I'm going to be working for Roehl (OTR), and I'm assuming I'll pick up this info during orientation, but I'm curious how this all works and am feeling kind of clueless. I'm not sure what kind of appliances a truck can accommodate space-wise. I saw some pictures of someone else's truck, and based on what I'm thinking I saw, I'd like to bring a laptop, small TV and microwave. Is that realistic? Maybe even a small crockpot. Can you actually put in a small refrigerator? If not, what can be used as an alternative? And in terms of those inverters, what do you recommend I pick up in order to accommodate those appliances? The only appliances I envision using at the same time might be the laptop, crockpot/microwave or TV. Such as watching TV while I'm cooking something in the microwave or using my laptop, etc.

Thanks!

 

The question you really need to ask is whether or not Roehl will allow you to have these items in their truck, and whether they will allow you to have an inverter large enough to power them. That question should be directed towards Roehl.

Laptops that run off of a cigarette lighter inverter shouldn't be an issue, and as long as you have a 12V TV, that won't be a problem at all. The microwave would have to be run off a larger inverter, which Roehl may not want you to have. A 12V cooler is an option for you, but to have a legitimate refrigerator again becomes an issue, considering it isn't your truck.

If Roehl allows larger inverters (over 1000 Watts), they will probably give you guidelines to follow in choosing an inverter, and may even install it for you. An improperly installed inverter is a fire waiting to happen.

 

You never PMed me....

But anyway...

Roehl has a pretty strict policy about inverters, anything bigger than can be accomidated with a cigarette lighter outlet(about 150 watts) has to be wired in by THEM, and they charge $150.00 for the wiring, and the max size for that is 1,000 watts.. Or they will sell you a "recommended" 1,000 watt inverter, installed for $475. The reason for this can be seen in Rev. Vassago's avatar: trucks burning down! Incompetent drivers in the past have burned their trucks to the ground, thus they are hesitant about such things.

BUT...starting earlier this year, they have been aggressively installing Thermoking TriPac APUs on their newer trucks; I'd guess about 1/3 of the fleet has them already, and they are still installing them. When they install the APU, they ALSO put a ThermoKing 1800 watt inverter in with it.

So if you get a truck with an APU, you don't pay a dime for your 1800 watt inverter, which will power anything you can plug into your home electrical outlets, including a microwave, TV, crock pot, etc.

I got my APU put on back in April...and I love the thing! I hope you get one...

 

Hey Tom - I responded to your last post about PMing you. I can't PM because I have under 50 posts, so I asked if I could message you via AIM instead if that's cool with you.

 

Tom I just now got your PM from the other day. Sorry about that!

 

You can safely run up to a 400 watt cigarette adapter inverter. Anything more then that is a fire hazard. A laptop has about a 50 to 100 watt draw, depending on modal. 12v TV has somewhere in the ballpark of 50 watts, depending on size and type. A 12v cooler works quite well in place of a fridge, and are easily available, I would recommend the coleman from Wal-Mart, has a huge capacity, and I've had it actually start to freeze things when the temp is 80 outside. A microwave will be your toughest thing to power. The smallest ones still want a constant draw of atleast 600 watts, with most home microwaves looking for a constant draw of 1000+ watts. And just because it says. "600 watt microwave" on the front of the box, does not mean that is its drawing power. They also make 12v crockpots that plug right into a cig adapter, that is your best bet for that.