No inverter/no apu

It is basically a mini fridge. I guess people would call them coolers but it does just as good of a job as my mini fridge plugged to the wall at my house.

 

We have 2 thermo electric coolers. One for drinks and one for food. Works perfectly.

 

Have fun with that!! And remember... it will all pay off once you have your own truck.. but for the time being it will be a tough adjustment.

 

First off your not going to get much out of a cig lighter outlet. My 400 watt cig lighter inverter won't power my gaming laptop. Run's my other laptop fine though.

For OTR trucking a powerful inverter, direct wired to the batteries is the only way your going to be comfortable. In addition to the inverter you need a power source other than the batteries. You'd have to idle the truck to run the microwave, and the batteries won't make it through a long break running fridge, tv, xbox, etc...

Most companies have strict idle policies, and without an APU your going to be very uncomfortable keeping your idle time low and not having an additional power source or air conditioning through a long break. That's no way to live in today's society. The way I see it a company can either have an APU or let you idle. Why would you work for a company that expects you to be extremely uncomfortable on your breaks? Your away from home, the roads are dangerous, some of the places you have to park are dangerous. Non of that is worth it for low pay and no comforts.

If they don't allow a company installed inverter you still have some options.

You can get a doctors note that simply states you have a strict diet that requires refrigeration and a microwave to maintain. You'll have to idle the truck when you microwave, and 4 batteries will run a fridge through a 12 hour break easy. Beyond that, you'll need additional power to run entertainment electronics like a tv and xbox, etc.... Beyond that you'll still need to idle or an APU.

You can always install an inverter regardless of the companies policies, but you'll have to uninstall every time you have to go into the companies shop. If they find it, they'll probably throw the inverter away and fire you if your didn't have permission to tamper with their equipment. I don't see that as an option, but some would.

You can buy your own generator and strap it to the catwalk. You'll still need the inverter though.

Most companies will allow an inverter if you buy it and install it on your own dime. Then the company will inspect the installation, so make sure it's done correctly. You'd need permission before installation.

In summary. I'd find a better company to work for. A working APU is a must for OTR company driver work. If they don't want to pay top dollar they should at least keep you comfortable while your away from home dangerously traversing our nations highways making min wage for all hours worked.

 

Amen @icsheeple !

 

My first year OTR I ran a thermoelectric cooler and I had a skillet with a coleman multi fuel camping stove. I had a cig plug in 400watt inverter and a weak laptop, setup just for surfing web and movies. I stopped at Walmart a lot to keep my budget low because I was saving for my own truck. My company allowed inverters and didn't care about idling times, but I never installed one. I was pretty comfortable just with the cooler, skillet, stove, laptop and cell phone. Had they not let me idle I would have found employment elsewhere.

I just idled when the batteries got low, or the temps outside were too hot or cold. Basically idled most breaks. during winter and summer.