Sleeper Size, Comfort And Tractor Performance Questions.

Hopefully these are not a dumb questions, but what is the average length of the sleeper beds? I am 6'6". I do normally sleep somewhat curled. Also, are they reasonably comfortable considering they are in a tractor? Do companies normally allow their drivers to idle the engine in hot weather to keep A/C running while sleeping? Not knowing anything really about the various makes and models of tractors, is there a particular make or two that truckers in general tend to prefer for comfort and performance? I would love to hear opinions on that. Thanks.

I have similar questions too. I was just approved to go with PRIME for the training to get my CDL and they will pay $600 a week while in training then .41 mile plus fuel bonus after that. They will pay for my school also as long as I stay 1 year or cover 1/2 of schooling $1500 if I stay 6 months.

The catch. I have to use the eco 49 and the smaller cabin truck. Being new I don't know one truck from another except what I read online. Seems like GREAT PAY and maybe worth it to get trained and make good money then after a year find the local or regional etc that has the trucks and home time I hope for.

Still thinking of Celadon, Roehl and Prime and open for others for now. I plan to start training in July or August. Applying to all right now and talking to recruiters weekly and keeping notes.

This site is by far the best I have been on. ONE request would be to be able to search posts etc.

Thanks

I can tel you the tractors vary from size to size.. International pro star eagles are bigger in the bunk area than the Volvo's. not sure about freight liner or KW... I can say the Sleeper studio KW is bigger by far, but mostly I've only seen them as O/O... Most companies from what Ive seen have either Freight liner, Volvo or pro stars...

as for being 6'6, im roughly 6'3 my self and fit well in a prostar bunk, as for the volvo I felt cramped in.. I too curl up when Im sleeping but laying on my back I could stretch out and have a few extra inches..

Stacy, our old forum has a search function. Not sure if Brett has plans to do a search for this forum or not... Alot of the sites info is in the old area though... not sure of the link for the old site though.. im sure someone can post it for you.

Do companies normally allow their drivers to idle the engine in hot weather to keep A/C running while sleeping?

Yap. You'll either have an APU (auxiliary power unit) to run for heat and A/C or you'll be able to idle your engine.

This site is by far the best I have been on. ONE request would be to be able to search posts etc

That box at the top left of the page that says "Google Custom Search" is the search engine for this forum only. It doesn't search anything outside this forum. Also, at the bottom of every page (like just below what you're reading now) will be a list of tags for any particular topic. Not all topics have tags though. This one doesn't right now, but most do. You can click on those to see other topics that have the same tag - same as hash tags on Twitter. You can also view all forum tags here

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.