When a new driver is assigned to a truck, what should i get for it?

a savings account.

start making lists as you go out with the plan of not buying ANYTHING For 4-6 weeks. If you really need it, you'll find out in that time.

I can get by without my GPS just fine. Times I just turn it off. I have the voice turned off now as I find it annoying. If I use it, it's for a time keeper and lets me know. But I still go back to how I did things 20 years ago.

 

The most important thing to purchase and a necessity if you don't have one to take with you is a lap top so you can keep updated with the forum,lol.

 

Cb Is a must. Example, just this past thurs. morning there was a bad accident on wb I70 in In. was stuck in traffic for 1.5 hrs. If I had my Cb(in shop) I could of taken the exit before the back up,and ran up to I69.
Pick up a plug in cooler, will work fine to start out with. My company supplies fridges for drivers

 

I think a gps is a huge help in the truck. Advice I would have is get a truck specific model. I have the Garmin Dezl and love it.

Some other handy items:

Flip flops for showering
Cheap wiring repair kit
Test light
Rain coat

 

Those I'll agree with.

I have this list too
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ttachment.php?attachmentid=31012&d=1332128210

 

I agree,I plan my route with an atlas but finding the customer once I get close,I use my GPS.

 

I got a MIFI for the truck when I started driving again in March. Best money I ever spent.

My folks gave me an HP460 portable printer that a customer brought to them and traded on another printer.

Along with my computer, I use google map or Bing Map to print out directions for getting to a consignee or shipper. I have seriously learned to NOT trust my GPS to get me safely to a dock. Routes me onto city streets I am better off not being on.

 

CB is a must imo. I bought a midland 5001z for ~$50 at a love's on my first solo trip. I used it until I saved enough points on my TA card to get a cobra 29 lx.

As for a fridge, I've been driving over a year and still don't have one in the truck. I do waste a lot of cash on bottled drinks because of that. I actually have a fridge and an inverter in my garage, I just haven't gotten around to asking the mechanic at my terminal to install it yet.

I also don't have a gps, but I use Google maps navigation on my phone and pay close attention to the road signs if I've never been there. My company usually has pretty good directions from the nearest interstate to the shipper/consignee, so that helps too.

I do have a portable dvd player that I will watch movies on occasionally, but I usually just stream netflix on my phone.

Other than clothes and sheets, I guess I'm pretty much a minimalist. I probably wasn't the best person to reply to this lol.

 

I like the idea of having a printer in the truck. It would be nice to be able to print load confirmation sheets that I get emailed to me.