Is it possible to do OTR trucking without cell phone?

Larger carriers require you to have them too... that "require" part makes it a tax deduction. The truth is, even with satellite communication, you need one. Trying to find a pay phone is becoming harder as time goes on, and carriers/customers/brokers do expect to be able to contact you.

...if your truck's electrical system takes a dump (and the satellite system with it) in BFE, you're pretty much up the creek without the cellphone. Try getting a service truck to you in the middle of the night without one! Some fool just got himself blown away by the cops for going up to a stranger's home in the night, and banging on the door... probably couldn't find his cell phone. True story.

 

Happened in the state I live in this past week-end.....But when I 1st started driving , pay phones were the only way to get connected...had to call into dispatch each morning by 0900 , with location , destination , and temp of the trailer....To call home you used the rows , upon , rows of pay phones in the truck stops....Nowadays though a cell phone is just as common as a pay phone used to be....

 

Should be "no issue". I work for a small "Mom and Pop". Cell phone is convenient and indespensable these days and relatively cheap if you shop around. Verizon has best coverage. Didn't say "the best", I said "best coverage"!!!

Also, as a trucker, you need to learn these words, "Tax write-off". Unless you have a house full of a kids, take advantage of ALL available!!!

Learn-it, live-it, Love-it.

 

Can't resist a political jab I see. Might really want to research the issue and see how long it has been around.

 

Although I've wondered many times how we ever did with out them--IMHO--in many cases they are a pain in the ###--Mine spends alot of time--out of reach on vibrate

 

Sure a great deal easier now than trying to find a place to park with a phone available after the quallcomm beep.

 

It would be very hard. How would I order pizza from the Wal-mart parking lot or receive my Thursday text for Dollar General $5 off Friday E-coupon?

 

Cell is considered a luxery item to some but in trucking I consider it a necessity.You may need it to call 911.Call for a load because the QUALCOMM is down due to upgrading it.The common phone in a booth is almost obsolete except truckstops.Dont think youll see any phones at rest areas.Some companies require you have a cell because they don't have qualcomms.There may be something important you have to call your company for like a road brkdown.Really theres a lot more pros then cons to having a cell phone.But the trac phone works just as well as the cell and you don't have a contract.Which im thinking about going back to the trac phone.

 

...and it's generally a SHAME that this is so!