First Solo Trip in My First Truck

Although not a requirement. I encourage you to get your own dashcam as soon as you are able. You can get a decent one for less than $100. It's a great CYA tool. Any idiot doing something stupid can screw you up big time, unless you have a dashcam to show what actually happened.
I've been driving over 2 & 1/2 years now and I turn on my dashcam as part of my pretrip and leave it on until I do my post trip. I've never needed it, but it gives me piece of mind and so glad I have it. BTW, my company also has a forward facing camera on my truck. But, I don't have direct and easy access to it and what it has recorded. So, prefer to have one under my control
Best of luck!!! It sucked in the beginning, especially that first month. But just stick with it. It will get better.

 

We and they all have phones now as well.
Hands free devices that are even handier than a clunky CB.
They are no longer needed, and a waste of money.

 

Congratulations. Get some nice all leather gloves. They are about $15 and last 10 times longer than the $5 half leather half fabric gloves.

 

Truck fuses. Get them at Walmart $2 for a pack of 10 duses. Get 1 or 2 set for 20 amp, 10 amp, 15 amp, 30 amp. If you buy them at truck stop you will pay almost $10 for one pack with 1veach of above. Also find your fuse panel and learn to read the diagram that shows what each fuse controls. Ther may be one or more fuse panels inside the truck and anothe fuse panel under the hood on the firewall. Mine have been near the steering wheel shaft inside a black plastic box.

 

I’m not in flatbed but I bet it’s important to have high quality gloves. Something to clean the dirt and dust that will be tracked into your truck. I agree with the dashcam being important. Phone mount is a good idea.

 

Kinda disagree. Most of the time mine stays off. But, during inclement weather, on a 2 lane highway and in a traffic jam I've found mine to be useful. So, not something I use regularly, but there are definitely times it's a handy thing to have. And, running in the West it's fairly common I go through areas with NO cell phone coverage. I don't know about back East. But, yeah, here in the West definitely rural areas with no cell phone service. If I had a breakdown, a CB (and patience) could be vital to being able to get some aid.

 

Yeah, my company right now doesn't have an APU either. We do have a heater bar, but yeah I do the same. Just leave the truck running. I'm sure companies at some point thought they were saving money not purchasing APU's and not having to maintain them until now with fuel prices, but idk....maybe it still is cheaper to leave them idling? Regardless, not our problem as drivers. We come first.

Tell me about it. I've mainly done local for awhile and started back OTR with this current company and did my first solo a few days ago to Portland with no truck GPS. I was fine until I hit the city.....LOTS of detours, turning around, and reading bridge clearances. That was fun! My trainer before had a RM gps.....didn't seem very good IMHO.

 

I’ve gotten into a habit, no matter what type truck, when i get out I don’t just push the lock button or the lock itself down.
I shut the door and lock with the key I keep in my pocket.

So for the last 20 years of driving trucks, I’ve yet to kick myself out.
One time the door wouldn’t unlock, so had to climb in and out passenger side for a week til i got back home, the door latch came unhooked inside.
this to me is very necessary for flatbed is a strapwinder, don’t have to be a high dollar fancy one, just one that hooks to rub rail)even took the bolt that tightens to the rub rail out of mine)


like 14-15$ but saves a bunch of winding straps, personally i rolled my straps, where you hold the hook and threw the strap, so if some idiot goes to walking in other side of the load where you can’t see, you just slap him with the strap, not knock him unconscious with the hook.

 

Can't think of a more foolish statement I've heard lately....
But you keep on truckin brother..lol

 

I’ll give you one example of why you do need a CB and why you need to keep it on when driving.

Last year I was heading east on I-40 rolling 75mph middle of the night. Got a shout out over the CB of a wrong way driver heading my way. I immediately backed off the throttle and prepared myself for what could possibly happen.
What I came up on moments later was a head-on collision between a semi and what was a 4 wheeler. Everything was pitch black dark , lights out on both wrecked vehicles.

Even with a warning and dropping my speed to 50mph it was a close call that I wasn’t also involved. Truck trailer was sticking out in the right lane blocking 3/4 of it and the 4 wheeler was blocking 3/4 of the left lane. Luckily I had just enough room in the center to get through.

Had it not been for that trucker warning me, my life today could possibly be a lot different for me now.

Makes me wonder how many of these pileups we see in the winter are as bad as they are because of drivers not having a CB on.

Congrats on going solo, hope everything goes well for you.