Recommended Tools

I was just getting my stuff together to head to orientation.
I lost allot of my stuff that I had in my last truck. I was laid off and was planning to go back to that same company. My truck was parked behind several others in the shed for several months. I had taken out my electronics for the most part.
The company has 10 trucks running out of 25.
I figured (and they planned) to keep us in the same trucks. But my truck was one of the newest in the fleet and had an engine warranty. So they decided to use it.
Nobody called me.
So I am not missing half my stuff and have to go buy again.
I really only care about 2 items. My power inverter and my 50' air hose with glad hand end. I am sooooo pissed those are gone. The owner is trying to track them down for me, but it would have been much nicer to just get a call.
It is all the little things I need to get today though. To replace all the things I left.
pens, notebook, bungees, clock, zip ties, whiteout, hammer, duct tape, electric tape and on and on and on.
All the little things that I took for granted lol. Same things that are already listed on here in places though.
It is amazing the things you accumulate in your truck over time. Darn..... I just remembered I had a spare set of pigtails in that truck that were mine also.
See what I mean.....
Too many things.

 

Yeah Chrome, many of us overdo it with "stuff"...but, i always looked at it as "tool trip-planning". SURE, companies pay for many things you'll end up needing, but I feel in the word "professional", its intellgent to have TOO much than to be sitting there having a cop say"Son, you aint moving till you replace that headlight". Cant make money sitting, and GEE Lord forbid we get our hands dirty workin on THEIR truck.

Its a shame your stuff was missing. my last company ALWAYS got the burnt out headlight or whatever I had to replace to show them I changed it and wasnt selling their stuff for a buck. I too always carried a extra pigtail(30bucks Pilot) had to use it quite a few times to keep rollin till fixed. Ive had stuff stolen also while the truck was in the shop. Amazing how things go POOF.

 

I will still need to buy spare lights. But I am not there yet, do not have a truck yet.
So need to see there equipment to know what I need.
I have rubber grommets for glad-hands. I have some trailer marker lights and things like that still.
I buy them, and if I have to use it I buy a new one and turn that receipt in to the company. I have always done it this way. I rather have those things than not.
If I change company's or trucks, many times I will leave some things with the truck, since I do not know if I will be able to use them in the next. Spare headlight and wipers can fall into that category. Now if it is at the same company I will know if I can use it or not, so it is easy. But heck. That stuff falls into the CYA category. Pigtail, air hoses ect fall in there also. Those at least are normally the same. There are a few types of pigtails though, but any will work in an emergency. I opt for the one with the ABS leads though, since most trucks use that one.
I spent 120 on junk today. Should be enough for now. Will have to spend another 100 or so finishing up, once I have the truck and I am rolling.

 

here are a few items that i will add, a push broom for sweeping out the trailer.
a crow bar for pulling up nails out of the trailer.
and of course a hammer. this would be used for nailing blocks in to secure your loads, and also can be used as an alternate to thumping tires, or have a tire guage.

i carried a variety of tools, and i even carried a mutimeter to test for voltage on wires when a light went out. if replacing a bulb did not work i would check to make sure there was power to it. even a test light would work also.
shrink tube for when fixing a broken wire, once you fixed it, then use the shrink tube to protect the bare wires.

always having simple items on hand that you can replace yourself will help you save time and the company money.

 

Here's what I carry:

HD (not the cheapies they sell at the hardware store) replaceable jaw bolt cutters (hualing containers this is an absolute)
1qt oil
1 can PB Blaster
1 qt brake line anti-freeze
small roll of bailing wire
garage door cable wire cutters (these are specialized tools and are only sold at garage door supply stores)
duct tape
side cutters
4 flathead and phillips screwdrivers
3/8 to 3/4 and 7mm to 15mm combo wrench set (at the minimum carry a 7/16 and a 9/16 for adjusting brakes)
small socket set
wire crimping tool and a couple of wire parts
binder bar
two prybars
"bad person be good bar"
chain tighteners
broom (strapped to back of sleeper)
60' air hose with glad hand connector and inflator chuck (soon to be replaced with a quick connect for other tools)
2 gal. of windshield washer fluid
4 pr of gloves (work x 2, cold weather x 2)
flashlight
2 handheld spotlights (one rechargeable, one plug in)
tire guage
bungies for chaining up

One thing to keep in mind, in most cases, once you get on the road and get a few months exp. you will find tools that will make your life easier adn you'll just aquire them over time.

 

Striker I would be interested in knowing what kind/brand of cable cutters you use, thanx
Now I gotta ask what the one qt of oil is for

 

Sometimes you have to back into a dark dock or a space where the darkness/weather makes it difficult to properly line up your trailer.
The solution:
Get 2 cheap flashlights and put them on the dock or in the space facing outward where you want your trailer to end up.
Get back in your truck and use your mirrors to line yourself up between the lights!
Works in truckstops too when it's dark and raining and you're trying to get into that tight hole.

 

20' containers come on three types of chassis, 20' non-slider, 20' slider, 20/40 triple axle. 90% of the 20' slider chassis are junk and will barely budge. You have to pull the pins, and put a little oil on the slider rails to get it to move, then apply oil to the frame sliders to get it lubed up. Some of my co-workers who haul 20' sliders on a daily basis (normally if I'm hauling a loaded 20' that needs a slider, it's on a tri-axle) can go through a qt of oil every 3 months. A qt. normally lasts me a year.

 

HEY Lynchmob, hope your doing good and if your not...hang in there....dont get hung.

 

I didn't read the entire post, but I would get a fifth wheel release tool they are about 10 bucks at Pilot. #### load of WD-40. All I can think of atm. Drive safe.

-Joe