Hi... I have mentioned before that I am now a local Central - TopicsExpress



          

Hi... I have mentioned before that I am now a local Central Florida food grade tanker truck driver. I drove a different unit but the same style Volvo cross country with a tanker and I thought I would share some things about TINY LIVING AS A TRUCKER. All truckers are NOT created equal with skill and living situation. This Volvo is SMALL. My truck is 102 wide and my twin bed goes from side to side. There cabinets on either side of the truck. I have an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) on the side that gives me heat, ac, a household outlet, keeps my truck batteries charged and keeps the fuel warm in the winter so it doesnt gel. Its basically a fancy generator with extras. This particular unit (Carrier) only gives you house power when the unit is on. I used to have a TRI PAK APU when I owned my owned truck that had a 1500w inverter so I always had power. It was connected to the batteries so if the truck was on or it the APU was on, I had power. With the TRIPAK I had a fridge with a separate freezer, like a college dorm but like I said a larger freezer. Being local I dont really need that even if I stay out for a few days. But with the Carrier I would have to run the APU all the time and waste diesel. So I have an ice cooler that I use for cold water bottles that I refill from the $.30 machine. The cabinet that you see the toilet paper hanging in has a tv antenna cord and a 12v outlet (for an inverter) on top and a closet on the bottom. The microwave is mine and is held up and out of the way with ratcheting straps. In the above cabinet, as you can see, is 2 shelves with a door which I use a pantry for dry goods, a few glad wear bowls and a knife. The lower one I have shorts and pants in. Under my bunk I have a PASSPORT POTTY 12L. It has a separate waste tank and a pump flush. Wish I had it when I traveled the road. The light above my pillow was $3 at a thrift store and I love using it. I dont have a tv in this truck but I do watch movies on my laptop. I put it above the TP and plug it into the truck stereo for surround sound. Above the drivers seat there are lil cubbies. 3 above then 5 smaller lower ones. To give you a better idea, Im sitting on my twin bunk with my back to the wall with my legs forward. The reach the end of the cabinet. Im only 511 (depending on the 7-11 I walk into). I used to live in this size truck 27 days a month. You shower at the truck stops or if your like me, you get a large mixing bowl from Goodwill and microwave some water for a quick bath here and there. As you can see there are curtains that close around the windshield and there are 2 curtains that separate the bunk area from the front. You have more room to turn in the average shower area without hitting the wall and curtain than I do when they are closed in the truck. My last truck was a lil larger and had an upper bunk ( which I miss) as I had totes above for storage. I had a tv/dvd player mounted on the side of the cabinet and had a full sized bed. I hope I didnt ramble too much and gave you a lil in depth glimpse on how tiny the area can be in a semi and how a trucker lives while getting you everything you touch, see and taste. Thank a trucker. Without their sacrifice of their time away from home and their families for so long and dedication to this profession, you wouldnt have ANYTHING. Everything you do was delivered by a trucker.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:50:59 +0000

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