What items do you have and how do you power them?

I'm plenty comfortable. Bunk A/C and heater, two 400 watt inverters to run my laptop, my Xbox, my TV and whatever else I want. And a 12V refrigerator. Nobody NEEDS to have an APU or a 3000 watt inverter or a microwave (would be nice to have but not necessary). If you WANT all of those things go buy a truck and install them.

There is a big difference between the needs and wants of a driver. There plenty of things that I want that I can't have because I don't own the truck I drive. I could go find a company like TransAm that will provide me with a truck with an automatic transmission, a micro fridge and an APU and they'd be happy to pay me 28-32 cpm to drive it 2000 miles per week and sit around in said "comfy" truck not making crap. I'm good right where I'm at making 48cpm with relatively steady freight and hometime. In a newish truck ('14). Life's about choices and priorities. To each his own I guess.

By by the way OP if you use a CPAP machine (like I do) not only will Crete allow you to have an inverter they will supply one (and an additional 12V outlet wired to the battery) to you and install it free of charge.

 

Im curious how exactly an APU helps when you need a shower?

 

Wild Murphy, I agree with you and pcfreak. I'm a recent truck driving school graduate and had a job offer from Crete but ended up passing on Crete as well as several other companies due to their trucks not having APUs/EPUs and inverters. An OTR driver lives in the truck and in my opinion shouldn't have to just make do with 12 volt appliances. Keep looking because there are other solid companies with well-outfitted trucks, good pay (cpm, safety, performance, bonus etc.), good miles, good benefits and that hire new drivers.

 

I bet you never had an apu, real fridge and microwave in the truck. Once you do you never go back. Stay out 6-8 weeks at a time the truck is pretty much where you live. Why not have some of the luxuries of home? If you are home every weekend then that might be a different story.

You need 48 cpm to live in San Diego with it's high cost of living. You won't see that in the rest of the country unless you run short haul or LTL. It's not like you are trading cpm for luxuries. Luxuries help driver retention and the apu saves fuel and solves the problem with them dreaded CA regulations. APUs pay for themselves. Driver retention methods pays for itself.

I made 62 cpm when I lived in Chicagoland. That didn't help much when I paid double to live up there.

 

it helps with the washer and dryer.

all you people so picky about having an apu. i see that as a luxory item. nice accessory for an o/o. specially with the wifey. but as a company man.

i wouldn't know what to do with one if it was THROWN on the truck. AND, it actually worked.

i'd be on TTR. asking HOW DOES THIS THING WORK? and the people be like, AIN'T GOT TIME FOR DAT.

 

The problem with getting covered in grain dust is that it gets very itchy. If the ambient temperature gets up near 100 degrees, that feeling gets even worse. The cooler you can keep yourself, the better. Get stuck in a truck at night with no AC at night and it will piss you off!

The stuff is worse than fibreglass insulation at times.

 

Many companies, unfortunately, don't see it as a retention issue. It was brought up at my last company, and the impression I got was that it was all about the money involved in installing one. They can't see more than five feet in front of their faces. They didn't get that putting them in would very likely help them keep experienced guys around, not having to deal with so many newbies and the risks of damaged equipment and the costs of associated downtime and repairs. We had some real winners there at times. Admittedly, APU's are not cheap, but if I had a company, I'd have them because I want to attract good people who will stick around.

My last company practically freaked out when they learned I was leaving. They actually offered me a lease deal, which is something they never do, to keep me around. They couldn't come up with the numbers and I wasn't in the mood to wait. And finding out I wasn't actually getting paid the percentage of what the truck was actually making caused some real trust issues. I will never touch a percentage based company again. Just too many opportunities for them to screw you over because they can just make up whatever number they want to tell you and you can't see for yourself.

 

If you got one, you'd never want to run without it.

 

Pretty sure that is what they want. The Op didn't really say he was a rookie. I've heard sometimes company requirements are always a hard line.

 

that MAY be true, however, i really don't have a need for one. other then summertime a/c, what purpose would it serve me. i don't do much cooking, and what i do. i have propane burners. i have a fridge so i'm good there.

from what i've been reading on this forum. those things are in the shop more then they actually work.

i get by just fine without an apu.