Packing List for Students

If you go to Target they have a wheeled duffle bag for $40 that fills the need nicely. You'll have clean clothes in one duffle bag and you'll work the dirty stuff into a laundry bag. Use the other duffle bag for everything other than clothes. Food, computer, whatever. I have a small gym bag that I toss a change of clothes and toiletry bag into when hitting the showers. Keep it small and portable.

 

For me having two duffle bags (one in each hand) and my laptop shoulder bag was enough for me to handle on the bus trip to orientation. Make sure you can carry the lot by yourself and not have to shuttle duffles around. I had a couple of bus transfers on the way and folks that have more transfers than that had horror stories about some of the terminals and the less than savory folks hanging out in them. Watch your luggage.

Whatever you do, don't bring wheeled luggage. Although it is easier to get around, once you get in the truck it is next to impossible to stow away and takes up a lot of space that your trainer likely doesn't have to spare.

 

My trainer when i was with usa truck was awesome, he always asked if i needed to run into Wal-Mart or somewhere to get stuff. And he often asked if i wanted some of whatever he was grubbing on at the time. He even brought me to his house for a cookout for the holiday.

 

A trainer like this is rare!

 

Thank you all for the advice. I realize that I am moving into a stranger's (extremely small) home away from home for 3 or 4 weeks and I don't want to be the subject of his horror stories he tells his friends at the next party. I hope to be the guy that makes his days better. That’s my way of showing my appreciation for him teaching me what I need to know. Being a licensed driver does not make me an experienced driver. What makes me different is I recognize that and respect it. At this point I am basically a licensed danger to the public. My miles with my trainer (At least theoretically) should change that. You’ll see me on the road. I will be the guy going 55. At least for now.

 

Thanks for those list, I will surely need this.

 

Sheww, after 4 days of reading almost every post. I have a 8 page word document with everything in this thread. Some of it is duplicate stuff I just have to go thru and consolidate it. If I remember I'll try and post it.

 

We will wait for that.

 

The Unofficial Packing List for Students

I do not by any means take credit for this and credit goes to all the awesome members that posted this info. I compiled the info from multiple members in this thread and I wish I could give credit to everyone.

I know someone is going to post that this is too much to pack, but not all of it is needed. I might not even pack some it. Some good ideas though.

General Gear
- Money(at least $100 a week)
- One duffel bag and then bungee your pillow to your sleeping bag
- Boots and Dark Tennis Shoes
- A minors flashlight and a small LED Flashlight to see around sleeping area and bathrooms etc.
- 7 day’s worth of clothing (shirt, undershirt, pants, underpants, socks). PJ’s if you wear them.
- 14 Pairs of Socks and Underwear. If you can’t change cloths, then at least swap this out.
- 2 Pair Sleeping Pants/shorts (1 per week; I don't sweat at night.)
- Hat
- Bungee cords
- First Aid Kit: bottle of peroxide, iodine, athletic tape, 2x2 gauze pads, some 4x4 gauze pads, something to custom cut pieces of the gauze like medical scissors, triple anti biotic ointment, and some Q-tips for applying ointment where not a lot is needed, you can keep it all in a fairly small sized plastic container w/ a locking lid. And one last thing to carry would be the gold bond triple action medicated foot powder. (The green bottle). I swear by it. And a tube of anti-fungal foot creme as well. Hope this helps you out
- Gerber/Leatherman multi-tool w/ pliers (on belt usually)
- Paperback novel to read when bored
- MP3 Player
- Small key ring combo compass thermometer
- Sun Glasses
- EXTRA pair of prescription glasses if it says so on your CDL (you MUST have 2 pairs of glasses)
- Cell phone(with charger) and laptop. Laptop is nice to have for both trip planning and looking at the weather forecasts.
- HEADSET (learn to use it and like it as the laws are changing and your co driver might not like your taste in music and your phone conservations!
- Alarm clock
- Toilet seat covers
- A thermos and drinking cup
- Pillow
- Sleeping bag
- Twin sheet for a sleeping bag
- Space blanket
- 1 smaller nylon gym bag for going to shower.
- Empty laundry bag (get one cheap at a dollar store)
- 1 light weight jacket and sweater, WINTER 1 heavy jacket You will be wearing the winter jacket (in winter) but the light weight jacket and sweater you’ll pack as you might need them for cool docks or hot blooded co drivers! Or for Reefers
- Rain jacket or Pocket Poncho (personal tarp/backup rain gear)
- Several 1 qt sized Ziploc bags (good for loose stuff)
- Batteries to fit anything needing them!
- 2 pairs of Mechanic gloves and disposable plastic gloves. 1 of these will be used for fueling ONLY! Cold Weather Gloves (Jersey knit that I can stick inside of work gloves)
- Don’t forget a good knife or multi-tool.
- Fan (Clip on for sleeper)
- 1 black trash bag
- A few favorite dvds.
- Match book wrapped in foil

Office Supplies
- Calculator
- Ruler
- Small staple gun
- White out (the dry kind you just roll on, not the wet stuff that takes forever to dry)
- Good trucker atlas
- Truck stop directory
- All your paperwork from school, SSN card, Birth cert, CDL, Med card
- Clipboard
- 2 ballpoint pens, black sharpy pen
- Yellow highlighter marker
- 2 or 3 spiral note PADs 5x3” and/or 6x4” (fits in a pocket type)
- 1 large spiral notebook for taking notes
- 1 Rand McNally road atlas (truckers)
- Magnifying glass
- Scissors
- Accordion File Folder (for organizing receipts and important paperwork), IMPORTANT PAPERWORK (CDL, medical card, Paper work from school) (birth certificate, Social Security Card, etc for into Canada drivers)


Food
- Packet of tuna.
- Protein shakes
- bottled water (Ozarka makes a 3-liter, it's ideal for trucking)
- Cereal
- Nuts
- Apples
- Nobody mentioned packing your favorite bottle of hot sauce!
- Beef Jerky
- Protein powder
- Instant oatmeal
- Power bar or Cliff bar

Basic Amenities
- Medium plastic Ziploc bag (so I can see what is in it). This plastic bag is also good if something leaks or breaks!
- Kleenex
- Toilet paper
- Towel
- Q-Tips
- Contact holder
- Contact solution
- Eye Drops/rewetting drops
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Small Mouth Wash
- Shaving kit
- Body wash or soap in a Ziploc
- Shampoo
- Small deodorant
- Flip-flops for showers
- Baby wipes
- Cold Pills
- Imodium AD ( you WILL need it!)
- Aspirin and your regular meds
- Nail Clippers
- Several ear plugs for sleeping
- Baby lotion
- Laundry Soap. Purell laundry sheets
- Personal items you know you need

 

A list of helpful quotes and a shout out to anyone that posted these!

“Get some of the "Anti-Monkey-Butt" powder from the truck stop lol supposed to keep you from chaffing and all that. I always laughed at it cause it's a funny name to call it and has a bare butted monkey on the bottle but it works well in the boots to help with sweaty feet in the summer and also in the winter when you have the heat blazing on the floor (never on the windshield, defrost, as it melts the snow and makes it ice up more on the wipers)”

“The only thing I would say is double up on your socks and underwear at least. If you don't get a chance to do laundry, or are too lazy, or don't want to spend the $4 in quarters, or whatever, you can usually recycle a shirt or a pair of jeans but if you have on clean underwear and socks it makes all the difference.”

“Get a large disposable cup with a secure lid for peeing”

“Buy wide mouth drinks like poweraid (keep the pottle)”

“Contacts: I usually use a wet wipe on my hands first”

“Take notes on best truck stops and waitresses.”

“Gloves. No need to get the Mambo Wambo of gloves because they will be destroyed in a few months any way. I picked up an inexpensive pair of mechanics gloves and they have served me well. I generally wear them when I am doing something that requires more delicate finger and hand movement.
Another item you might consider is a box full of those disposable latex gloves. Fifth wheel grease, lubricants, or glue are hard to clean off your regular work gloves and the latex gloves are disposable.”

“Please pack your stuff in duffel bags with working zippers (I realize trash bags hold a lot but ya know they just isn’t sturdy) Suitcase tend to be unwieldy to handle in the cab.”

“Bring a clipboard for your log book. It used to drive me nuts to watch a student try to fill it out on his knee. I finally bought three for students but two of them have wandered off.”

“I have found is to get some Irish springs still in the box when i take me boots/shoes off I put a bar (again still in the box) i each boot/shoe and it seems to get rid of the smell it’s not permanent but your cab doesn't end up smelling like feet"

“For my dirty clothes; I use Walmart grocery bags as they fit nicely. I dislike using a trash bag as my dirty clothes smell worse. I also bring fabric softeners used the dryer to prevent bad odors.”

“I wasn't required to have steel toed boots, so I brought a pair of hiking boots and a pair of dark tennis shoes. Since then, I have fallen in love with driving while wearing a pair of those "surf shoes". Have you seen them? Form fitting, mesh, lightweight, easy on /off, and CHEAP! 6 bucks at Walmart. But you can feel everything in them when you are driving.”

“Unless you are getting really dirty, you can usually get two days out of a pair of pants. You can do laundry at the truck stops when you are on your last change of clothes. Note: I roll my shirts, pants, and underwear up for it saves space”

“Another thing that is very handy to have on hand is a metal clothes hanger...If the clamp on your air to airline breaks you can twist that hanger tight enough to make a temp bracket till you can get one..”

“The smartest thing i've seen posted was using a flash recorder to verbally record your directions, so you can play them back and listen without having to look down / away from the road. Awesome idea, and i'll be picking one up eventually.”

“1) use a plastic soda bottle filled with ice to cool the contents of the cooler. Not only does this keep everything from getting soaked, but as the ice melts, you have a bottle of drinkable water...plus it saves tons of space over freeze-gel packs.
2) Get a decent sized soft sided cooler with pockets/pouches. It's nice to have my bottles of ice/water in the cooler, and my little pouches of drink mix outside where they're easier to get at, plus it keeps clutter in the cooler to a minimum”

“And spray tootsies with anti-athletes foot spray. I do my shoes before I shower, then my feet before putting on socks. Trust me...this advice bears repeating. Floors are FILTHY.”

“Here's a tip I figured out, pack white board (or dry erase) markers when you get out on your own. Get a laminated atlas. When you are figuring your route, draw the line on the laminated map with the dry erase marker. Then, on the top left of your windshield, write the highways AND direction you want to go on those highways...as you exit a highway, just use your finger and wipe it off the windshield. Keeps you from looking down at a notepad, Qualcomm, text message, or whatever other way you have your route noted. When you stop for the night, just erase the line to where you are.”

“Having a really good rain slicker, like a Carhartt, is something that I'm going to invest in next. After getting absolutely soaked in my Goretex gear several times in the last couple of months it's time to get some really rainproof stuff. Rain pants and rubber boots will fill out this gear for me.”