Oh yeah! I'll eat so much bacon that when I pass out sleep on the couch afterwords with a stomach ache, you'll be able to HEAR my arteries clog!
I'm starting with Swift on 4/30. I have a CPAP. I was going to run it with a 12VDC cable because it runs on 12VDC at 7 amps. Does any one know the deal with APU's or inverters? If I can use the CPAP to get an inverter on board I will. I don't mind paying for it, as long as it okay to have it. Also, when I drove before there as never an issue about idling the truck at stops. What is the policy now?
If you buy it, the shop will install your inverter but only up to 375 watt. Otherwise it is company policy that it is NOT okay to have an inverter of any size in your truck. Most Swift drivers, therefore, are not okay because most of us have inverters. Just remember to bag them up and have them off the truck when it goes in the shop. No APU's. Fuel is expensive, the greatest single line expense that Swift has. There is always an issue about idling unnecessarily. Depending on your terminal, there might be occasional mention up to active harrassment. You are expected to shut it off even if it's for a few minutes and, regardless the weather never idle for heat or AC. They will agree that driver comfort is essential to quality sleep which makes for safer, rested drivers then hammer you if your idle percentages get too high. Welcome back and good luck, Frank
Funny when when we were sitting on the bus for close quarter backing in Memphis the tester asked who had a CPAP. He told us Swift couldn't harass you for idling if you needed the machine. That was taking into consideration that you had an AC powered unit. A 12V DC unit may not connect good. Possibly shut off. He told us the shop would install an inverter. What size? I have no idea. I always had a 300W plug in that got stuffed away when the truck went into the shop. It was good enough for my lap top and phone charger. My Volvo batteries would wear down with the Webasto bunk heater in 5-6hrs. The low voltage alarm would go off and shut down any plugged in device. Hearing the alarm with the machine going???? Ask your recruiter, or maybe better talk to safety? Maybe this is a good topic for your own thread. Might get more responses.
I have never bothered to hide my inverter, and the last time I was in the shop I even mentioned it to the shop guy. A 12V plug stopped working and I couldn't find a blown fuse. He opened up a fuse block that I didn't know was there, and found the blown fuse. It was only a 5A fuse - for a 12V socket. When I questioned it, he said it was for the TV. I told him I liked to use that one for my inverter to power my computer. He didn't have a 5A fuse in his pocket so he replaced it with a 15A, so now I can use that socket again. As for idling... I get the drill every month - have since I went solo. No service failures. Fuel mileage is either very good or not so good, depending on the truck. (Volvo's have the worst, by far) Idle time is 30% (or 40 or 60... depending on the climate) 'We' have to get that down to 17% Overall, good job. Keep up the good work. They can not, on the one hand, tell us to stay comfortable and safe in the hot and cold climates - and on the other tell us not to do what is necessary to acheive that. I spent a lot of days this past winter in sub-freezing temps, so I idled the truck. There are even posters on the walls at the terminals telling us to idle 24/7 if the temps are below 20 degrees. Even so, I get ragged on for high idle times.
That's interesting, mines at 0% at the moment, but pretty sure I killed that the other day when I was sitting in 110 at Yuma and had it one for 5-6 hours (Hoyt power the Xbox and tv...)
