student on the road, what I didn't expect

Thank goodness that Pilots and some others carry apples and bananas now. The hot dogs and hamburger dogs come in handy for students who don't have a lot of money, but they are salty. If your trainer doesn't afford you some room in a cooler, you perhaps could invest in a styrofoam cooler if you have some room, and buy a package of lunchmeat, get some peanut butter and jelly, and a loaf of bread. The subways aren't bad, esp if you load them with all the veggies you can, eat half and save half. Walmart has little cans of veggies now with the pop tops on them also.

Not having time to stop and take a shower is not good, esp since the trainer and you have to stop and fuel and you get free showers with fuel at most major truck stops. If you are driving as team drivers by now, the shower is good for 2 people, separate showers, in case he hasn't told you. You can only drive x amount of hours a day and somewhere should be the plan for stopping and getting that done. Baby wipes are the way to go for anyone. You can get them in bulk if you need to, try the ones with some oil in them.

 

Why are you so hot and sweaty does he not idle? Or does your company not allow it? That shouldn't be going on, it's a crime to keep a pet in a hot vehicle it should be for a human too!

 

Your trainer might be laid back but cmon,6 days without a shower?It's probably his stench you smell when hes driving and you're in the back bunk.You're trainer probably craps in the trash can more then when hes sick and just not telling you.Maybe im asking too much but I would want a laid back trainer with good hygiene and a clean trk.

 

Wow, I am sure glad I am reading this.......you guys all have great advice for this poor guy(I feel for yah, Bum!) and I've learned a whole new aspect to being with a trainer.....and from the replies is sounds like there must not be too many like his.....a bit too laid back for me, lol...but the trash can, omg.....in the dumpster it would have already been! Great luck to you, Bum, and after this ordeal I suppose you'll be able to handle anything. peace, gman

 

sorry about all the post, browser kept saying gateway timeout, I would delete them all if i could

 

wow is all I can say lol
When I did my training I had a great trainer who was laid back but very strict on hygiene, we would stop and take showers every single day, i think during the whole time I trained we only skipped a shower twice but never more than a 2nd day.


since going solo I still take showers every chance I get.


The other day I had to haul a load for Fred Meyer and stop at 4 different stores in 2 days time in Oregon, I did my 10 hour break at one of them and decided to do some shopping, I bought a butane stove, a small 3qt sauce pot with lid, some food items where you just add water, a few can goods etc.
I boil water with the stove in less than 5 minutes for my cups of noodles, mashed potatoes etc. I was going to buy a 12v hot pot but decided this is the better deal and the stove was cheaper than the hot pot being $20 and its more versatile. You can also fill the pan part way with water and stick a can of beans or whatever you might have in the water and heat it that way to avoid making the pan dirty. I have plastic utensils, cups, Styrofoam bowls etc. I was spending a ton on truck stop food too, I still buy stuff here and there but at least one meal a day is cheap in my truck.


Another thing I was doing was keeping cereal and milk on hand, bowls of cereal make cheap quick meals. Like others said get some lunch meat and stuff, for $10 I had sandwich stuff to eat a sandwich everyday for a week, you will pay $5 for a sandwich at a truck stop. When you do eat at the fast food places grab extra condiments, extra fork/spoon/knife etc and you now have a small stash. The cereal you can get the bulk bag off brand stuff for cheap and get a gallon of milk and again for less than $10 there is a daily meal for a week.
Get an ice chest, cooler or whatever but remember if you dont idle and its hot then your stuff will go bad in a thermoelectric cooler. You can buy a large container of mix greens, some salad dressing and some sliced pre cooked chicken breast or steak for the salad. Or you can buy fresh meat and sear it with that portable stove and then cut it up, ziplock it and use it the next 3-4 days.


If your solo and allowed an inverter then you can get a real fridge with a freezer, the 2 door ones are best since there is more room, when your doing home time prep a lot of stuff and freeze it, keep it in that fridge when on the road.


I also stock last resorts such as protein bars, I also have a big container of muscle milk powder you just mix with water, it was around $20 and 35 servings, little pricy but has plenty of protein and stuff and still cheaper than buying that meal at the truck stop.


My last profession I was an Executive chef for awhile so I can get creative when I need to


I could live on $20 a week for food if I really had to, so far in the last 3 months I have lost over 30 lbs, you just need to stay away from that horrible truck stop food.

 

Even if you are team driving, you still have to take a 30 minute break. Right now I'm planning my 30 minute break, using Google Maps to figure out where the best Walmart is en route to my destination for the day.

If you don't have refrigeration I would recommend stocking produce items that can keep a few days that will help keep you healthy: apples, bananas, sugar snap peas, red peppers, baby carrots, etc. Oatmeal is a staple for me. Until you have a way to heat your own hot water then get a thermos. Hot water is free at every truck stop in the spigots at the coffee dispensers. My usual breakfast is oatmeal with a handful of chopped almonds and chopped dates, maybe throw in a banana. That's a breakfast that will stick with you through the day and the total cost is about $1.00.

While Subway is a healthy alternative to most fast food, the cost of one meal is $6-11. If you want 2-3 meals a day... well, you can eat very well and very healthy each day for less than that.

One other thing I've recently discovered is lentil soup. I think Walmart is having a special on that right now. In summer heat it is fine cold right out of the can, maybe toss in some arugula or basil for fresh zest.

Another healthy snack is Wheat Thins if you can find the "Hint of Salt" kind. Some Walmarts are stocking them and they taste much better than regular Wheat Thins. I've been eliminating salt from my diet as much as possible, and it's pretty amazing how good food tastes without it.