Mandatory Or Optional Items To have Inside The Truck As An Over The Road Driver

The same is true of mapping programs and trucker's 'advice' on the CB.

What works best for me is Google Earth. If I'm going to a new location, or somewhere I haven't been in awhile, I can locate the exact location of truckstops, shippers/receivers and usually, truck entrances. Having an internet connection in your truck makes trip planning a lot easier than it used to be.

 

does that work off of a wood fired MIFI?

 

Whoever heard of such a thing? Mine has a slot in the side to insert buffalo chips.

 

Earth and streetview are the best things ever for planning your route on local streets, not to mention verifying something actually exists and is where you think it is. I go to a lot of the same facilities over and over, but just today I was going to two places I haven't been to, and earth makes it easy-peesy. I would say that alone is enough of a reason for any new driver to get a smartphone.

 

I've had many white out conditions,fog, heavy down pour ect and didn't need a cb to know theres stopped traffic ahead.The very second you hit adverse conditions you slow down and plan for whats ahead.

 

I still use my CB and if a couple of dopes get on it I just turn it down for a bit. It is still useful to have on.

 

If you have an atlas, a magnifying glass is also a huge benefit. You can go blind trying to read some of those smaller routes, trust me.

As for cb use, I have one. But to be honest, I don't have it turned up all the time. If the weather starts turning bad or I can see traffic starting to get congested, then I make sure I turn it up so I can find out what's going on. Also, at some shippers, they use cb radios to communicate with the drivers waiting to load or unload, so in my opinion it is a very good idea to have one in your truck. It can also serve as a means of emergency communication should something happen.

 

I recently returned to trucking and on occasion it would have been nice to have had a cb. At a couple of shippers I had to walk to the office (OMG) instead!

Wherever I go my smartphone and laptop go. Two things I use the most.