Entertainmaint for Truckers?

I guess you could try to get routed to a certain area for home time. Then you of course miss your real home time. A bike isn't a bad idea, exercise is good. The issue is that a lot of truck stops aren't in the best parts of town so you might not really want to be out on your own in a bad neighborhood.

 

There's a REASON you see lots of Dish TV antenna mounts on semis.

Depending on the whens and wheres, I've rented cars, taken public transit or just walked a mile or two.

 

Get a foldup bike and keep it inside the sleeper compartment. Google shows the places that sell the good ones. The foldup mountain bikes are good, but expensive.

 

make no mistake about it TRUCKING IS NOT A VACATION!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just dont take the guy up on the radio if your ever layed over in Laredo. Heard the cops in Boys Town have really started to crack down on taking the gringos money these days.

 

OK, I did not last long as a trucker (I quit a few days before I was to solo out) but I got to comment on this. If you want to see the country, If you can afford to own/rent a small mini-van and drive around for two months or so you will probably see more of the country than an OTR driver sees in 20 years. IMHO, seeing the country is one of the strangest reasons to be go OTR. I had one trainer that had weekly stops in San Francisco for years and never saw the city, because he could not ever find a place to park, he always parked out in Sacramento. I had another trainer that drove past the Grand Canyon almost daily, and never stopped and had never seen it in years --- you don't exactly stop the truck when you are under load, and you don't exactly move the truck when you are not under load. Don't get me wrong you do see some interesting stuff. I remember Sunsets in Utah, the top of the mountain in Wyoming (with winds about 100 mph). And lots of cool industrial things I never knew existed. I kind of thought maybe America did not make anything before I spent a couple of months on a truck, but I remember seeing a copper mine where they made copper coils we hauled, an automated can plant in California where they made soda pop cans piled high to the ceiling where there were almost no workers, a battery plant in Compton California that was full of Mexican workers who were singing in the showers, a Costco DC which was unbelievable busy and huge, a little factory that made plastic knives and forks, a place in San Francisco that makes firewood, in buildings that looked like they were bombed out in WWII or something, a couple of places where they make furniture, including a Lazy Boy factory... So yes you will see things -- very interesting things for sure, but not really what you expect I think, so expect the unexpected.

 

You will just love the OTR community. Entertainment? Well trucking is entertainment. Where else can you spend all day, with people you dont know, while they put on a entertaining daily show. People just teaching you new and inovative words, new gestures, and another entertaining way to drive a motor vehicle. You get to listen to that very entertaining chat sessions on the CB. Those highly entertaining shipers and receivers. Those highly skilled commedians at each truck stops, and never miss those great trucker stories at the drivers area. Whay would you want to go anywhere else. Trucking is its own entertainment. Before I forget, there is usually a nightly show at most truck stops, with well trained female performers. If you listen closely, and look around, you can get some good deals on all your shopping end relaxation needs as well. Who needs entertainment, we got Trucking.

 

One place I would store a bike would be on top of the tractor.
Not every rig has space there, the Frightliners we use don't, but the Internationals, if they aren't condo cab's have a small slot over the sleeper and below the wind deflector. Keeps the bike out of the weather and away from casual thieves. Also won't interfere with any movement with the trailer. Also I'd use a tarp over the bike anyway, it'd probably rust solid in a month being exposed to the rear of the tractor.