Basic Items Needed?

VICE GRIPS! I recommend at least two pair.

WHEEL CHOCKS! For when the trlr brakes are a bit out of adjustment, this helps you slide the tandems.

RATCHET SET! Comes in real handy.

ZIP TIES! All kinds of practical uses.

SCREWDRIVERS! Several and big and small flathead and philips.

CRESCENT WRENCHES!

HEX WRENCHES! to change lights and such.

DUCT TAPE! For all kinds of things but very helpful for keeping the pigtail in place on trlrs with funky latches.

SPARE TRAILER LIGHTS, MARKER LIGHTS, FUSES and BULBS! Obvious right?

CROWBAR! For removing nails and prying as well as keeping the lot lizzards at bay.

CB! Very handy tool.

SCISSORS! All kinds of uses. Some use them to snip the metal seals although all you have to do with those is pull the seal out a bit, lift to where it's in front of the trlr handle lock and yank the door lock handle back towards you and it will break the seal easily.

WHITE OUT PEN! for those tough days logging.

FIFTH WHEEL PULLER! Mostly for grabbing snacks on the passenger side of the truck.

All I can think of that I use often.

 

Nah it's mostly just trucking in general that people gripe about. These forums had me scared to death of Swift, but in my case, they've been good. first truck had some issues and after a few times breakin down they put me in a new trk.

Not trying to recruit for Swift just stating my experience vs. what's said about them by the masses. Any company out there will make mistakes and so will you. It's all about how it's handled that counts. There are some things about trucking that will suck no matter who you work for.

One more tool, you don't really need it but, I LOVE IT! It's called TANDEM STOPPERS and it does just that. Put it in front of or behind the hole you need the tandem pins to be in and slide til it stops and walllaaaahhh! Sure beats trial and error and throwing gloves and such on the ground for a reference.

real handy when scaling loads. Good luck out there!

 

super glue
I use this on the back of velco strips to hold better.

 

Flash light
Tire Thumper
Handy Wiper
Mouth Wash w/o alcohol in it
I could make a list a mile long but these are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head

 

Easy rule of thumb for OTR drivers...to check if you have everything you may or may not need.

If you can slide a deck of cards under your bunk....you forgot something

 

It's not just me then.

I only carry everything to ensure I will never need it.

 

Supplies
I operate on the theory that I would rather have things I don't need, than to need things I don't have. Some drivers only carry a quarter, so they can call for help if something goes wrong. Through out the years I've learned to carry things to make life easier on the road.

Emergency medical supplies; I've been the first person on the scene of several wrecks and two plane crashes.

Chain; I carry a couple of chains. Chaining up an axle after a wheel bearing fails will get you off the road. Pulling the truck to start it after a starter fails will make the difference between sitting there waiting for someone to bring a starter and put it on, or getting back to the office to get it fixed.

Shovel; I carry a short handle square shovel, shoveling some snow out from under the king plate of your trailer can make a simple drop & hook stay simple after it snows.

Air hose; I have twenty foot and fifty foot air hoses, with shop couplings, blow gun, tire chuck, air drill, and die grinder. I can blow out my reefer when there's no place to wash out. I can plug and inflate a tire to get to a shop, I can cut off any high security seal when the receiver doesn't have a cutter.

Torch; I carry a plumber's torch, perfect for heating air valves when you can't release the brakes on a trailer that froze. I can also use the torch on the high security cable type seals, heat a spot on the seal until it turns orange, then cut the seal with a pair of dykes like it was a coat hanger. I've watched people mutilate a cable seal with bolt cutters for ten minutes without getting it off.

Lockout kit; I tinker in locksmithing, I've helped many drivers who have gotten locked out of their trucks, or lost keys.

Hand tools; I carry a few hand tools, spare fuel filters, bulbs, fuses, spare belt for the APU, glad hand rubbers, you get the idea.
Message board; A piece of white masonite 12X16 inches, with dry wipe markers, for writing notes to people who don't have a radio or have the volume turned down.

Flashlights; this seems obvious to most of us, however, you'd be surprised how many drivers don't carry a flashlight, I carry a 6 D cell Maglight, and a forever flashlight. I also have a couple of light sticks in my travel bag, twice my YL and I were in the shower at the truck stop when the power went off. Talk about dark!

Cameras; I carry a couple of single use cameras, a 35mm auto flash camera, and the digital camera that's connected to the computer as a dash cam. Overkill? Not really, the single use cameras are great for accidents, 25 to 27 shots that you can use for your insurance company or give to the investigating officer.
I had a guy pound on my door in the middle of the night, when I came to the driver's window, he told me to give him twenty dollars, as he stood there with a baseball bat. I couldn't shoot him, he's only armed with a bat. If I tell him to fork off, he might break a window or mirror, so I got my camera and took a nice flash photo of him, then I told him he wasn't going to like the next flash he saw. Now he has to think about what I'm going to do with the picture. I have a picture of him, if he does anything, I give it to the police. He can leave quietly, or break into the truck, kill me, and take the camera. Guess which route he took.

Food; Few things are worse than sitting in some shipper's yard for hours with nothing to eat. I've been places where I had to sit all day and couldn't leave, waiting to load or unload. I have a supply of things to eat, drink, microwave oven and refrigerator.

Gloves; I have leather gloves for work like dropping, hooking, handling chain, and that sort of thing. Rubber gloves with liners for fueling.

Rain coat, boots, jacket, coat, parka, duct tape, atlas, cleaning supplies, shop rags, paper towels, office supplies, bath towels, hand cleaner, highway flares, pail, and trash bags, to name a few more of the things some of us carry in the truck.