Creature Comforts ?

Most Trucks won't have a Microwave or a Fridge.
Some companies put Truck Fridges in their Trucks.

Wifi/Internet Bring your own.
TV/Satellite You can get a VuQube or Dish Tailgater.


Microwave if your company lets you install an Inverter or if you have a 240v Plugin with the APU.
You can get a Fridge or just get one of those 12v Coolers, they work pretty good.

 

I try to not pick up creatures hitch hiking any more.

 

I can understand a fridge in your truck to keep beverages cold, and keep lunch meat. Microwave eh don't waste the money, metal lunch box will heat food for you, use you're resources that manifold gets more than hot enough to cook food in. T.V. eh touchy subject with me can't watch it going down the road and when you're in the bunk you're there to sleep. My truck is my home away from home, but its not my home leave the T.V. at the house there ain't anything good on the darn thing anymore movies? Heck just get a lap top that plays DVD's its lighter more compact and easier to store.

Be more concerned about getting yourself a comfortable mattress for the truck instead of a rock that most mattresses feel like. The bunk is designed to serve the purpose of storing your clothes and has a bed for you to sleep in sometimes it has a fridge depending but that's about it. Manufactures still believe in kiss. Keep It Simple Stupid. Not calling you stupid but that's the mentality they have. all that extra stuff adds weight as well, and trucks are only getting heavier with the emissions garbage.

And since you down own the truck, you're limited by what the company will let you do.

 

If you do get creatures while taking comfort, get to a doctor and have him give you a shot or something.

Most companies allow you to add things to your truck at your own expense. Lots of company drivers have to buy their own CB's as well. You will get a bed with a mattress. You will want to buy your own mattress or a topper at the very least. Fridge, Microwave, tv. Also do the dish thing because dragging that cable all around gets old. With the dish you can get internet. The dish folks just treat it like it is another room in my house.

As you gain experience and value as a driver, companies start treating you better and providing you with more comforts. Like always, when you can lease afford it, they don't offer you anything.

 

To me, it just seems that if you were to actually get your money's worth out of a satellite TV system, then you weren't running enough. Just my take on it. Satellite radio.... that would probably be much more beneficial to you. For music, I'd keep my laptop plugged into the inverter, plug the output into the auxiliary port on the radio, and just play my music on Winamp... but if I wanted to skip through a song, I didn't... that would've been too much of a distraction, and one I wasn't willing to allow myself.
Fridges and microwaves... that's going to vary by company. You may notice the "EX-" in front of where it says 10 years in my information, and I hung it up to turn wrenches, instead... originally, as a heavy equipment mechanic, but now I'm wrenching for an OTR company, and so I get to see the different setups they have. The newer trucks have APUs, whereas the older ones have the bunk heater and a rather unreliable (from what I'm told) AC unit attached to the rear of the sleeper. So yours might or might not have an inverter already installed.. if it doesn't, then getting one is a matter of company policy. Some companies will allow it so long as you have their personnel wire it up, some only allow the plug-in types, and I've worked for a company which expressly prohibited inverters and refrigerators both.
My last OTR gig was for a small fleet owner with two trucks, and he left his microwave in the truck... which I am very grateful for, as I put it to substantial use during my time working for him. I also had a crock pot which was rarely used, but really made for something great when it was... if I was just driving all day (a bit of a rarity in flatbed work, but it did happen from time to time), I could prep my food before I headed out, and let the slow cooker do its thing while I got on down the road. Aside from being able to have prepared food which wasn't crap, it also made for a nice smell in the truck... some drivers seem indifferent about this, but I liked for my truck to smell pleasant.
I also had an all-in-one scanner, since we used Transflo. The only truck stops with it were Flying J and Love's, and I didn't care for either one of them, so that an a mi-fi allowed me to complete and submit my paperwork wherever I was. On the mi-fi note, do be mindful that there is a data limit, so I'd strongly recommend you not use it for downloading... you'll just have to make do without adding to your porn collection.
And I liked to park at a mall every now and then, and catch a movie. I'd look at where I was running that day, see what malls were enroute, make sure they weren't going to get pissed with me parking my large car in their parking lot, and plan for it. Being on the road for a month at a time can get pretty monotonous.

 

Some have built in fridge, most dont, depends on company. You can buy both....you will need an inverter for microwave, some companies provide, some dont.

As for internet, i dont know of any companies that provide. Milenicome charges 70/month for fast 20GB/month. Fast enough for netflix in most areas. Its ont he verizion network, but much cheaper then going through verizion directly.

 

No. Most truck stops, you pay for it. A few have free wi-fi... the Iowa 80 (but you have to park close to the main building), Joplin 44.... those have it. Rest areas.... not sure, but I wouldn't bank much faith in it being common for to have it.