Hi people ! I am headed off to oriontation on friday . two days of that then i am on the road for 21 days . I know its not a long time . Its the longest i have been away from my family though.

I am hoping to find out from you pro's, what to pack or not to pack . any tips will be appreciated ! Thank you

a sleeping bag, enough clothes for a week (and you can wash them at truck stops) but the most important thing is canned food like bennie wennie's and potted meat and viennia sausages etc. survived many a days off them hope this helps

thats really cool , my wife mentioned the canned foods, crackers , ..... Do you find yourself stuck in area's where no food accses is possible ? Just wondering?

Sometimes you are.
But what about those LLOONNGG times at shipper/reciever...might not be any thing around...

many times i would deliver to lets say for instance a sears inside a shopping mall late at night and would be setting inside the parking lot at night not knowing where nothing was and didn't want to go exploring to search for a fast food joint neither. this is one thing about trucking expect the unexpected you don't never know when you will be stranded or what what not. always have plenty of blankets, clothes,food and water with you at all times and a first aid kit too. good luck to you and be safe out there

Potted meat??? That stuff scares me. Have you ever seen the ingredients on a can of that product???

"Mechanically separated chicken, partially defatted cooked pork fatty tissue, partially defatted cooked beef fatty tissue, vinegar, less than 2% of: salt, spices, sugar, flavorings, sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite"

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glad you have a can with you to read , but when your hungry and there is nothing around to go and eat. it beats going to bed hungry or that this how we do it in alabama lol

One thing my hubby likes to take is the canned ravioli chef boy r d has the pop tops no can opener required (sorry thats not spelled right I am on loritab at the moment going through physical therpy for my ankle) they also have the tuna salad kits as well as chicken salad kits that work great that has the mayo, relish and crackers all in it. Good luck to ya its not easy being gone on either of you my hubby just started doing this a few months ago and its a big adjustment.

My uncle drove a truck for 20 something years. He said the beannie weanies, etc. only lasted a few weeks.

A motor carriers atlas,
A calculator,
a couple of pens,
a ruler,
work gloves,
a notebook that will fit in your pocket,
a cellphone,
a warm coat,
work boots (oil resistant),
dot physical form and/or dot card,
Drivers license,
If you wear eyeglasses be sure to pack an extra pair,
A pair of sunglasses,
Minimum 2 weeks worth of underclothes (socks, underwear),
7 to 10 days of street clothes,
a pillow and sleeping bag,
a small alarm clock,
a wristwatch,
personal toiletries such as comb, soap, deoderant, toothbrush+toothpaste, dental floss, shaving gel+razor, mouth wash and aftersave
a small gym bag for a change of clothes and your shaving bag for showering at truckstops (towels, and wash clothes are provided)
any prescription meds you require (be sure they are disclosed to your employer AND in the original packaging with your name on the bottle)
A bottle of pepcid ac (for possible heartburn),
A bottle of immodium ad (for possible diarrhea),
A bottle of advil (for body aches, head aches, etc),
A can of Tinactin or Desenex (to combat athletes foot from the public showers).

Another tip for you is start putting your wallet in your FRONT pants pocket. Sitting on a wallet in your back pocket for several hours per day can cause severe back pain.

Also be sure when adjusting your air ride seat to keep you feet flat on the cab floor with a 90 degree angle at your knees. If you raise the seat too high you will restrict the blood flow to your lower legs (the seat cushion will press on the backs of your thighs) causing your legs to go to sleep and cause discomfort.

Be sure to alot yourself about 30.00 per day for food expenses and personal items such as cigarettes, and start learning how to "budget yourself" save as much as you can. It is not your trainers responsibilty to pay for your food but he should be receptive to the idea of you saving money and help guide you to lower priced foof options rather than the truckstop restaraunts.

Your trainer may have some of these but it is better if you carry your own in a kit. You should be able to put all this stuff in a large duffle bag or 2. There will be additional supplies you should carry once you are assigned to your own truck but for now stick with the above list.