What do you do in your downtime OTR?

Rub my lantern,and hope a Genie shows up. I have my 3 wishes in order.

 

Start by ignoring the naysayers. Some drivers never leave their trucks, and seem to think since they won't do it, no one can. Sure, driving is a job, and it can be very hard work, and plans get changed. But if you're driving legal, you will have time to go out and play. I do it all the time.

Some places will let you park a bobtail in their lot. Call and ask, and if they say yes, you can leave the trailer at a truck stop (get a kingpin lock) and just take the tractor. I don't know of a company that would complain about it as long as you're not going too far with it.

Public transit is a wonderful thing in big cities, and can save you a bundle since cabs are very expensive. I would recommend a bike over a scooter, though. I'm not sure where you'd put a scooter. A good folding bike will run you a few hundred (depending on how fancy you get- I got a 7 speed road bike for $400) and can be stored on the passenger side on the floor. Sometimes you may even find something so close to the truck stop you can just walk.

E readers are great to have in the truck, if you enjoy reading. Small, light, and you can store hundreds of books in one, and shop for new books anywhere, without having to find a bookstore with truck parking. There are any number of crafty things you can do, if you're so inclined. Knitting, crossstitch, painting, etc, etc. Puzzles can be done with one of those roll up felt puzzle mats. I carry a tennis racket and sometimes will bounce a ball off a wall somewhere, or even inside the trailer if it's empty.

Find out what your company's policy is about hometime- whether you need to turn the truck in or not. If you do, keep in mind you will need to either take everything with you on vacation, or find somewhere to store it. You may be able to store it at your terminal. Ask.

And for the record, I leave the truck and trailer unattended quite frequently, as long as it's not a high value load, and have never been reprimanded for it.

 

Here are a couple links of other threads about this...

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...7-interesting-tourist-stops-you-can-take.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...everything/125784-what-shall-i-do-in-nyc.html

 

I'm with 1nonly on this one. Ignore the naysayers as many of them are losers and have no life or interests other then driving, hanging out in truck stops and yapping on the CB. There are lots of things you can do in a truck (mostly bobtail though, think if a big RV can get in, a bobtail can as well). It just takes a little research, that is where the magic of google lies. As others have said, a bike is best. (plus you get the added benefit of exercise).

In truck hobbies are only limited by your interests. I bought a Nikon D90 camera in January and have been getting into photography. I also bought Rosetta Stone to learn a spanish. Plus I have a nook and directv in the truck to occupy my time. (I only stay out a max of 14 days so the need to keep myself entertained for weeks on end is not really an issue. Did the 4-5 week thing when I started out and got burned out real fast doing that.)

As others have said, this is a job, but, that doesn't mean it has to consume you. Learn to manage your time, plan your trip, keep the left door closed and you will be amazed at how much free time you can squeeze out of every day for yourself. Don't let the "can't be done" crowd get you down. A little prior planning and some imagination you can enjoy yourself out here. Good luck.

 

Guys, I dont think anyone is telling him it "cant be done". I think most of us are trying to be realistic about it. Not one person has said he should just stay in the truck and rot. As a matter of fact, I recommend walking every chance you can get. I myself have walked several miles out (when I knew I had the time) just to get some fresh air and exercise. But running off to find a golf course on route from say Denver to Atlanta on your 10 hour break is a bit unrealistic, doncha think? Sure, park, call a cab, change your clothes while the cab is coming, grab your clubs and tell the cabbie to get you to said golf course.... Good luck getting an opening at whatever time you happened to "pop in". Most of the course I've been to (including public courses) require a tee time setup before hand. God forbid if it rains, then that is out. Yeah, you can shoot off to check out a movie pretty much anytime, especially if there is one nearby. As much as I hate shopping malls, when on the road, that is usually the easiest "non truck stop" place to find. Walk around, grab some food, etc....

Motorized scooter? Good luck fitting it in the truck. Fold up bike, like I said before, is your best bet. Good exercise and gets you away from the truck stop. Lets face it, there is NO LIFE at a truck stop. TV room? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

But relying on your carrier to get you home for a five day cruise after five weeks out is way too risky. Cruises are expensive, and they will not be rescheduling the cruise based on your carriers' lack of motivation to get you home. Last I checked, the cruise lines were not giving refunds if you didn't show up to embark, and if you don't reserve a cabin in advance, you aren't going on a cruise..... period. Try showing up to a cruise line that docked in Ft Lauderdale and paying your way on. See how that works out for ya.

I'm just saying.... have some reasonable expectations. By all means, get away from the truck as much as you possibly can, but don't expect a vacation out of it, especially if you are relying on 10 hour breaks to get things done. 34 resets are PERFECT for that. I have done a LOT of activities on 34's, and even waiting to be loaded (if shipper is willing to call my cell when they are ready). ET even goes to baseball games when he's got some decent down time away from home.

Here ya go, BigrigTravels. Professional photographer/truck driver. This guy knows how to live!!

http://www.bigrigtravels.com/Additional-Galleries

 

You know what you're going to be doing with your 10 hours off, planning your next trip, checking maps, Googling consignees figuring out which way you're going then you're going to eat and then try to sleep while looking at your window making sure no one f**** with your truck or commodity and the cops don't want to give you a ticket where you park if you're not at a truck stop.

 

Wow, reviving an old thread!! Lets brush the dust off of this one.

What I do in my off time seems to depend on where I am and how much off time I have. If I make it back to our terminal, I usually do laundry, workout in the workout room, watch TV, go visit with the staff, bring the truck by maintenance to get knick knacks fixed, etc. If I'm at a truck stop I usually walk around and go find a place to jog for my workout. If at a rest stop I jog around the rest stop. If I have enough time I'll eat something. I usually fire up the TV just to see what I can catch.

I usually do check map and routes as well, but that only takes a short period of time. Our routes are given to us by the company, I just go where I'm told.

 

I don't even have to check the posts here to know someone said something about spanking the monkey lmao.

 

I just sit in my truck and rejoice I've been promoted to an automatic truck, while parked in the entrance of the truckstop wondering why everyone keeps honking at me

 

Came here to post that just in case.