Outfitting a company truck in approx. 60 days. How/What/When/Where/Why?

a good plastic covered motor carriers road atlas,and a good flashlight.

 

For me:

GPS
Inverter
Fridge
Microwave
TV
Xbox
Indoor grill
Cb

In that order.
Microwave and refrigerator is a must, for obvious health reasons.

 

Sirius/XM radio is crucial. After a spiral-bound and laminated Rand McNally Motor Carrier Road Atlas, it is the most important piece of equipment on my truck. I honestly don't know how people did it in the dark days before SatRadio.

 

1st thing you should buy is a big ol duffle bag to put all your junk in when you tear up your equipment, and they send you home. Then buy some backing practice. Then buy low bridge awareness indicators, Get you 2 good load locks for your tanker, and 3 to 4 cases of Whip tail. A can of Whip Tail a day keeps the cb rambo's away.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-EB-...8&qid=1400302776&sr=1-6&keywords=Indoor+grill

Thats not the one I have but mine is similar.
It works pretty much like the one at home w/little to no smoke.
Non stick surface makes it easy to clean, will require 2000w inverter, though.

 

Awesome advise if you ask me.

But seriously get your self a map and the Rand or Cobra GPS and don't be cheap get the big one, 9 inch. Oh and a laptop will prob make up for the TV and PS3 while you save up. Also yeah def the fridge and microwave. Inverter??? Oh yeah satellite radio also a must.

Indoor girl, hell yes!!!

 

plus extra batteries for the flashlight
pad of paper and lots of pens

tire knocker
tools
jumper cables

iPhone
Laptop Computer
Blue Parrot Headset

Refrigerator
Microwave

Download .pdf version of the owner's manual for the make/model truck I'm issued
Shop Manual for the make/model truck I'm issued

 

I would put the GPS further down the list... I use to hear the experienced truckers harp on a map all the time and I quickly learned why, that GPS will get you in trouble fast!!
If you have a smart phone, you can eliminate several things on your list. My iphone was my best friend when I started. I'm sure Android phones can do the same, but use the map to find your route and switch to satellite view and even get a feel for what the customer's parking lot is like before you get there, trust, starting out, this can save you a lot of worry and stress when you arm yourself with as much info as possible about where you are going. Blindly following any gps while have you stressed and cursing when it sends you the wrong way or way out of the way... it will do stuff like tell you to turn on a road, then immediately tell you that you are on a weight restricted road, turn around, make a u-turn when possible, all kinds of crap. Oh and most important, call the customer and get directions!!! Take their directions, your paper map, and your phone and you will be okay 99% of the time. And when getting directions from the customer, DO NOT GET THEM FROM THE RECEPTIONIST! She will tell you how she gets to work in her little sudan, not the best route for a 70ft truck... ask for the shipping/Receiving dept and get the directions from them.

Your smart phone can also provide you with your satellite radio well similar anyways... I use Pandora which is free and I have unlimited data so tons of free music for hours on in. I also use rdio but it cost 10 bucks a month.

I also have an RCA cable for my phone so I can plug it into my tv and watch movies, youtube and so on.

Power inverter at minimum 1500 watts and a fridge is a must if you want to eat somewhat health and save some money not eating fast food everyday. I bought a $20 toaster oven and a $10 sandwich maker from walmart and that allowed me to fix hot meals daily without spending a lot of money. I ate a lot of soup, fajitas, and sandwiches, but I don't have a trucker belly On average I spent about 20 bucks a week on groceries.

CB and GPS I would put last on my list. You do want a CB to know what's going on even if you never talk on it. I keep mine on to know if there is a traffic jam ahead to avoid, DOT inspections going on, and so. I did buy a GPS as well but I don't rely on it. It's good to know what street your on, coming up on, and so on. I run mine even locally even though I know where am going just to know exactly how many miles away I am and to track my weekly miles. It always tries to send me on crazy routes to get where am going which proves my point again, never trust it.