APU And Air Conditioning
Topic 25276 | Page 1
It has its own condenser fan, coolant lines, Etc
Perhaps I’m spoiled by prime and have seen or heard trucks run all night but do a lot of trucks not have apu?
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.
Very few of Schneider trucks have APU. But I think they are putting it in to their newer trucks and I think they are being forced to put it in due to the competition for drivers. When I started I didn’t realize how important an APU could be, but not having one could cause a driver to cross a company off their list.
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.
but not having one could cause a driver to cross a company off their list
Not if the driver understands that you don't need an APU to stay comfortable. The APU is simply to allow the driver to maintain temperature and have power without running the main engine. It doesn't give you any advantages other than that. 99% of the trucks on the road do not have an APU, and in 15 years of driving I never had a truck with an APU. I never spent an uncomfortable night in the truck.
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.
So, I thought the APU also supplied 110V current for stuff like a frig and microwave. Is an inverter separate from an APU?
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.
I've never had an APU , and certainly never thought I needed one. I certainly wouldn't consider it a criteria for employment. Most everyone I've talked with who has one spends more time than they would like in the shop having it repaired. Sure, they are nice, but nowhere near a necessity.
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.
I’ve never had an APU as a company driver, or on my own truck. I’ll idle an engine to have either heat or A/C if the outside temp is below 50, and above 75 degrees. I’m not going to freeze or burn up when I’m trying to rest up for the next day. Being rested improves the efficiency of me! These motors are highly efficient at idle, too, and only use just over a gallon of fuel an hour.
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.
Bruce, an APU is merely a generator. It provides power. It also has an A/C unit that it powers for comfort. You accomplish those same things idling the engine and using an inverter. Most companies don't use them because of the expense and maintenance.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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.
Ahh, thanks for the clarification. I wasn’t clear on the difference. Yes, an APU is not really what I meant. To me personally, an inverter would be much more useful.
BTW, Jamie, what exactly do you have on your truck?
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.
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Since the main engine is not idling, how does an APU provide air conditioning?
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.