Tools of the trade

Also a good Leatherman style multi-tool is good bet to always have around in general like a good pocket sized flashlight. I can definitely say from experience of dealing w/ other kinds of vehicles that the pliers in a multi-tool are great for pulling on / testing drum brake slack adjusters instead of using your hands. It's worth having one of these for that alone!

Edit - Although don't forget and take this to the airport by mistake b/c you will loose it to TSA. Ask me how I know?!

 

A solid 2-3 foot crowbar for prying nails out of trailer floors which also doubles as a pin puller. Get yourself a cheap pair of flashlights and set them up on those dark cave-like docks....makes backing in so much easier. A stock Cobra-25 CB radio. One of those gladhand tire inflation kits are great for maintaining proper tire pressure and moving a low/flat tire down the road to a shop. Lots and lots of paper towels, of course. A basic toolkit along with a socket/wrench set for minor repairs you can do on your own. A push broom for trailer sweeps.

Always be on the lookout for mudflaps on the ground from drivers tearing them off. You'd be surprised how many are lying around out there, some brand spanking new. Pick them up and stow them away....you'll need them!

When you're at a terminal, always head to the shop and stock up on extra gladhand seals, wipers, fuel filters, oil/coolant/windshield fluid, headlights, bulbs, etc. Don't forget cargo straps, as well.

A lifesaver for me back in the day were those trailer bolt seals. If you get a broken crank handle bolt on a trailer, those bolt seals slid right in and were the perfect replacement.

 

Wow .... you guys assume that drivers always know what end of the screwdriver to use,

It is simple .... for decades ... this statement holds true ...

Someone who isn't mechanically inclined in the most fundamental way can do more damage to something that is broken than they can repairing it.

It is best to leave any repair to someone who knows what they are doing.

This comes from expreince and seeing drivers try to fix simple things like brake lights.

Ever see someone jam a 1157 bulb into a socket backwards?

So OP, th is best took you can have is a cell phone with the company's phone number or numbers in it.

 

In the year we've been driving, what has been important isnt nearly as big a list as I first presumed. A flashlight, for pretrip and making sure I'm hooked. A good pair of wire cutters fit those dang wire seals that are hard to cut. Scissors for other seals and various in the truck tasks. Clear packing tape to tape my hazmat placards down (had one blow off and had to wait 8 hours for one to be brought to me). Scotch tape for taping paid parking receipts to my window. Stapler for paperwork. Screwdrivers for changing light bulbs and for adjusting the electrical cord to the trailer (sometimes I just need to adjust the connectors inside to get the lights to come on). Bungee cords for various things. Used some gorilla tape once. Tom's on pens, they keep falling behind the dashboard. I do like my cb radio, but theres rarely anyone talking on it, except for at traffic jams. Someone needed to borrow my allen wrenches. A hammer helped once with a stuck 5th wheel pin. I do keep extra windshield wipers and headlights on hand.

 

Yes sir, that's a big 10-4 on the hammer! I kept a trusty 10 lbs mini sledge over 20 years, great for thumping tires and knocking back trailer pins. A quality tire gauge is a sound investment, as well. Ditto for the gorilla/duct tape and bungies, don't leave home without em! And of course, keep a bunch of spare fuses, as well!!

 

The best way to learn how to fix things is on someone else's equipment.

 

Having spent time in North Dakota a small pocket torch can be invaluable.

 

Toss everything except a pen that will write in any weather and temperature condition on any surface.

If you cannot write shipper load and count onto the bills your entire load isnt going anywhere today.

 

That reminds me of Del Monte over in LA, I couldn't be on the dock where I could count cases, but they didn't like my paperwork saying shipper load and count.

 

Visegrips will squeeze an airline shut to get you to a repair shop instead of being stuck out in the boondocks waiting on a repair truck.