Challenge

In 2010, a heavy-duty commercial trucking fleet needed to power CPAP medical equipment for its drivers without idling tractors during rest periods.  The fleet estimated around 35 percent of their drivers needed to power CPAP machines during the rest period overnight. In order to avoid outfitting all tractors for medical equipment, the fleet needed a portable device that would not impact the tractor’s ability to start.

Solution

The Medical Device Power Source (MDPS) powers medical equipment without draining tractor batteries. The MDPS accomplishes two things for the driver:

Results

While the MDPS provides the above functions for the driver, it also provides important features for the fleet by:

  1. The MDPS DC/DC converter pulls power from the tractor and increases the voltage to charge the medical battery during the operating period day. The MDPS also prevents the tractor from pulling power from the medical battery.
  2. The MDPS allows power to flow from the medical battery to the CPAP machine for up to 10 hours while the driver is sleeping. The MDPS provides DC or AC power depending on what type of CPAP machine the driver is using. The MDPS comes with or without an AC converter attached.
  3. Not impacting the ability to start the tractor
  4. Eliminating the need to idle the tractor during rest periods
  5. Not depleting the battery life of the tractor
  6. Allowing the device to be moved from tractor to tractor
  7. Providing a balance to both fleet and driver needs by allowing drivers to use medical equipment without depleting tractor and fleet resources

Do you have questions about powering medical devices? Are there other driver health concerns that could be causing electrical issues? We appreciate your comments below.

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