Expenses while over the road

Food and Sex is out of pocket everything else the company pays for or your point card will cover.

 

I always hear that eating while OTR is so expensive. Just how expensive is it compared to eating out while local?. Are the Subway and Dennys etc attached to truck stops *that* much more expensive than the local ones?. If so, how much more,10%, 20%, double?.

I know that buying food from Walmart etc and cooking/preparing in the truck will always be cheaper, but I imagine that won't be a good option while on a trainer's truck or if you are with a company that does not have APU or allow inverters. Also, sometimes the effort to prepare meals and do all the clean up after isn't really worth it for what you will save.

 

Eating out of your truck is cheaper and usually more healthy, but the prep and cleanup can be a hassle. And there a number of trucking companies that don't have APU's or allow large enough inverters for anything more than a small crockpot. There is the 12v lunchbox heater that people say works good for reheating, but I never used one. As far as expenses, I budget $20/day and I frequent the fast food dejure. That money is for everything from my morning coffee to my after dinner dessert, with any left over for the occasional shower that I have to pay for since I don't always get to stay at the same truck stop chain I fueled at.

 

If you eat out every meal for a couple of weeks you will get the picture. Most people don't eat out exclusively because it is cost prohibitive.

 

They are no more expensive up in Canada. Eating out is eating out, expensive and often not healthy. A lot can be achieved out of a truck with only a fridge and a 12V coffee maker.

 

I gave up on 12v coffee makers

I have a propane stove to boil water
looking for a coffee press I would want

 

I only picked mine up a few weeks ago. It's working for me.

 

let us know if its still works in 6 weeks

 

I now have two koolatrons #1 I've had about a year, @Hurst gave it a good review. The other almost two years, both seem to work fairly well. i should say better then others I've had. I found both on sale for $89.00 each plus tax

 

You got maybe 3 weeks to go. 12V stuff is junk.

Set yourself up on direct deposit to your bank account... that way you have access to your money 24/7 through your ATM card, and online banking. You can take care of your bills online, but try to keep ATM access down to once a week to minimize fees. You can use a smart phone for most internet stuff you need, but make sure its from a carrier that has a good network.

You'll have to pay cash for tolls that aren't electronic, scales, etc, but a good carrier will reimburse you without complaint... save all of your receipts to turn in. Oil, additives etc are frequently charged when you fuel up... if not its a reimbursement. Use advances sparingly... just what you need for on-road expenses. Its easy to go through an entire settlement check with advances wasted on truck stop junk.

Buy as much as you can from Walmart... its much cheaper than truck stops, and many have enough open space in their parking lots that you can get a semi in there to park while you shop. Most other places have too much landscaping. Get a cooler - you can keep food fresh for quite awhile. If your truck is equipped with an inverter you can use 115V appliances to cook in the truck.

Truck stops give you a shower credit when you fill with a minimum of 50 gallons (usually.) You'll need reward cards from each chain to accumulate shower credits and rewards points.