I'm a new driver any helpful tips 4 me

-get ready for night driving.

-dont waste time on your deliveries. If it takes 20 hours to deliver it and you have 34 hours on the dispatch, does not mean you can take 2.5 days to get it there.

Most companies prefer hands free devices for phones.

To keep costs down, try not eating out. Restaurants will kill a budget quickly. Get things like chef boyardee if no fridge in your truck. Something you can eat out of a can. I used to keep peanut butter in the truck with bread. Go and have a $2 breakfast and take the grape jellies from the table to have PB&J sandwiches.

Dont bring alot of suit cases. Space is very limited. volume should not exceed one duffel bag.

Bring a laptop for your reset time. You can rent DVD's at a truck stop and watch on your puter.

You wont need to worry about where to stop yet. As a student you go where the trainer / load dictates. Hope you dont get home sick, you will be out for a long time.

plan on having enough money stashed in a corner of your wallet for a bus trip home because some trainers will get you kicked off because you are you (not that you did anything wrong).

 

hey catman, good move on taking initiative to make smart choices on the truck and not screw yourself with unhealthy foods etc. make sure your stacked on water, gallon jugs are 80 cents at walmart.. and all that sugar from pop etc will cause you to gain weight if your sitting constantly and not exercising, cans of tuna are great, cans of chicken, oatmeal for breakfast with some frozen blueberries mixed with a scoop of protein is an IDEAL morning meal you should stick to EVERYDAY and some orange juice. cottage cheese/raw almonds are great choices for snacks especially cottage cheese before bed. load up on apples and bananas.. try to have atleast 1 a day. if you have a hotplate in your truck which i totally recommend you get "walmart".. you can boil veggies and fry up chicken etc. pineapple is also a great fruit to have which you can mix in with greek nonfat yogurt which is delicious. as you might notice a lot of this is vitamin c which is important if your on the road.. because getting sick on the road could be bad. just try and keep a healthy diet man.. if your trying to be professional driver you need to be healthy so you sleep better have more energy which leads to being more alert which can reduce the risk for an accident. try to make a commitment to not eat ANYTHINGGG from truckstops, and if you do.. try going with the buffett like once a week and load up on all the healthy choices they got with maybe some good ole taters and gravy and your choice of meat. but 50% of your plate should be veggies and fruits. as far as exercise goes.. a lot of people sleep on there top bunk and turn there bottom bunk into a desk/exercise place "optional". you can do push ups/situps/tricep dips/planks.. all that stuff. use your down time wisely for things like exercise and things that benefit YOU. not just sitting around doing nothing. good luck to you, be safe & stay HEALTHY. if you want more info on anything specific let me know, ill absolutely help ya.

 

When spending time at the truck stop keep your pants on around the lot lizards. lol

 

^^^^ true statement ^^^^

 

Depending on what you're pulling i.e. reefer, flatbed, tanker etc.. I would say the most important things begin like this
1. Season appropriate clothing-raincoat, steel toes, gloves, sunglasses
2. Ink pens, pencils, paper, laminated road map
3. $50 in quarters for laundry, soda 4 rest stops, telephone #, walmart GC
4. $250 in "just in case I need a greyhound money"
5. Food-raisins, dates, bread, fruit in can, pretzels, snickers
5a. Non perishable items espcially...
6. $200 more dollars in case you stupidly spend the emergency $ (u will)
7. Books, cd's, dvd's, possibly handheld gaming device
8. Handheld broom, air freshner
9. Sleeping bag & at least 1 case of water
10. Good repore with fellow drivers
And last thing you need to bring if you forget everything on this list-Common Sense!! Good luck and drive safe!!!

 

watch out for snow snakes if you drive in the northern states in the winter
you can tell where they live by the hole in the snowbank---about the size of a 1/4 and its yellow

 

Keep in mind, almost every "major" truck stop will have a fast food joint. Subways aren't bad but you'll get sick of them. DO NOT fall into the trap of eating "out" every night. First off it gets really expensive, plus it's TERRIBLE for you.

And like someone mentioned earlier, keep an eye on how much soda you drink. Because odds are, if you're not paying attention, you'll start drinking more.
It's like smoking. I used to always have a bottle of soda when I would drive somewhere before I starting trucking. That turned into always having a bottle of soda while I was trucking... And that turned into buying, and drinking 2 1liter bottles of Mt. Dew a day. (stupid 2 for $3 sales...) Needless to say, that kind of sugar and caffeine did a number. Now it's just bottled water, vitamin water, and gatorade/poweraid. At my last physical I was 15lbs lighter then when I had my first physical a year before. Meaning I gained weight at the beginning, but I lost that PLUS 15lbs because I dont drink Mt. Dew anymore and dont drink soda very much at all.
Now, if I could just diet and get more exercise then things would be even better... C'mon willpower... Get off your ###.

 

When you get one of these issued to you..................

READ IT !!!!!

Learn it !!

 

Ill give you a observation first,all who have posted here will give you their idea of what works for them,,EXACTLY! them

Its very easy ,just keep it simple,trial and error(try to keep the error part to a minimum)
Least in the truck is always better,find out what works for you from a "Do i really need it" standpoint.

I went diabetic last year(from what a few people told you to pack in your truck,over time any prepaired foods,,I.E. canned,packaged etc.. will definately put weight on you and sooner than you think your health will take a hit

After my Diabetic COMA last year i lost 80 lbs(down to 170),,,now i eat what i need(alot of salads,and yes mostly from Wendys,BK,etc..$1 types,i get 3 and go light on the Ranch= $3 investmant

Truckstop food: IS FINE,its called moderation,,,always get a meal WITH salad bar,start meal with a salad and end with another salad,,SIMPLE
the in between is where you get the moderation

Money; use a debit card,,,,CASH has a tendancy to fly out of your wallet

While out on the road make a note on what you NEED compared to what you WANT,learn to go without(keeps the crap buildup down in your cab)