Normal day for a slip seat 12/on, 12/off crude hauler.

I am not out there doing it yet but that sure seems like a lot of waiting time based on what you say. How long is it taking to load? unload?

Since I have been running 12 hour shifts for the last two years I can can tell you that it's better to take all food and drinks with you. You may end up not having time to stop. Also you can eat a lot healthier if you bring your own food. If you don't want to gain weight you should drink only water, tea, or coffee. Soda and diet soda both will make you gain weight. Avoid carbs, starchy foods or you will gain weight. Your best snacks are fresh fruit, nuts, and seeds.

You are lucky to be working nights. It won't be as hot outside.

 

hubby goes in about 5 pm. gets home between 5 and 6 am

takes home cooked meal with him and flavored water....(dasani water drops)

he has reusable ice packs (the bags u refreeze)


he leaves the yard.
goes to get fuel
drives to load 1st load (about an hr away)
loads (between 45 min to an hr)
drives to unload (about an hr away)
unloads (about 45 min to an hr)

he hauls 3 loads a night.
he works anywhere from 11 to 14 hrs a night, depending....usually for the most part ends up being 12 hrs

i would take a roll of TP with you to keep in the truck, just incase
a bottle of hand sanitizer
extra batteries for the light on your hard hat
extra gloves just incase


of course the other normal things you need ...and wear ur H2S monitor clipped to ur shirt by the first or second button...for petes sake not on ur hard hat, belt etc.....wear it where it will actually PROTECT YOU

 

oh yeah...no breaks...other than the new 30 min mandatory break.....

he eats in the am when he gets home....then he chooses not to eat until later at work (the dinner i send)....

unless he has to wait to load or unload (behind another trk)...which is rare becuz he is on nights....its usually like i said, 45 min to an hr to load/ unload...sometimes a lil quicker....

 

I slip seat a truck with my wife 5 days a week then we take 2 days off. She goes out in the am then texts me when she is about to arrive at the truck stop. I meet her in the fuel bay, do a quick pretrip, fuel the truck, clean the lights, windows and mirrors, and check the tires. I have had to fix about 3 flats in 2 months!

From the truck stop it is an 1.5 hour drive to the well. I listen to a lot of audio books and podcasts to kill time as radio gets old quick. Sirius may be worth looking into once NFL kicks off!
At the well it takes me an hour to test the oil and load. Loading is about 45min so once I get my paperwork filled out I usually eat a snack.
Once I'm on the road it is 4 hours to get to the LACT. Plenty of time to snack more, kick back an energy drink, more audio entertainment, or make a phone call.
At the LACT I usually get right in because I am arriving at 1:00 in the morning. It takes about 35min to unload so catch up on paperwork and chat with the driver next to me or behind me in line. For me this is also a good time to show my 30 min break for the HOS rule. They usually have Port-o-potties there too.
Once I leave the LACT it takes 2.5 hours to get back the truck stop and hand the truck off to my wife.

For me the goal is not to stop unless I'm loading or unloading. We can only run 1 load per night but at some places you can run several so stopping the truck over and over could cost you an extra load which adds up after a week of work.

Here are some "creature comfort items" you might take with you to help keep the wheels rolling and make your day more enjoyable.
-12v cooler filled with waters, energy drink, fruit, sandwich, etc. It works great and keeps your drinks very cold which makes Summer more bearable.
-Antibacterial hand wipes, good for cleaning oil off your hands or good to use to get rid of germs after a visit to the port-o-potties (can't work if you are sick!)
-Cleansing facial wipes, good for cleaning oil and sweat off your face so you don't break out and they can refresh you if you are sleepy
-Sunflower seeds or hard candy, I've seen a lot of seed pods out at the LACT I'm told drivers use them to help stay awake but I use lots of sugar for that effect
-Bluetooth headset, I use the LG HBS 700 because you have an earbud for each ear, it plays music off your smart phone and it lets you make/receive phone calls
-Aspirin, floss, bug spray because driving with a headache sucks, getting something stuck in your teeth is distracting, and being eat up by bugs is annoying!

 

You will want to take everything home with you anyway. Don't leave anything you want to see again in the truck. Your regular day driver will probably be trustworthy but if he takes a day off and somebody else drives the truck or it sits in the yard all day your stuff will be gone.

If you need a CB then get a cheap one. Don't put your connex or Galaxy in there.

If you need to leave tools in the truck buy cheap ones from Harbor Freight. Tools are the first thing to go missing.

I know you are young but you will regret the sugar later on in life. Use sugarless gum and coffee or tea.

You will get an assigned truck sooner than you think. People quit all the time. It doesn't seem to matter how much money they make.

 

Wisps, they are small disposable toothbrushes with picks on the other end. I've kept some in my purse ever since they came out, now that we are OTR they are even better.

A small duffle would allow you to take everything back and forth without alot of mess or fuss ( with the exception of the 12v cooler of course)

 

I've seen guys using these type folding dollies for their day gear:
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/m.../best-value-folding-hand-cart-150-lb-capacity

Toss your cooler on the bottom, duffel on top, add a bungee or two and you're ready to roll (literally)