Boredom busters for OTR

I'm fortunate in that I have satellite TV but otherwise will occasionally will stream movies and sitcom repeats. I prefer to listen to books either downloaded or streaming while driving, so I don't read other than web browsing. I prefer/need 8-9 hours of sleep time, myself.

 

if you are at a truckstop, do your laundry, watch a movie, take a shower, do your paperwork, map out your next route, harass other drivers (on the cb) backing up, clean the interior of your truck, browse thru the store, order a meal, then walk out when the waitress walks away,

lots of stuff.

 

Eventually, sleep will become your friend. You'll have watched everything, played every game on your phone and will finally find your dreams more entertaining as time goes by. I wake up every day and keep getting closer to the conclusion that I've completely lost my marbles.

 

Day Trading if you have a laptop computer.

 

You will experience an awful lot in your first years out here, good, bad, and indifferent, especially if you run 48 OTR. You might find writing a "journal" of sorts to be rewarding and fulfilling. It could be for you, family, others thinking about trucking, or the general public consumption, depending how you might go about it.

Bring your camera. Plenty of photo ops out here, from behind the wheel and at some stops. If you're motivated enough, you can get near enough to other amazing photo op places with only a short walk or make a day trip out of it. I can't count how many small towns and cities I've driven through where I say to myself I'd love to have time and ability to stop and explore for a few hours or a day.

 

jot down things that happened in your day (or) night.

i actually had a mini cassette recorder, that i had used, to read off the miles as i entered a state. that was safer, than trying to write as i drove.

so record what you see, or what happened, then write it down, sorta like a blog?

just beware...many states have hands free device laws. a cop could think, you are talking into your phone!!

 

You should develop a comic strip that revolves around an OTR trucker and his dog.

Seriously. I'd do it myself but I'm just not creative enough in that way. Contract with Landlinemag or other trade rag to run either series sketches or single-sketch bits, then eventually to newspapers