horrible. It really does make you feel you are just meat in a seat that is used to generate revenue. 4 more months to go till I have a years experience.

 

Call recruiters and ask if they have apu equipped trucks or a favorable inverter policy. Yes you do have a few choices that can accommodate you! Most training companies won't give you an apu or a fridge but several will give you the option to run your own with an inverter. Here's a list of companies that care a little bit about your specific needs.
Westside Transport
Southern Refrigerated
WEL
US Xpress
Celadon
Averitt Express
FirstFleet
New Century
Fleetmaster
Werner
Marten
Prime
Roehl
Melton
Tmc
*This list is not comprehensive! Call recruiters and ask!Most of these companies will hire rookies.
* You need at least 1000 watts to run a fridge and low wattage microwave.

 

Given the state and city idling laws being what they are plus my experience with just how hot and cold it can get there is no way I would operate OTR without this equipment. I was part of a situation in a rest area on I-80 in Pa once where a cop actually threatened us with jail if we continued to idle. No I don't care if I am supertrucker mack or new man Johnny, give me an APU or I am out the door!!!!!



http://cdllife.com/2014/resources/regulations/idling-laws-state/

 

As a new driver, you are already at the bottom of the pay scale.

As I new driver I would not have worked OTR with no inverter. I did not have a bunk heater or AC unit and I was based out of Canada. I could survive the cold/heat but u would never live without electricity.

Mainly, I prepared all my meals in the truck and I care too much about my health to live on bagels and sandwiches. I had a cooler before I had a proper fridge in the truck.

I also had an electric guitar and amp in my truck as I was a musician by trade before I started trucking. I had an acoustic too, but I wasn't (and am still not) willing to forgo things like eating and making music because some arsehole who sleeps in his own bed every night thinks I don't need power to live.

Now I'm running team and it would make even less sense to have to pull over 5-6 times a day to seek out hot food and even more absurd for some Yahoo to tell 2 people working 140 hrs a week that wthe should be satisfied with sandwiches.

 

Agree about being able to run anything with a screen off one of the plug-in inverters. You could get by without the fridge but being able to have a microwave is a real money saver and that takes a wired-in inverter.
As far as climate control, both trucks I was issued when OTR (Freightliner and Peterbilt) had thermostats in the sleeper and would automatically start and stop the engine according to the temperature. Not an APU but it accomplished the same thing.
Unless there's something in your history forcing you to go to this particular company you may want to look around. There are plenty of companies that won't force you to make this choice.

 

You've not been OTR in some time I see.

 

Don't care about apu but inverter is an absolute must especially for otr for a microwave. Fridge is nice too but 12v cooler worked well for me in the past

 

I bet the engine in his cruiser was running the whole time he made those threats.

 

You're right I haven't but from many of the posts on here the starter companies are worse now then when I was out there.I'm mainly speaking about starters not every company.so name some starters that have apus if ya can.inverters that depends on the company.I've never used any except the ones that plug into ciggarette lighter,that's all I needed.$o if I'm wrong in any of this then please tell me what I'm wrong about.not sure why you said I havent been otr in a while.