Need Input from Real Truckers: Best things about a Power Inverter?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by AutocarJIT, Jan 8, 2025.

  1. AutocarJIT

    AutocarJIT Bobtail Member

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    Jan 8, 2025
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    Hey everyone,

    I’m a writer at truck parts website (JIT Truck Parts) and conducting research for a blog article about the best reasons for having a power inverter. When working on a previous article I wrote, I found some great information right here on this forum, and I’d love to get more real-world insights from truckers with first-hand experience.

    If you’re willing to share, feel free to reply here or send me a private message. Thanks in advance for your time and insights – I really appreciate any assistance on this topic!

    Some initial questions to consider below – please feel free to answer any that apply to you or different questions and topics that I'm not even thinking about (that's why I'm coming to you).
    1. What are your main reasons for using a power inverter?
    2. What is your favorite reason for having a power inverter?
    3. How does it make life on the road easier or more comfortable?
    4. What were some unexpected pros (or cons) about having an inverter?
    5. What devices or appliances do you power with it that are particularly important or convenient?
    6. What is the best thing about your inverter?
    7. Where or when do you use the inverter most often?
    8. What would have a negative impact on you if you didn't have the inverter?
    Some disclosures:
    Your feedback may be included in the article, but no personal details (such as your name or location) will be shared without your permission. The content of this article is for informational purposes, and I am not offering professional advice or endorsing any specific products, though my company does sell related items and there may be links to product categories featuring third-party brands.


    Please note that while I sincerely appreciate any insights or advice, there is no compensation for participation, regardless of whether your input is featured in the article. You will not be named or directly quoted without your prior consent. If you’re open to being quoted or named, please let me know. However, at this stage, I’m unsure if the final article will include direct quotes or names, and any public mentions may involve a vetting process.

    Safe travels,
    Ben
     
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  3. Crude Truckin'

    Crude Truckin' Alien Spacecraft

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    Helps keeps my pets warm in the microwave
     
  4. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    1. Allows me to use any device in truck I would use at home.

    2. Making my own coffee or heating food in the truck. (Coffee maker & microwave)

    3. Inverter gives me food/coffee choices besides what happens to be in truckstop. I can also have an "emergency" shower if I have bottled water & towels.

    4. Learning how to make an "emergency" shower using electric kettle or coffee maker allowed me to clean up anytime I got dirty Instead of staying dirty until I could get a truck stop shower later that day or next. Staying clean & fresh made me feel human, despite customer behavior.

    5. I mostly used a small automatic drip coffee maker, my microwave, my refrigerator, and an electric kettle. I sometimes used a laptop home charger.

    6. Best thing about my inverter devices is it allowed me to use less desirable parking spaces but still have most of the benefits of parking at a truckstop.

    7. I used my inverter every day to make coffee & instant oatmeal, many days to reheat lunch in microwave, and many days for dinner if truck stop food options were not desirable.

    8. Without an inverter I would feel like my company didn't care about my well-being.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2025
  5. 86scotty

    86scotty Road Train Member

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    Hey Autocar, why have us do your job for you? Hell, AI can write your article if you tell it to. It's not hard to imagine why a trucker would have an inverter in a truck.
     
  6. AutocarJIT

    AutocarJIT Bobtail Member

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    Jan 8, 2025
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    Thank you! While I don't think I can write about a makeshift shower, #6 and #8 are great personal insights I was really hoping to learn here.
     
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2025
    tscottme Thanks this.
  7. tarmadilo

    tarmadilo Road Train Member

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    I use my inverter to run my $79 Walmart dorm refrigerator, my toaster oven, my hot water kettle, my CPAP machine, and whenever I get too bristly my electric shaver.
     
    AutocarJIT Thanks this.
  8. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    Why couldn't you write about a makeshift shower? Is heating water in the truck so you can clean yourself up more comfortably a taboo subject?
     
  9. AutocarJIT

    AutocarJIT Bobtail Member

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    Jan 8, 2025
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    No, it's related to potential legal issues. Talking about heating water or even hygiene is fine, but I wouldn't be able to publish anything that could potentially lead to someone doing something dangerous (boiling water from a coffee maker vs. skin) and land us in legal hot water, no pun intended.
     
    Sirscrapntruckalot and Moosetek13 Thank this.
  10. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    Nobody is proposing using boiling water for a shower. My system added a liter of almost boiling water to AT LEAST 1 liter to 1 gallon of unheated bottled water that was used for washing up. But bathing is out of the scope of an inverter story.
     
    Sirscrapntruckalot Thanks this.
  11. Sirscrapntruckalot

    Sirscrapntruckalot Road Train Member

    Yes but you have commonsense.

    A lot of people don't. ;)

    So I do see his point.

    OP can't say it, but I can...People can be rather stupid.

    :p

    Sirscrapntruckalot -
    [​IMG]
     
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