Eating and cooking on the road?

I am currently about 2/3 of my way through the "classroom" part of getting CDL. I have an in-person class next week on getting my permit (company is paying for it, so why not?).

Anyway, I'm getting a lot of advice from the experienced drivers at my employer on eating and cooking on the road. Some make meals ahead and microwave them in the truck, other use hotplates or crockpots, others just eat out.

What advice can you give a new driver in this area?

Thanks.

 

DO NOT USE ANY OPEN FLAMES. The only "hotplate" I brought into my truck was an automatic drip coffee maker (5-cup). EVERYTHING in the truck is flammable. You will not go 1 month inside of a truck without knocking something over in it. Imagine knocking over an open flame or glowing red-hot metal plate. Poof, you're on fire. If your truck doesn't have an APU and a 2,000 watt power inverter you won't be using much of anything to heat food.

I did use a 700 watt microwave from time to time to heat a TV dinner or re-heat food from home or food from a fast-food restaurant. When you stop for lunch, buy 2 hamburgers, for example. Eat one for lunch now, eat the 2nd for lunch or dinner tomorrow. EVERY truck stop has a microwave you can use, almost always for free. Make sure to buy SOMETHING in the place to say thank you for the free microwave.

You will have a LOT LESS free time in the truck than you can imagine. Imagine the bare minimum legally required amount of free time. You will be lucky to have even half of that amount of "free time". EVERYBODY but the driver acts like they have the rest of their lives to do their job, while you are on the clock and punished if everyone's delays make you late for an appointment.

Experienced drivers with PERFECT work, driving, criminal records are having a hard time getting hired right now. THERE IS NO DRIVER SHORTAGE. Newbies are having more trouble than experienced drivers getting hired.

 

I've worked for my employer (family-owned distribution center) for 17+ years. I already know what type of truck I will be driving and I was told I buy the microwave and whatever else I want in the sleeper, plus CB radio.

Other drivers told me they had propane grills they would set up, outside of course, and grill up a steak after their last drop on the route. Others lived out of a cooler/fridge they had. Some treated themselves once a week to a restaurant or truck stop meal.

Love your signature line, BTW!

 

An electric skillet is less than $50 and you can cook almost anything in it. Even steak, but it’s not the ideal way to cook steak. I use it for eggs and ground beef. I’m doing a smoothie diet right now and my blender works great, no heat. But it is a lot harder to clean the blender. Cooking right next to your bed can be a challenge. Paper towels are cheap, use a lot of them. I never eat at a truck stop. I always grocery shop. My drinking water bill is close to $80 a month now, but I drink a lot of water and prefer arrowhead which is a little more expensive.

 

Try and watch the sugar intake and carbohydrates turn into sugar when you eat them. So stuff like bread and potatoes are like eating sugar. Diabetes gets lots of drivers over the years of driving. Drink diet soda if you have them.

This guy Kevin Rutherford has radio show all about driver health because so many driver get diabetes. It was interesting to hear him say you’re better off have eggs and bacon or stake every day vs a bowl of cereal or bread. Drivers have reversed their diabetes just from changing the food they eat. He would tell drivers don’t eat salads because the don’t fill you up and don’t have much nutritional benefits.

We should eat fats but healthy fats like butter or beef tallow and other stuff

 

I see lots of driver posting about using air fryer in truck. One person on here post about an all in one. Microwave, air fryer and oven I think. Lots of trucks now have inverters installed so you just plug in microwave. My company got the factory inverter from freightliner and truck was wired with 4 regular power plug just like at home. The inverter could put out 1500 watts

 

I have an extra freezer in the truck in addition to the built in truck fridge. On home time I'll cook up a bunch of things and divvy into plastic containers and put in the freezer...then just thaw in the fridge and heat up to eat during the time I'm out.

As long as I can get through a Walmart once a week I'm good for groceries. I do those pre-cooked hard boiled eggs, a lot of fruit, frozen vegetables, always have bread and PB on hand for a quick sandwich in a pinch. Other snacks like string cheese, different kinds of nuts, yogurt, avocados, oatmeal etc.

It has worked out pretty well over the past year OTR.

 

Location of your distribution center and how far you will be travelling away from it?

No drugs, alcohol allowed and willing women will be in short supply. So your primary mistress will be food.

 

Please don't buy stuff until you are in your truck.

 

You can eat pretty healthy buying healthy food in truck stops and grocery stores.