Planned costs when you get your first truck?

First time in in your own truck you would need:

tools, hammer ratchets sockets etc price depending on quality of what you purchase

Linens, You can get "single" bedsheets at walmart for around $12

Towel, Walmart for $4-$6

Basic CB expect $80 for new, $45-$60 used, Basic antenna $20, Antenna mount $15-$20

Pens Paper office supplies should be around $10

Clothing, whatever you got on your back

Winter clothing Jacket boots gloves etc - price depending on what you buy and quality

A good power inverter which will cost $30-$50



Food is depending on if you plan on eating "off the truck" meaning stopping at grocery stores and buying and cooking your own food.

A large electric cooler from Walmart is around $90. You could use an Ice cooler but you have to buy Ice every day which gets expensive and monotonous.

You could purchase a small gas stove depending on your companies policies on that sort of thing.

You can purchase electric "lunch box" type cookers for about $30-$40 which can cook stuff like soups hot dogs simple fare like that. Look around in the truckstops for cookbooks for these cookers to get an idea what you can do with them.

You can purchase a crock pot which will work if you have a power inverter. 300W power inverters are $30-$50 depending on where you get them. They run off cigarette lighter ports

There are a million different cooking tools you can buy from a truckstop but 99% of them are junk. (been trucking 18 years, tried most of them myself and very few work good consistently)

If you plan on eating out of the truckstop, a good meal at a sit down restaurant you can expect to spend at least $12 per meal w/tip. Fast food will be about $6-$8 per meal.

You will most likely have to buy snack foods, soda, coffee, etc unless you are a healthy eater. Consider putting $25 a week aside for that. Less if you buy it at a grocery store like walmart.




If you have a laptop and need internet expect $5 a day or $20-$25 a month with a monthly truckstop plan. If you have a cell service like Sprint or verizon, look into getting an aircard which is much more convenient then truckstop isp, but also more expensive.


My expenses while I was driving were about $175 a week eating out of the truckstop. My company put an APU on my truck and with a microwave and cooler, my expenses dropped to $60 a week.

This is a basic list of what you should need and have to pay for. Your expenses will vary depending on what your needs are and what your willing to spend and how much money you make a week.

Hope this helps

 

Changing to titanium frames and Lexan lens will save you a lot of headaches and money in the future. They are pricey, so it's a wait until you can see further deal.

I've had the same pair for almost 4 years, minus lens modifications of course.

They've been slammed in cabinet doors, sat on, stepped on, and dropped from the cab. And the frames still fit as well as the day I bought them. The lens have been popped out on multiple occasions. It's a simple deal to pop them back in.

I do occasionally have to have them (the frames) tweaked. But LensCrafters has always done this for free. And they should...as much as they cost.

But an extra pair, as you stated. Is always a good idea. You never know when you might lose a pair.

 

Other incidentals are tolietries, and laundry soap. Also depends if you are planning on spending an occasional night in a hotel/motel which I do recommend. That can run 50+ a night, which I do when I'm on a 34 hour restart. I can only stand a 7 to 10 days in the truck then I start going stir crazy.

 

You should buy a good road atlas

 

Why would I need "Depends" if I'm staying in a motel?

 

There is a packing list up already on the site. You can look over it & see what is on that list. You may see something listed then think... That's a #### good idea!

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/questions-from-new-drivers/16652-packing-list-for-students.html