Running with JCT, Part Deux

1. Would you drive a truck you owned or leased without an APU on it?

Aside from the truck payment, fuel is our biggest expense. So if I’m paying for the fuel, I want every tool available to me to help reduce that cost. So no, at this point an APU is must have for controlling fuel costs.

2. Would you drive a company truck without an APU on it (if the company allowed you to idle the truck?

See answer to #1. If I’m paying for fuel, I want an APU. If I’m a company driver, and the company is paying for the fuel, then how I stay cool/warm is up for debate..as long as there is an option to stay cool/warm.

3. What brand of APU do you prefer & WHY?

TK by a country mile. While working for another company, my TK APU worked flawlessly. Rain or sun, hot or cold, it worked with no issues when needed. The Comfortpro is junk. I have had mine personally worked on at least 6 or more times, and it still works when it wants to. Don’t even think of trying to run it when the ambient temp is above 95. And I also had a Dynasis at one point. Let’s just forget that thing even existed.

Any other comments regarding APU's will be appreciated.

While I do appreciate JCT putting APU’s on the trucks, my problem, like a lot of other drivers here, is the reliability of the Comfortpro. As the TK is a much more reliable (at least IMO) APU, going with a TK even if some of the additional cost involved was defrayed by the lease operators, would be a move I would support.

Just my input...thanks.

 

Dynisys is the worst thing ever. Or the greenapu .

 

1. No I wouldn't. It saves so much on fuel costs.

2. Company truck, would be nice if it had one.

3. For me it's a toss up between TK and Carrier. My Carrier has had some problems, but all was finally fixed a few months ago. I like the 3000watt generator on it as I cook on the truck. The TK I like for reliability, but uses an inverter instead of a generator. The inverter is a weak one at that and can't handle what I need to cook myself fresh meals.

 

Well, WalMart kept their word and got me in at 1430 and was out 1730.

 

1. Would you drive a truck you owned or leased without an APU on it?
An APU was my biggest reason for coming to JCT for the lease purchase. Ironically, my orientation class had no trucks with APU's on them to choose from. I drove a truck without an APU for a year, and my fuel expenses reflected that fact. People also tend to underestimate the wear and tear of idling, especially in reefer work. A truck without an APU has significantly more wear and tear on the engine than a truck with an APU given similar mileage on the engine. I'd rather shift that idling wear and tear onto a smaller and cheaper APU engine than put that extra strain on the truck engine.
2. Would you drive a company truck without an APU on it (if the company allowed you to idle the truck?
I've done at Conway. When I was at Werner both of my trucks had APU's. The first one had a comfort pro and the second one had a thermoking. When my truck broke down at Werner and I couldn't idle my engine in the winter, the APU allowed me to stay warm while I waited on a tow truck. When I broke down at Conway sans APU, I froze my behind off waiting for a tow truck. So, even not being responsible for fuel, the APU is definitely a handy device to have.
3. What brand of APU do you prefer & WHY?
Thermo king is by far the better APU. Having to depend on the comfort pro generator just to get AC power is ridiculous. My thermo king didn't break down as much, it was quieter, it ran based on power demand rather than all the time thus lowering fuel consumption and wear and tear on the APU.

 

What if the comfort pro is installed with inverter (for AC power) along with it?

 

That would help alot. But, it would have to be at least 2500 watt to be useful. 3000 watt would be ideal. Got to keep in mind that your drivers cook in their trucks.

That 1800 watt the shop is installing for free isn't all that useful for cooking.

 

That would help immensely. Sometimes in the winter my comfort pro doesn't like to start and there are times when I'd prefer to idle in extreme weather conditions. Having power instantly available would be very handy.

 

While having a decent inverter to power cooking utensils, laptops, etc. etc. is nice, For me it’s a very distant second to having an APU that provides a working HVAC system. Being able to rest comfortably, with a working APU with a working HVAC system, is worth it’s weight in gold. Again, an inverter is nice to have, and I’ll certainly appreciate any inverter that’s installed in my truck for me...But my priority is being able to go to sleep at the end of my day, and not being woke up two hours later when my APU decides for whatever reason that it doesn’t want to run anymore.

 

1) No.

2) Yes. Since they pay the fuel.

3)TK
3a) Reliability and the fact that it doesn't run all the time. I like the quiet operation of the diesel bunk heater. In the four and a half years I've had it, less than 4200 hrs are on the clock.

TA