Finding The Right Carrier. Manuals And Apus
Topic 31009 | Page 1
I have more appliances that those listed and never had an APU , so scratch that idea.
As for manual vs automated, 95% of the large carriers (500 or more trucks) operate auto transmission, so what does this tell you?
You're overthinking things with your research. Pick a large carrier that trains, and jump in with both feet. Stop placing the cart before the horse.
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.
If you are new, as in no CDL yet and no experience, no company will let you order a truck al la carte. You take what they give you and then say “thank you” And it will be an automated.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
The vast majority of the appliances you've mentioned run on 110v electricity. You will need a power inverter for that, not an APU. The APU/EPU is to run air conditioning and sometime heat, not the 110v accessories you want to use as without the inverter you have no electric power only 12v dc power. Often there is a diesel powered bunk heater for heat so the APU is basically for A/C. The power inverter converts DC power into AC so all your toys can be used. I think you are confusing the two.
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.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Ahh.. Thanks for clearing that up Mikey B.
The vast majority of the appliances you've mentioned run on 110v electricity. You will need a power inverter for that, not an APU. The APU/EPU is to run air conditioning and sometime heat, not the 110v accessories you want to use as without the inverter you have no electric power only 12v dc power. Often there is a diesel powered bunk heater for heat so the APU is basically for A/C. The power inverter converts DC power into AC so all your toys can be used. I think you are confusing the two.
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.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Welcome to TT, J.D.
I will start by saying that I am not a driver, at least not yet. However, I have kept my eyes and ears plenty open to absorb as much information as possible.
One thing that I have been able to observe is that until a person actually works in the trucking industry, it is tough to say what he/she really wants in a driving career. I had an experienced driver point out to me the other day that what I may intend to do in my trucking career as of right now may not be what I end up doing after a year and beyond. This is basically reinforcing what others have said, but it's probably the best advice for you to receive: Focus on figuring out which means of acquiring your CDL works best for you. Then, focus on where you are going to get your training/begin your career. Then, decide what you really want to do with your career in trucking once you have had some exposure. I don't have any experience as of yet, but I can guarantee that any of the experienced drivers here will tell you that truck driving is about much more than holding a steering wheel and moving a load down the road. I know very little about the industry, yet my intuition tells me that I could spend hours sharing with you what I do know about the industry, things that you have yet to even consider.
I am sure that you will get everything that you seek out of trucking and then some. Just pump the breaks on thinking that you know exactly how you want the truck to be setup and how long you want to be out on the road.
~Kerry
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
I don’t know a percentage but majority of the local companies where I’m at have manuals in their fleet. I’m not overthinking anything
I have more appliances that those listed and never had an APU , so scratch that idea.
As for manual vs automated, 95% of the large carriers (500 or more trucks) operate auto transmission, so what does this tell you?
You're overthinking things with your research. Pick a large carrier that trains, and jump in with both feet. Stop placing the cart before the horse.
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.
I don’t know a percentage but majority of the local companies where I’m at have manuals in their fleet. I’m not overthinking anything
I have more appliances that those listed and never had an APU , so scratch that idea.
As for manual vs automated, 95% of the large carriers (500 or more trucks) operate auto transmission, so what does this tell you?
You're overthinking things with your research. Pick a large carrier that trains, and jump in with both feet. Stop placing the cart before the horse.
JD, where are you located? Yemen? How did you get the notion that most companies in your specific area run manuals? That’s hard for me to believe until you provide supporting details.
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.
I don’t know a percentage but majority of the local companies where I’m at have manuals in their fleet. I’m not overthinking anything
I have more appliances that those listed and never had an APU , so scratch that idea.
As for manual vs automated, 95% of the large carriers (500 or more trucks) operate auto transmission, so what does this tell you?
You're overthinking things with your research. Pick a large carrier that trains, and jump in with both feet. Stop placing the cart before the horse.
JD, there's a distinction that getting lost in your comments. You asked about OTR & manuals but referenced *local* as your source for companies that have lots of manuals. Most local companies do have manuals but they don't run OTR. Pick up and delivery mostly. As mentioned earlier, most large OTR companies, that offer paid training, have converted their fleets to autoshift.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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.
Take a look at the company reviews here or look at hiremaster.com. Alltruckingjobs.com (I think) the company profiles will have the info you need. For example as per this website Swift has standard transmissions and Apu's. Although they are ridiculed on many forums, youtube channels etc, they are still going strong. If I were to enter the business again, Swifty would be in my top 5 with company sponsored training. USA Truck has Standards and Apu's.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
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.
APU's:
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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Automatic Transmissions Becoming A Truck Driver Changing Careers Choosing A Trucking Company Life On The Road Truck Driving Lifestyle Truck Equipment
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Hello everyone. I’ve been searching for the past few weeks and want to get my cdl and go otr. The main issue I’m running into is my wants. Are there any carriers that have manual transmissions and apus? I want to drive manual because 1) that’s what I’ve always driven in my pov 2) I think starting on an automatic is “hustling backwards” and I don’t want to limit myself in anything I do. My reasoning for wanting an apu is I plan on staying otr for 3 years straight with my only break being paid vacation. I want to live as comfortable as possible. Ideally I want a fridge, that I won’t have to unplug, I can keep stocked with fresh food and produce. I also want to to run things like tv, electric pressure cooker, coffee pot, hot plate, and maybe waffle maker. From what I gathered it seems an apu is the only way this is possible as most companies have a no idle policy.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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.
APUs:
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.