Appliances and Electronics in the truck?

Before you go crazy trying to "get everything," you need to back up, sit down and chill! You're #1 going for TRAINING! I'll put a couple of links in here at the end of other posts I've done that will help plan butyou really need to STOP!

Call the company and ask them some more questions. Will my trainer have an APU or Inverter in his truck. Does he have a microwave? Crock pot and will he share? Use of an inverter might not be a problem as you can only charge cells and laptops up so far!If you were getting in my truck and thought you would be "cooking" in it you will be waiting for the next trainer. I do use a microwave but as for cooking full meals, let me put it to you bluntly. Cooking in a truck smells the truck up! Oh a pot roast and taters and carrots will make anyones mouth water but after a while 3 wet dogs will start to smell good! Yes, it coats all the surfaces and is hard to clean and if you have never sponged a truck down from top to bottom on the inside with vinyl upholstery, it's a pain in the arse and I charge $500. for an interior detail! Also the windows get hard to clean! Velour and cloth will require several cans of cleaner or a wet and dry vac!

How much stuff do you think your trainer has in HIS truck and you're only going to be there for a month to 6 weeks? Again show up with the kitchen sink and you'll be waiting for the next trainer!

Ask the company those questions or have all of this stuff in a box that you can store until you make it back and think trucking is really what you want to do! This link page 17 is what you will need to take with you http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ivers/16652-packing-list-for-students-17.html

this is info about an inverter on page 7 and has pictures! http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr.../85815-eating-on-the-road-saving-money-7.html
Good Luck
Rollover

 

Look here Rollover, you have had no input in this entire thread and all of a sudden you decide to put your two cents in by insulting me? The people who have replied to the posts have been extremely helpful and I am very grateful for their input.

FIRST of all, I have no intention of cooking in my own truck if I ever get one let alone cooking in someone else's truck! No where did I ever give that impression. My original thread was just "general" questions for when and if we do become drivers and get our own truck.

Second, the remainder of the thread has to do with us making sure we are able to get online while on the road and what it takes to do so. I wasn't sure what was needed to charge a laptop in a truck. From what I understand, the only way seems to be with an inverter. And I sure as heck wasn't going to assume that the trainer we had would just LET us use theirs. Or should I have assumed that the trainer would let us charge our laptop with their power source??

That last reply I posted was basically asking if we needed to bother bringing an inverter for that first part of training or if we should wait until we get our own truck. I am quite aware that what we bring should be kept as minimal as possible. I have already read a lot of the posts out there regarding "Packing list for students." I only wanted to make sure that we could bring our laptop and cell phones and have a way to charge them without imposing on the trainer.

Anyway, sorry that you misunderstood the whole purpose of this post and thanks for the link you gave regarding the inverter.

 

I think you owe an apology to Rollover.

The points made are very valid. When I was training, I had a student come on board with way too much stuff. He ended up leaving half of it behind.

It is the trainers truck. You will eat when and where he wants to. You will not have a large area to call your own.

The expenses that you will incur during training will be high enough. Decide on the items you need after you have your own truck.

 

Like I said, I don't want to bring unnecessary things and I wasn't trying to imply that I wanted to bring the kitchen sink with me in my previous posts. I'm sorry if anyone thought that was what I was planning on. All that I intend to bring is the absolute basics. I would like to bring the laptop but I didn't want to assume the trainer would be ok with me using their inverter if they have one.

Is it unrealistic to think I can bring my laptop with me? If so, please tell me and I'll leave it at home. (Even though I pay all my bills online but I'll figure another way out.)

 

No problem with a laptop, sleeping bag, changes of clothes and the like. With the laptop, if you do not have a car charger a small inverter that plugs into a dc socket is okay if cleared with the trainer.


The one student I mentioned, brought along a cooler of food plus all kinds of snack foods.

You want to travel light.

 

Thanks Roadmedic. I will definately keep it light and I'm glad to hear that a laptop shouldn't be an issue. Never any intention of bringing coolers or food of any sort.

 

The reason I found out about the cooler was that it leaked all over my bunk.

 

Wow, that must have really sucked. I see that you've been on this sight for a long time and we appreciate you reading and replying to this part of the forum for newbies. (Even though we don't even qualify as newbies yet. Hopefully all will work out ok.)

And I will give my apologies to Rollover. I am obviously new to this site and I sure don't want to make enemies this soon into it. I just got upset that he thought I wanted to cook and bring food into the trainer's truck. (I hate cooking and it never even crossed my mind.)

 

I just read Rollover's list and it is really informative. I had read many other posts in the same thread before but hadn't gotten to that one. I am a woman, but luckily I don't bother with makeup and going 2 days without a shower is no big deal to me. (I must say, 3 days is pushing it though.) And I have no problem wearing the same set of clothes for 2 days either, as long as I haven't been sweating my butt off in 90 degree weather.

 

OK I'm glad you finally read the link!
Now if I was intending to be insulting, you would have been insulted and insulted by one of the best and actually know it! And believe me I was not being insulting! I was being just as honest as I could have been and I usually am! 30+ in this business I have ALL the answers! And I have the whiskers to prove it! I also have beach front property in AZ! ROFL

Going back through all of the posts, you were sounding like you needed everything short of the kitchen sink. If you take out the stop, sit down and chill, I thought my post was as informative as I could have made it as I do with 90% of my other posts to the "kids" in this forum! As for the "you'll sit for the next driver"..Seen it! More than 1 time also! It will, still and has happened!

For everyone reading in this forum and this post. This is a VERY hard life you're about to set sail on and what you just thought was insulting could be very valuable information. If you can't handle a little criticism now, how will you handle a loud mouthed truck driver "all up in your face" or that shipper/receiver who just went 2 rounds with the same trucker before you in line at the window? Also remember this is the internet and type. No facial expressions or vocal tones to tell anything apart! I could have put the smiley faces in each line but I try to stay away from them as they use to much band width (not to say I haven't used them!LOL)

BUT, you got it finally! I'm glad you're not one of those who has to shower every day! I do go every other day as long as I don't have to "work"! I'm medically unable to work right now so all I have to do is sit and post as much helpful info for those of you who are trying to enter a very demanding field. The days of Smokey and the Bandit are gone. There are no more "Good Buddies" out there now as each and everyone of them are now watching their own backs and trying to keep from being stabbed by everyone from their bosses to their best friends out here. When advice is given look the horse in the mouth but take the advice! What you do with it is up to you! BUT watch that horse till it's in the next pasture as he can rear up and kick you too!

Wannabe, good luck out there and chill sweetheart! You're getting nervous and I can't blame you! It's good you actually asked the questions looking for as much info as you could which is more than i can say for 70% of the people trying to start out in trucking!
And even in trucking: knowledge IS power!
Good Luck
Rollover