student on the road, what I didn't expect

Well, if you are fast fooding and eating 3 meals a day or the equivalent in meals and snacks, you figure about $7-8 per meal. Go to a subway and get a foot long to last two meals and with chips and drink you have about $10-11. Order a slice or two of pizza and a coke about $10-12. If you have a sit down at Denny's... well you get the picture. Spending $20-30 per day for food, snacks, coffee, and drinks is very "doable".

... when I was without my food stock in the very beginning of getting back into trucking, I spent about $200 per week for the first two weeks. Then my brother clued me in to his system of food management.

My trainer with my new company never stocked food in the truck, only energy drinks in a nasty cooler... his food habit had to be costing him at least $30 per day and sometimes over $50 per day if he really went "hog wild" (pun intended). Food was like his pacifier. Not only the wasted money but the wasted time was aggravating to me, we had to be spending at least an hour or two a day just trying to find parking at a "decent" restaurant away from a truck stop for him to get a meal.

 

Thats really the only time to clean ,organize your truck. Time management ,if you take a look around,most drivers are doing the same thing. I usually start checking my air in my tires,and make my way around the exterior and then the interior . I also like to make my bed,sweep,and then wipe down the entire inside. Border Patrol got in my truck yesterday and said" wow your truck smells good" lol
I'm a bit OCD ,so have to do it everyday. There are days that I can't get to it til the end of the day,but still gets done.

 

depending on the week im having I try to keep my truck fairly clean and organized, even been wiping down everything with baby wipes, having kids I learnt baby wipes clean a lot of stuff. Today I got on my hands and knees and picked up any little pieces of trash, swept everything since sometimes my seeds make it to the floor along with dirt and what not and then I wiped the floor down. I like the looks of using the shine cleaners but its just too slippery so i dont do it. My floors are 100% of the soft rubber so its easy to maintain at least, im lazy when it comes to making my bed though so I dont do it too often, I should probably tidy up a little more so if I ever get mr inspector coming in my truck, im sure they see some nasty trucks come through though.

The outside of my truck needs washed badly but havent been able to get to a terminal and get it washed, went through a bug storm the other day, was funny I went through a check point leaving NV on the 395 yesterday and the guy stared at my truck for a few seconds and said "you were on the 97 recently werent you?" I laughed and said yeah that #### klamath lake. I dont dare spend my own money on a truck wash not with my pay with this lousy company.

 

I hear ya about the bugs,I washed my truck then went down by Mx and after the run I had to wash her again! I try to wash her once a week. She's Viper red so looks bad if she's dirty. I also have the soft rubber,so much easier! I had one truck with carpet and I hated it!

 

IMO - a truck/trailer wash at most any terminal for .. I would say most any company do nothing more the rinse the dust off and get some bugs off the windshield of the tractor.. YAY! bugs be gone for an hour - If one is lucky,, sometimes there's a pressure washer left on and a brush .. if no one else is coming in - using the wash. (depends on the window of opportunity) one can possibly get a little more done.

final note.. most companies allow at least one authorized company paid truck wash a month..

may I suggest at least inquire with the appropriate office staff

 

our company doesnt allow it, must use the truck wash at their several terminals but I dont always go to a terminal. If I dont get a load by tomorrow morning im driving to the closest terminal in Mira Loma, CA which is about 30 miles from me, I have sat all day without a load and might just go in and talk to the planners.

 

Regarding "nasty trucks coming through" one of our terminals posted pictures of trucks that had been brought in for work in the shop, noting that they do have to get inside the cab and the will charge for exceptional cleanup... unbelievable... garbage piled in the passenger seat well all the way covering the seat cover and at that level all the way back to the bunk. Think of that reality TV show "Hoarders"... this guy seemed to have a hobby of collecting fast food packaging....

Klamath Lake.... that brings back memories of my first honeymoon... driving at night I thought we hit a hail storm, then couldn't see a ###### thing and the windshield wipers were simply spreading green goo all over the glass...

 

i get CRAZY from just a few things out of whack in my truck,I can't imagine all that trash in my truck,you'd have to admit me into the "nervous hospital" lmao Thats just gross!!! If that was my truck,I'd fire them!

 

no driver should be eating 3 full meals a day, that would explain all the fat drivers I see.

 

Wouldn't hurt to ask while you're there ..... Good luck on yah