FRIDGES

You can buy an RV type 12v fridge, cost is around 400 bucks depending on how big it is. It will also freeze. A good investment for the life style and they are much higher quality than the 100 dollar coolers.

This might sound like a silly question, but is it necessary to have an actual fridge in the truck? Seems like a waste of space, even if I can see the convenience. Can you not stop several times during your drive time to get cold water, etc.?

The more frequently you stop, the longer it takes to arrive at your destination. If you are on a dedicated account frequent stops (other than deliveries or pick-ups) can risk running out of available on-duty hours. I know that may sound trite, but at least in my job I have to "hustle" all day long to get my deliveries made.

Besides, it's far cheaper to stock things like water (about $3.00 for a case of 36 bottles as opposed to $1.50 for a single bottle), breakfast bars, protein bars, and snacks. Many of the Freightliner Cascadia pop-ups (sleepers) in the Swift fleet have the mini fridge built-in behind the passenger seat. I usually purchase OJ, yogurt, jelly, lunch-meat, cheese, and yes water (4 bottles at a time) for storage in the fridge and also things like ketchup and mayo. When I take my 30 minute break I may not have the opportunity to stop at a TS or a Walmart so I many times take my lunch somewhere off the beaten path with no services.

I figured I would stock up occasionally, but I wasn't sure how a small fridge would fit in the truck without it taking up so much space. (I've only seen photos of the inside of trucks, so I don't have a good idea of the actual space inside.) And while I plan on making almost all of my meals for the sake of expense and healthiness, I figured to just keep a couple of bottles of water and maybe some milk or lunch meat cold wouldn't need an actual fridge. I'll check into the electronic coolers, but it sounds like it might not be the best thing to keep a consistent temperature for food safety. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Serah, while my profile says I'm in school (because I am) my dad drove for 44 years, my stepfather owned a trucking company, and my ex and his brother had 5 trucks they ran under their own authority. So while I'm "new", I understand the business, and understand how to equip a truck, because I've done it many times myself... It seriously depends on the layout of the particular truck you are trying to equip, because even the same model of 2 different trucks can be set up differently depending on how each company specs them out when they ordered them.

While I'd love to be prepared ahead of time and go ahead and buy my supplies for when I've finished school, company training, and I'm finally issued my "own" truck.. I don't dare. Nothing more disappointing than spending money on a refrigerator/tv/microwave/whatever that you can't find the room for.

Get the truck you will be driving for a while. If they say, use this truck a little while, but its scheduled for replacement.. wait. Just use a cooler in the meantime. Know what your personal "requirements" are. Sit in the truck and eyeball it for a while figuring out places to mount or strap down those necessities and have something to write your measurements down on. If you decide you want to place a fridge (or microwave. . Anything with a door that hinges) in a cabinet/closet/cubby make sure you will have enough room to OPEN the door and there's room for airflow around it and that you can secure it. Know where/how you are going to plug it in before hand.

Sometimes companies are willing to remove a passenger seat (if you won't be needing that) or a cabinet for you at their maintenance shop. IF you decide you need to drill a hole in anything, etc. ASK your company first to make sure it's ok... drivers have been fired for less.

My personal wish list... TV, Microwave, Fridge/freezer, porta potty, cb, gps, and a memory foam mattress for the bunk.

Thanks Sue D. for the detailed info. Didn't mean to slight you, just wasn't aware of your experience with trucks. Thanks Deb R. and Ken C. All this info is very useful. Like you Sue D. I intend to have it all. Miss Miyoshi, I don't know about others but I will be giving up my apartment to be on the road full time. Stopping frequently for water etc is not something I foresee in my plans. The less stops I have, the better for me.....

You don't have to have an actual fridge.. one of those electric coolers will do as long as its not placed in a sunny spot/hot truck, if you can idle or have an APU. They only cool to 30ish? Degrees below the ambient temperature inside your truck so be careful. You could always just use an inexpensive old fashioned ice chest and restock the ice as necessary, but they can be messy.

For the best savings and the healthiest eating. . Go with a fridge as soon as you can reasonably afford it. You will not regret it. Some larger ones actually have a real freezer built in. Choose a 120/household powered one with an inverter or apu or go for the 12v model. I've personally found the 12v appliances can be generally less reliable, but your mileage may vary. Be careful about the wattage requirements.

Thanks for the info. If possible, I would love to have athe 3.1cu.ft double door (separate freezer).

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

You can buy an RV type 12v fridge, cost is around 400 bucks depending on how big it is. It will also freeze. A good investment for the life style and they are much higher quality than the 100 dollar coolers.

Thank you for the info.

I like to have stuff with me to make salads with. Also almond or cashew milk for cereal. Cheese and lunch meat for sandwiches. Truck stops don't have the kind of food I want to be eating on a regular basis. Also, I prefer to take my 10's at rest stops or customers (save that clock!) rather than at truck stops anyway, so I try to be stocked up with everything the dog & I need.

I started driving solo in February, and initially used a cooler with ice. Once the weather warmed up, the ice thing became waaaaay too much of a hassle for me, and food did not keep all that well. Fridge cost me $199 at Loves, I'm really happy with it.

My problem was I've been seeing small fridges with separate freezers, and even the typical "dorm" style seemed like more space than I was willing to concede to giving up in the truck. But I found some super small ones that look like they'll work just fine!