Texas Style Sleeper

BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I noticed 3M has Crystalline Certified Installers.
If they have upgraded tint people, I’d suggest finding one of them.,
They’re identified in the 3M dealer locator.
 
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terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
I use to suggest products "such as" the 3M clear tint and now reading the latest 3M info in Moots post, It may be new and improved. It isn't terribly cheap but much cheaper than skin damage repair. 1000 spf is better than any greasy sun screen
 

BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
An Australian friend has facial skin cancer.
The tint guy told me they even put the clear on windshields.
If I built another truck it’d be on the same list as an Onan and an Espar.
 
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Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I was wondering about the windshield.
Putting clear tint on the windshield of my Transit probably wouldn't be cost effective. The average life span for my windshields is about 2 years. I bought a roll of mirrored tint off Amazon for $16. I ran a strip down to the "A" on the original windshield and now on the glass that replaced the original. It helps block some of the sun.

The windshields on the high roof Transits remind me of my cabover days. Whole lotta glass!
.
Transit Tint 2.JPG
 

RoadTime

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Putting clear tint on the windshield of my Transit probably wouldn't be cost effective. The average life span for my windshields is about 2 years. I bought a roll of mirrored tint off Amazon for $16. I ran a strip down to the "A" on the original windshield and now on the glass that replaced the original. It helps block some of the sun.

The windshields on the high roof Transits remind me of my cabover days. Whole lotta glass!
.
View attachment 17765
While looking at a 3m dealer page, I saw they also offer a windshield protector application. Wonder how much that would actually help.

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jhead64

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
Your Welcome. For anyone lurking here. 393 of the FMCSA says, in effect, that a CMV windows to the left and right of the driver must allow 75% of the ambient light under normal conditions, to pass through. Every truck that I checked with a tint meter showed a daylight pass-through of about 75%. Therefore, any tint applied would cause a non-compliant condition. BigStick is referring to a clear tint that blocks the harmful UV rays from entering the windows.
Are you sure it's 75? I tried looking it up and I'm seeing 70 per cent.

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jhead64

Expert Expediter
Owner/Operator
We used the 3M product.
Had it professionally installed.
You didn’t even notice it was there.
We spent a lot of time in Az and Southern Ca.
We used to put a cloth on our left arm and leg because the sun was so hot.
That was a thing of the past.
When Terry first spoke of clear tint I thought he was pulling my leg.
It’s the real deal.
Was this in a cargo van or a straight truck?


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terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
JHead64. You are correct at 70%, I misspoke. The 75% pass-through was about the typical reading I got on OEM windows.
 
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Jobu

New Recruit
Fleet Owner
This post goes off on a wild tangent. I thought it was about building a sleeper in a box truck. Then it goes on about window tinting. Some actually helpful information about the original topic would be great. I have a 26 foot straight truck that I want to build a sleeper compartment in. Any advice or pictures or direction would be great.
 

terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
Jobu: It is historically the nature of the beast here where posts tend to morph into unrelated topics of the OP.
Here are the latest sleeper berth regulations with which you must comply. See also 393.77 which discusses heating your compartment.

§393.76 Sleeper berths.
(a) Dimensions—(1) Size. A sleeper berth must be at least the following size:

Date of installation on motor vehicle Length measured on centerline of longitudinal axis (inches) Width measured on centerline of transverse axis (inches) Height measured from highest point of top of mattress (inches)1
Before January 1, 1953 72 18 18
After December 31, 1952, and before October 1, 1975 75 21 21
After September 30, 1975 75 24 24
1In the case of a sleeper berth which utilizes an adjustable mechanical suspension system, the required clearance can be measured when the suspension system is adjusted to the height to which it would settle when occupied by a driver.

(2) Shape. A sleeper berth installed on a motor vehicle on or after January 1, 1953 must be of generally rectangular shape, except that the horizontal corners and the roof corners may be rounded to radii not exceeding 101⁄2 inches.

(3) Access. A sleeper berth must be constructed so that an occupant's ready entrance to, and exit from, the sleeper berth is not unduly hindered.

(b) Location. (1) A sleeper berth must not be installed in or on a semitrailer or a full trailer other than a house trailer.

(2) A sleeper berth located within the cargo space of a motor vehicle must be securely compartmentalized from the remainder of the cargo space. A sleeper berth installed on or after January 1, 1953 must be located in the cab or immediately adjacent to the cab and must be securely fixed with relation to the cab.

(c) Exit from the berth. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, there must be a direct and ready means of exit from a sleeper berth into the driver's seat or compartment. If the sleeper berth was installed on or after January 1, 1963, the exit must be a doorway or opening at least 18 inches high and 36 inches wide. If the sleeper berth was installed before January 1, 1963, the exit must have sufficient area to contain an ellipse having a major axis of 24 inches and a minor axis of 16 inches.

(2) A sleeper berth installed before January 1, 1953 must either:

(i) Conform to the requirements of paragraph (c)(1) of this section; or

(ii) Have at least two exits, each of which is at least 18 inches high and 21 inches wide, located at opposite ends of the vehicle and useable by the occupant without the assistance of any other person.

(d) Communication with the driver. A sleeper berth which is not located within the driver's compartment and has no direct entrance into the driver's compartment must be equipped with a means of communication between the occupant and the driver. The means of communication may consist of a telephone, speaker tube, buzzer, pull cord, or other mechanical or electrical device.

(e) Equipment. A sleeper berth must be properly equipped for sleeping. Its equipment must include:

(1) Adequate bedclothing and blankets; and

(2) Either:

(i) Springs and a mattress; or

(ii) An innerspring mattress; or

(iii) A cellular rubber or flexible foam mattress at least four inches thick; or

(iv) A mattress filled with a fluid and of sufficient thickness when filled to prevent “bottoming-out” when occupied while the vehicle is in motion.

(f) Ventilation. A sleeper berth must have louvers or other means of providing adequate ventilation. A sleeper berth must be reasonably tight against dust and rain.

(g) Protection against exhaust and fuel leaks and exhaust heat. A sleeper berth must be located so that leaks in the vehicle's exhaust system or fuel system do not permit fuel, fuel system gases, or exhaust gases to enter the sleeper berth. A sleeper berth must be located so that it will not be overheated or damaged by reason of its proximity to the vehicle's exhaust system.

(h) Occupant restraint. A motor vehicle manufactured on or after July 1, 1971, and equipped with a sleeper berth must be equipped with a means of preventing ejection of the occupant of the sleeper berth during deceleration of the vehicle. The restraint system must be designed, installed, and maintained to withstand a minimum total force of 6,000 pounds applied toward the front of the vehicle and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

[39 FR 14711, Apr. 26, 1974; 39 FR 17233, May 14, 1974, as amended at 53 FR 49401, Dec. 7, 1988]
 

RoadTime

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
This post goes off on a wild tangent. I thought it was about building a sleeper in a box truck. Then it goes on about window tinting. Some actually helpful information about the original topic would be great. I have a 26 foot straight truck that I want to build a sleeper compartment in. Any advice or pictures or direction would be great.
Considering this 7 yr old thread was raised from the dead, probably not going to get a whole lot more information. So it's fair game
As usual, we do tend to drift away into other areas

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BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Wild tangent ?
Sounds like my wife.
Sounded like a nice side discussion to me.

Next time I send Lawrence my membership dues, I’ll ask him to have his highly paid moderators earn their pay by keeping a tighter lid on thread direction.
STAY IN YOUR LANE !
 
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Jobu

New Recruit
Fleet Owner
Jobu, welcome to our congenial little group.
Fleet owner ?
If you’d like, introduce yourself.
Who, what, where, and why ?
My name is Joe. I am a fleet owner. Currently 1 truck operation (myself) until I expand. I am from north carolina.
 

BigStickJr

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I think it’s weird to call a one truck operation a fleet, but that’s what they do in Expediting, so nothing personal.
Welcome aboard.
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I think it’s weird to call a one truck operation a fleet, but that’s what they do in Expediting, so nothing personal.
Welcome aboard.
The U.S. Army used the advertising slogan: "An Army Of One" for a few years. Why not a fleet of one. At Panther I am a fleet owner with an assigned fleet owner number and also a driver with a driver number. "Be All You Can Be".
 
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