I would get a generator in a minute. However I would get a Honda because they are super quite but 1000 watt will cost you 1000 bucks.
The Carrier units are loud, Rigmaster used to be but the new ones are better. I've seen all makes including Tripac sitting unused while the truck was idling, even if there was little reason temperature wise to idle. I've not had an APU for over 2 years, and where I run, I really don't miss it, also, the last truck I had with one,I spent a lot of time convincing people it was worth fixing and it worked sorta, but the heat was iffy. That was a Tripac on a 2008, been gone for over 2 years now. I was in another for a trip where the Tripac wouldn't cool and the main wouldn't either, and that was interesting, humidity is worse than heat. The truck I had from then was good enough I would have bought it, but now I'm happy I didn't. If I ran down south, it would be more essential to cool the truck, but not so much east of the Missouri and north of the OH/Susquehanna. Farthest south I go now is Baltimore, as we don't even go to Washington, IN (Jasper)to pick up turkeys. That's just north of Evansville. I've never paid attention to what is on someone's catwalk, the thing I didn't see sounded like a Carrier, and I'll move if some hapless individual stuck using one of those parks next to me. Idling the main engine covers more of what's outside than running a little one that starts and stops.
Which is exactly why a couple of fans work in California. I wouldn't try it in, say, Baton Rouge in August, when both temperature and humidity are pushing 100.
The FL factory installed EPU uses a remote mounted condenser up high on the back of the sleeper. I looked at the Swift truck last night because I remembered your question and have been watching for it. The guy gets a lot of hometime, but for once, I hadn't seen it in over a week. Newer Cascadia powered by Cummins (looked just like an Evolution but they don't have Cummins), no condenser on back, but carrying a spare tire in a rack mounted on the back of the sleeper . He's got a CB antenna on an aftermarket mirror support mount, and the truck is white. At least 6 aluminum wheels.
I'm a Swift Co driver with a ProStar and idle as much as I need to get comfortable sleep when it's hot out. I never get complaints from Swift. I do however try to stay in the GLR as much as possible. I spent most of last week in the frigid upper states and my bunk heater did just fine keeping the truck warm without idling. I don't mind not having an APU as most are way too noisy for my tastes.
The bunk heater kicks out a lot of moisture just like an unvented NG heater. This can cause problems with folks that have bronchitis. An APU would mean they might actually give a crap about your well being and move a little (just a little) towards being less than a piece of numbered meat behind the wheel. I met an idiot who mostly was out West and had a truck that wouldn't idle. He mounted a 12" 12V fan in an old Idle Air door piece. And he wore a specific T shirt that he sprayed with water to survive the heat.
The Webasto bunk heaters that Swift uses does not produce a lot of moisture. The air coming out is quite dry. I've never seen condensation on the windows from the Webasto.
