Edited Posts

[AMonger]

I slept on an inflatable for a long time. It sucks, but it's better than the hard deck. I went through about 1 a month, either from it getting wore out from being inflated/deflated daily, or because I'd get a hole in it.

Posting messages to someone's Profile Page isn't the same as a PM, as everyone can read it when it's on the Profile Page.

Ah... I have yet to figure out the nuances of the forum controls.

What bed did you finally go with? Do you sleep north-south or east-west?

 

[Turtle]

I sleep east-west. I went with this one:
http://www.expeditersonline.com/forum/truck-talk/40917-your-sprinter-sleeper.html#post358859

 

[AMonger]

I sleep east-west. I went with this one:
http://www.expeditersonline.com/forum/truck-talk/40917-your-sprinter-sleeper.html#post358859

Ah, yes, I remember seeing that from one of the links someone (maybe you?) posted a day or two ago. I covet it. But I don't own this van. I'm learning the ins and outs of CV on somebody else's dime. Maybe they'll let me install something like this, but they're pretty keen on cargo room. Can't hurt to ask.

Thanks.

 

[aileron]

If I were you , I wouldn't waste my time and money to build anything in someone else's vehicle. Do what you can now while learning the ropes and then get yourself a van and put the effort into it.

 

[Turtle]

Yup, there ya go. Most van fleet owners will not properly outfit a van, like with a bunk, Espar heater, and insulation, because they don't care, and because they know they can get another warm body into the van without much effort. I should be fair and say that "because they don't care" isn't the only factor, since an owner and a driver splitting income in a van doesn't leave much for the owner, or the driver, to work with.

 

[AMonger]

Yup, there ya go. Most van fleet owners will not properly outfit a van, like with a bunk, Espar heater, and insulation, because they don't care, and because they know they can get another warm body into the van without much effort. I should be fair and say that "because they don't care" isn't the only factor, since an owner and a driver splitting income in a van doesn't leave much for the owner, or the driver, to work with.

What about things that will save them money? Forex, the posts I've seen about using a battery system to power an RV AC unit mounted in the roof? If you show them that spending the, what?--$1000? to install that will save them money over time, is that a good idea? If you were an owner and a driver came to you with that deal, what would you think?

 

[Turtle]

Any decent fleet owner should already know about generators and a battery bank, Espar heaters and insulation. But many don't want to spend the money for the long term because they are more interested in getting the van on the road and earning revenue in the short term. Many have also been burned, or heard of others being burned, by drivers who have no taken care of relatively high dollar creature comforts, regardless of how much money they could potentially save.

Also, most fleet owners have a contract that says it's a 60/40 split, with the driver's getting the 60% and paying for fuel, with the owner getting the 40%. They do that because if the driver isn't responsible for fuel, he'll idle like crazy or will deadhead all over the place just for kicks. So, with an owner getting the 40% and not paying for fuel, he really won't save any money by providing money-saving creature comforts. He'll save some money in the long run because the van will last longer if it's not idled a lot, but then again he's only in it to last 5 years anyway, and anything beyond that is icing on the cake and becomes pure profit. As soon as the van needs major repairs, he'll just get another one.

I can tell you one thing for sure, you can make good money as a driver of a straight or big truck, but you will not make much of anything driving a cargo van unless you own it. Best is to get your feet wet for 6 months or a year driving for someone else, saving as much as you can, then buy a good used van, 3 or 4 years old, pay cash for it, put a bunch of money into it for maintenance to get it absolutely road worthy, have at least $5000 in the bank, and then run it paid-for for a year or three while saving up for another one, either another used one or a new one.

 

[AMonger]

Any decent fleet owner should already know about generators and a battery bank, Espar heaters and insulation. But many don't want to spend the money for the long term because they are more interested in getting the van on the road and earning revenue in the short term. Many have also been burned, or heard of others being burned, by drivers who have no taken care of relatively high dollar creature comforts, regardless of how much money they could potentially save.

Ok, this is my first attempt at inlining a reply into a message, so we'll see if I'm doing it right. I don't think my owner knows about those things. He's owned a small fleet of straight trucks and big trucks before, but that was a few years ago when fuel was relatively cheap. He ran in a van for a short time, himself, but other than that, this is his first foray into CV.

One of his drivers hated A/C and wouldn't idle the truck no matter how hot or humid it got. The owner called him to make sure he knew that he COULD idle it. The owner's been a driver before and loves his AC, too.

Additionally, I've driven for him in the past. In fact, I was his very first driver when he branched out from just running his own truck, so he knows me and knows that I'm not hard on his equipment.

Also, most fleet owners have a contract that says it's a 60/40 split, with the driver's getting the 60% and paying for fuel, with the owner getting the 40%. They do that because if the driver isn't responsible for fuel, he'll idle like crazy or will deadhead all over the place just for kicks.

Ok, I gotcha. In our setup, I make a number of cents per mile, and he pays the fuel and tolls. So in our setup, he'd eventually recover his investment in the hardware and labor to install all that. That still leaves the other problem of not being enough revenue for everyone to clean up when splitting revenue between the owner and driver, but we kind of knew that going in. My plan is to get my own van in a year, anyway, if I can swing it.

My plan with this now is to pay for the actual TurtleBunk (no TM like after Mootbed?) myself, and then take it out and put it into my van down the road. But being as the roof fan, battery bank, Espar and AC unit would stay with the van, I'd want to hit him up for those.

The actual bed is the one area where he doesn't spring for anything. He was happy with couch cushions thrown down on the floor during the short time he was on the road in a CV, so he's not going to pay for something better, in any event.

Speaking of the Turtlebed, what expense is there in building one?

 

[Turtle]

I used a sanded plywood, 3/4" thick (I think it's actually 23/32), so it's heavy, but so am I. I wanted to make sure it was very sturdy. 1/2" plywood might be better. I used parts of four 4x8 panels, walls, lid and floor of the bunk.

I also used 3/4" x 2-1/2" boards to brace the inside of the bunk at the corners. And 1-3/4" x 3-1/2" (like 2x4's) to frame the base of the lid, and along the top rear wall of the bunk to reinforce where the screws for the hinges go it.

I also used some of the plywood as a ring around the lid, so the mattress sits down inside the frame. That keeps it from falling off when I raise the lid, or if I need to slam on the brakes.

I built it tight, tight enough that you can't slide a piece of dental floss between the edge of the bunk and the walls of the van, but I have it screwed right into the floor and walls of the van. It ain't going nowhere.

No TurtleBunk™ or TurtleBunk© here. I'm reasonably sure it's relatively unique, but from a carpentry perspective it's not much more than a box with a hinged lid, much like a cedar chest at the foot of the bed. I well remember when I outfitted my first van, took out the passenger seat and put a TurtleDesk in its place. I remember how proud I was to think of it. I then went in service for my first week ever of expediting, and the first thing I did was roll into a truck stop, pull in next to the passenger door of another expedite van, and look over and see another TurtleDesk, made with the same plywood as mine, and about the same size. In that humbling moment on my first day in this industry I learned that I don't know jack about expediting. Still don't.