Generator And Portable Ac Unit

Going o/of soon and looking to avoid idling when I'm stopped for the day and or night. Anyone here used a gas generator to run an ac unit? Was looking at the portable ac but has anyone used a window unit and just took it down before rolling again?

Also is there any regs about carrying gasoline? Like a 2-5gallon can strapped to deck securely or a 2gallon stashed in sidebox with the portable gunny?

Plan on getting a 2200 watt generac generator with build in inverter from lowes and debating on what kind of ac unit.

Idaho noob, I realize you want to make more money, and admire your willingness to take the risks and make the sacrifices to accomplish that. I've been an entrepreneur all my life, I am a capitalist and I have a drive for success. I've also owned as many as six big rigs at one time. I understand about pride of ownership and all that goes along with it.

As a new driver barely scraping the surface of an industry that's better known for it's failures and bankruptcies than it's success stories, do you really feel you've got a good handle on truck ownership or leasing at this point? It's not a highway paved with gold, as some portray it. It's funny how the folks receiving those lease payments make it all look so promising, while the hard working people making those payments are constantly looking for ways to reduce their expenses.

I can't give you advice on the window a/c unit or the generator strapped on your catwalk, but I can tell you that as a successful company driver there are few owner/lease operators whose take home money rivals mine.

I encourage you to slow down your career path and do some really solid research. Hang in there as a company driver for a few more years and build a foundation for success.

Going o/of soon

What does that mean? Do you mean you're buying or leasing a truck?

Unfortunately that's not a realistic plan. I've never once witnessed someone trying to do that but I'm sure it's been tried. And you most certainly do not want to carry gasoline attached in any way to the tractor unless it's in a purpose-built tank.

There's nothing wrong with idling the truck a little bit to stay comfortable. There are a lot of intelligent systems out there now that will keep you comfortable without wasting a lot of fuel. Using a portable generator isn't the way to go.

Oh I just found this:

I currently drive for swift the lease is a good deal if you don't plan on buying the truck at the end. You make significantly more take home pay vs company.

Oh no I think we're too late. He drank the Kool-Aid. He believed the hype.

Well it's not the end of the world. At first those revenue checks will make you feel rich and brilliant! We've had people say things like, "I'm making more money than I ever dreamed!" and "I'm swimming in a river of money!" Those are actual statements people have made in the past. You'll think all of those company drivers are fools for giving up so much money.

Before long you'll begin beating your head against the wall trying to get ahead and you'll spend a lot of time trying to convince yourself that it's worth the additional headaches and work and stress to take on all of the responsibilities and risks of running the business for your company. But hey, it's noble of you to do that so that they can kick back and relax and take their easy cut of the profits without all of the risks and headaches.

Eventually you'll either realize it doesn't get you anywhere and you'll go back to being a company driver or you'll spend the next 50 years chasing your tail. Because think about it - why would the company pay you more money to lease a truck than to drive one of theirs? You're still hauling the same freight using the same fuel following the same rules on the same highways. Your company is trying to make all the money they can, right? Of course. So why would they choose to lease you a truck if it meant they would be making less money? Because if you're going to make more as a lease driver than as a company driver then simple math tells you the company is choosing to make less.

I can't think of any reasons why they would do that.

Like every other major carrier, Swift makes lots of money off the leases. Period. It reduces their operating cost and transfers that and liability to the leasing driver. Simple.

Idahonoob the average operating ratio in the TL business is 96%. Meaning for every dollar a TL carrier earns, they make about 4 cents profit. That's basically what you signed up for. You may not see it now, however in a year or so, you will.

There is a recent thread about a trainee stuck with a L/O trainer clearly having money issues and training to supplement income. You should read it.

Sure there are drivers able to make a go at this, but it's because they have the benefit of years of trucking experience on their side.

Good luck is all that I can say.

I asked about ac and generators not negative omg ur gonna fail bs.

Wrong reply. You absolutely got what you asked for,...you just didn't know "you asked for it".

I re-read my reply, OS, and Brett's. No one flat-out said you are going to fail. We gave you the reality of your decision and what you might expect after the Armor-All sheen on your tires is long gone. If you had a good business mind, you would have read what was written and offered a well thought out response supporting your decision, void of emotion and perhaps asking us the question "what do we think you need to do to succeed when the deck is stacked against you". Instead you wrote-off the benefit of our collective experience as BS and all but alienated the very people who could help you right now. A knee-jerk reaction to say the least.

And for the record, Brett did answer your questions about AC and generators. As follows:

Unfortunately that's not a realistic plan. I've never once witnessed someone trying to do that but I'm sure it's been tried. And you most certainly do not want to carry gasoline attached in any way to the tractor unless it's in a purpose-built tank.

There's nothing wrong with idling the truck a little bit to stay comfortable. There are a lot of intelligent systems out there now that will keep you comfortable without wasting a lot of fuel. Using a portable generator isn't the way to go.

Like I said, good luck.

As mentioned, you'll have to have a legitimate storage tank for the fuel and you'll have to be able to mount the entire system in a way that it won't interfere with anything or get hit by the trailer on turns. I'm not sure how you plan to plumb the entire outfit but you're not going to be allowed to modify the truck in any way and I doubt Swift will authorize the setup you have in mind in addition to the extra weight you'll have to account for.