List of tools new drivers will need

Tire pressure guage

 

Was that a left or right handed screw driver? Also a decent length of rope you can use to tie up any drivers that like to park for 1/2 an hour at the fuel station.

 

1. Brains
2. Patience
3. Positive attitude
4. $400 in cash or available credit
5. Cell phone

+ a bunch of tools listed above

 

This is the best suggestion yet.

 

Harbor Freight should have everything you need, cheap, but cheaply made.

 

Zip-ties. Various sizes.
I travel over gravel often. Keep a beat up Phillips to pry rocks out of the treads if needed.
Squeeze bottle with whatever "special" mixture people here will recommend for stuck/sticking trailer tandems with rusty rails.

 

It depends on what kind of trailer you pull. If you pull a dry van or reefer your need for tools is not as great as if you pull a flatbed or pneumatic bulk trailer, etc.

When you buy a 40' hose for refilling your tires, DON'T go cheap. Get the more expensive ones that are flourescent colored, they won't get stiff and crack when it gets cold. The expensive flourescent hoses are about $40.

Get a really good tire pressure gauge. I have gone through three in the last six years. I think I have found the one that should last the rest of my career, it cost over $50. The cheap gauges with a slide won't work in short order.

Dry van and reefer? Always have a pair of vice grips. Handy to hold the pull bar for sliding your trailer tandems, often the pull bar won't stay locked. Have a 3 lb sledgehammer and a 3 lb rubber mallet.
Beyond that a simple set of wrenches and screwdrivers should do.

I have been running flatbed for close to four years now. It's amazing how many tools I have accumulated. I figure I have at least 200 lbs in tools, including impact drills, wood saws, etc. Go light at first, then start doing mental MacGyver in your head.

DO NOT BUY CHEAP TOOLS. Whatever you do, do NOT buy cheap tools. Most truck stops and Harbor Freight will sell you CHEAP tools. Do NOT fall for that ####.

By asking the question in the OP I am going to assume you are looking to "tool up" as you go. Do it wisely. Get quality tools. You won't be disappointed OR get stuck on the side of the road because that cheap assed tool broke the first time you tried to use it.

 

That's good advice, ,and I hate to contradict myself,but it's true a lot of stuff Harbor Freight sells is crap, there's no substitute for good quality tools.Cheap tools get people hurt,I know that first hand and eyebrow(got 6 stitches above my right eye when a cheap ratchet slipped).

 

Man i tell u, im not a mechanic by any means, i like to spin wrenches in my spare time, there is nothing that irritates me more than cheap tools, ive fall victim to the truckstop crap , spend my hard earned money and the stuff breaks the first time u use it... I just dont get why companies make cheap #### and charge a fortune

 

End wrenches, socket set, 1/2 drive impact w/sockets that fit lug nuts, air hose, 20 ton bottle jack, screw drivers, shovel, broom, kitty litter, bleach, extra filters, baby diapers, grease gun, grease, wd40, engine oil, duct tape, fuses, wire connectors and crimpers, dielectric grease, air line compression fittings, extra glad hands, isopropyl alcohol, pry bar, hammer, light bulbs, cheater bar, extra alternator, handful of dimes (to put in brake can fittings to stop air flow after caging a leaking can), torx set, Allen wrenches, flashlight, extra wipers, extra washer fluid...

I'm sure I'm forgetting some...