About to go very OTR with Swift

If I recall correctly, Swift trucks do NOT have APU's on them. Therefore, idling is necessary to generate heating during the winter & air conditioning in the summer.

The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.

Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, all year round.

 

@Moosetek13
Congratulations, that is a GREAT accomplishment.
Do you drive dry van, reefers, or both?

The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.

Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, all year round.

 

Dry van only.

And no, no APU's.
There are stories floating around about Swift and APU's, but I guess they don't find them cost effective.

They now do provide inverters and fridge's, but that takes power to run as well.
That means more idling in many most cases.

It's a strange catch-22 situation that we need to deal with.

 

1) From the looks and sound of this situation, the only types of food that one could safely store in the truck, without it spoiling, would be canned goods, possibly some dry goods, as beef jerky and dried fruits.
2) Perishables probably would not last, due to the times that you are shut down for loading/unloading, or sleeping where you cannot idle.
3) Cell phones and laptop computers would probably have to be hooked up to power banks, battery, or outside power sources for use and/or recharging.

Very Serious Question:
Do you take nutritional supplements, along with keeping extra in the truck?

The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.

Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, all year round.

 

trucks 2020 to now have refridgerators.
think some 2019 do too

 

alot of drivers been here with swift for 10 plus years.
most don't post on here.

 

Very Serious Question:
Do you take nutritional supplements, along with keeping extra in the truck?

No, I don't take anything. Kind of you to ask.

10 years here, and I have always been able to keep fresh food in the truck.
I cook my own dinners, none of that truck stop stuff.

Tonight it is baked salmon over a bed of white and wild rice with some baby carrots.
With a bit of soy sauce thrown in.
Even without the 1800W inverter I could cook the same meals.

Don't be a party poop.
We can eat well out here even with the basics.
We do not have to rely on garbage to get us by.

 

How do you find the time to cook like that? What's your cooking setup, type of pots/cooking devices, etc.?

I'd like to eat better but I'm usually tired or only have my 10 down to the minute. Cooking and cleaning would basically take all my free time, unless there are shortcuts I'm not thinking of.

 

I don't plan for a 10 hour break. I plan for a 10 hour day.

I don't bust my butt to get the most miles or run the hardest hours possible, but I do plan for a decent rest break of at least 12 hours.
14 is better. 15? Even better.

I hate taking a 34 hour reset, I prefer to average my miles to run recap.
That means an average of 8.75 hours each day.
And that leaves plenty of time for cooking decent meals.
Extra things like a shower or laundry gets added into the break - not detracted from it.

It may have taken me an extra year to reach my million mile mark - 10 years vs. 9 - but I have had less stress and better living conditions because of it.


What too many out here do not understand is that we are actually more in control of how we run our trucks.
We decide how we do things out here.


That 10 hour thing is only a minimum that we must do.
It does not mean that it is the only standard that we hold to.

My personal standard is only what I am willing to do.

Able to do is another standard, but that only lasts for a certain time.
I might be able to hold long and tedious hours for a certain time, but my (and others') safety would be at risk.

The preferable thing would to be consistently reliable, which is what I have striven for.