Making life OTR comfortable

OK, I'm going to touch on something here because no one else has.

The major thing it takes is a positive attitude and a good measure of common sense. I know that seems way to simple, but it is a fact of life.

OTR will be exactly what YOU make of it. Nothing more, nothing less. Yes, if you have someone at home, you will want to keep in touch with them. And yes, you do need some form of entertainment for your 34. How about getting out of the truck and seeing some sights? Talking with other drivers? If you are religious find a church.

You can do an awful lot, if you are of a mind to. I've known drivers who always had their golf clubs with them, others who wouldn't dream of leaving home without their fishing gear. It's not that there is a lot of off time out there, unless you aren't getting any miles.

But the less money you have to spend on things, the better off you are. Every penny you spend eats into your take home. Most of us are in this for money, so conserving is important.

 

Me too my iPhone is great I watch movies and stuff. You want Sirius so you can listen to Howard Stern.

 

Did she say if it was available on the SiriusXM package?

I think there is a frequency limitation on the old radios or something. There is a SiriusXM radio now.

 

Who is George Noorie?all you need is an I phone and you got your electronics covered you can do everything on it that a lap top could do.

 

George Noorie took over when Art Bell retired.

 

while I don't personally have an Iphone, and have heard they can do quite a lot of things with all the apps they have. I guess as far as 'tools' they can cover everything that has been listed, but I wouldn't say they can do everything a lap top can do, especially for those of us gamers out there :smt067

 

Sirius and XM both offer a "best of" package for the other "company". For example, I can get Stern on my XM, if I wanted or O&A on Sirius if I wanted.

I've always thought XM was the better company, personally. I had a career in selling electronics and XM's radios and the companies they chose as partners were the better quality ones in the industry. My Alpine XM tuner was activated in 2003 and still works like new, considering it has about 800,000 miles on it, I wish all electronics were like that. Same Alpine head unit as well.

So XM has O&A, Ron & Fez (who I've listened to since Ron+Ron days here in FL) and NCAA FOOTBALL. I'll stick with XM for myself.

MY have to haves to be happy OTR.
1. Satellite radio
2. Cell phone
3. Laptop, though these days I use my Xoom tablet more
4. Wireless card/hotspot
5. Good mattress (they don't make truck mattress' for longevity so either buy a good one, or swap it out every year or two.
6. Tool box(piece of mind for O/O)
7. Cold weather clothing. Being from FL I had no idea what Carhartt was, and my ski jacket from the 90's with fluorescent colors didn't exactly "fit in".
8. If you can make it a work a bike is worth it's weight in gold at times and a complete P.I.T.A. at others.
9. Try taking your 34 in spot where you can do something. Enterprise picks you up. There's a rest area in Jersey that you can catch a bus to NYC for the day during the week from. Just don't hole up in the sleeper, unless that's your thing.

 

i made sure to have hotspots in area i know ill be waiting for a load. for example:
Mira Loma, CA- id go to Ontario (id drop the trailer in our yard, i dont like to pay the TA $12 to park and walk), go to the mall, movies, dinner, theme parks, or go down from the yard and watch a good ol fashioned mens league baseball game and grill out.

SLC, UT- mall, movies, Chilis is my fave there

Laredo, TX- there is a state park with a lake on the east loop before the airport. you pay like $6 for the day and u can fish or chill out. good place to bobtail and get a tan and grill, away from the yard and the noise.

i dont gamble so i dont go to casinos and i dont drink so no point n going to the bars. ill go shoot pool every now and again, but that hardly ever.

 

I loved having my lil camping propane grill with me. im a charcoal kinda gal but this is cleaner and cools off faster. I pay like $20 for the grill $4 for a tank, $10 for a bag of shrimp, lg potato, fresh green beans, wrap in foil, cook and there ya have it. a meal better and cheaper any day vs a resturant. not to mention the bag of shrimp for me will last about 3 meals. cook ahead and store in the fridge...good fast and easy. same with chicken and others. the grill folds up and fits in the tool box, under bunk or behind the jumpseat perfectly. i dont eat much on the rd, so when i ate at the resturant, im paying $15-$25 for a meal that i cant even finish, or sometimes hate....so thats wasted money. i did sit down at least once a week for a good hearty meal, but not every day. i also always carried fresh fruit and veggie to snack on while on the go. i may be trucker, but i dont have to be a nasty one, no reason for an unhealthy lifestyle out there. it actually cost more to eat bad than it does to eat healthy out there!!! just take a week and add up your reciepts then take a week and preplan your snacks and food and healthier and see for yourself....

 

Oh yeah art bell I used to listen to that guy out if Philly. I told my friend to listen to him at night too. He told me alot of times he heard to turn it off cause at night when he was jockeying alone in the yard it used to spook him out. I got to admit it spooks me out a few times too. Nothing like being alone on the pa turnpike at night and art starts talking about shadow people and chupacabra. I don't know what to do without Sirius.