Total engine idle time 5963 hours since I bought the truck NEW on 12-10-98, NO one has ever driven this truck but me, I picked it up at the KW plant in Renton Wa, and brought it back to NY state.
Since I use a pump to unload I figure 10% of those hours to be pumping, which I get paid for.
Truck uses .9 gallon of fuel an hour, according to the Cat printout of the engine computer.
since APU's use .4 gallons an hour there is a difference of .5.
Based on the hours on the truck minus the pumping hours I come up with 600 hours a year.
An APU installed 9 years ago when I took delivery would be just about half paid for now, that is assuming it didn't require any repairs at all.
In 9 years of owning the KW, I put on 800,000 miles, so it doesn't really sit around either, I was off for 6 months in 2001 for open heart surgery, the truck has been in or through ALL 48 states, within the first 3 years I had it.
As far as microwaves, TV's coffee makers, NEVER had them in ANY truck, NEVER will, and DO NOT want them, I figure I spend enough hours in the dam truck, why the he!! would I want to eat in there too?
Save money? If you have to eat in the truck to save money, your already out of buisness, you just don't know it.
While I am NOT a big fan of any truck stop restarants, I will sit and be served any day rather than cook for myself, I carry a few snacks and some breakfast cereal, and bottled water, thats it, and I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 180, no boofay's for me either.
Realize this, these are MY numbers and fit MY operation, NOT Steve's or Rev's, or anyone elses.....every body's operation is DIFFERENT, it just shows that while an APU might be right for some, it isn't right for everybody, MY numbers show it WON'T do me any good.
And one more thing, anti idling laws, just WHO is going to enforce these?
Roaming bands of US Marshalls maybe, dream on, there aren't enough cops or DOT to enforce current laws, just look at "truck safety week" on June, 72 hour enforcement of DOT rules and all the scales aren't even open.
Half of the cops/DOT don't know the idle laws and the other half don't care.