What to take on the trainers truck

Cash, in case you need to pay for a taxi, or bus ticket.

 

Don't forget to bring flip flops for driving.

 

What to take... Money. I guess Trainers love it when you do not show up with just a couple dollars in your pocket and dinner 400 miles pending later that first night.

I look more at the practical matters. I recall one Trainer saying you a Christian? I said yea, what are you? He said "I'm a hellion, and I'll be ###### if I hear unshackled for 500 miles when Im trying to sleep." So... you work it out, on his time he listens to his tunes and your time you keep the tunes up front. We got along famously. It was a good deal all around.

Don't haul so much ####. A bag for your laundry, just enough laundry to fill that bag, breif case stuffed with papers used by your company. I make it a point to have 6 months worth of papers on hand so I can stay far away from headquarters for as long as possible. Bring one or two cases of water. Some food items too. But nothing in huge quantities that will cause a space storage or weight issue.

Back to practical matters...

If you or your trainer explode over a minor detail and you have a domestic inside the cab, find a spot and get out of that cab a while and away from each other for at least a smoke. Then agree that you will not have that argument again. Usually it is a one way conversation with you the trainee saying yes sir, no sir etc.

Another rule is to ensure that if the sleeper curtains is shut with you inside that sleeper, trainer cannot disturb you until your 8 or whatever hours is up. UNLESS... there is a wreck, fire, problem and so on. A heavy application of brakes throwing you out of bed is enough to get you up because you are needed.

You are probably going to be put to work lumping. There has never been a outfit that I signed on with that did not send my trainer and me somewhere to bust my spurs moving 48,000 pounds onto small wood half the night. It was the way it is. Either you did it well or you were shipped home. That was a long time ago.

If you encounter a winter storm and slide a little bit, back off and keep traction. You probably will be looking at the trainer more than the road. Stop doing that. Continue to be steady as she goes because if you ARE doing something that will cause a problem, trainer will fix it for you very quickly. Stop worrying about what the Trainer thinks. Worry about the people around you.

And every time I come up on a truck marked driving school.... every time... I smile. But nothing too scary.

 

I'm going to bring a small fan that plugs into the cig lighter for air and some white noise for sleeping. Walmart has DC powered fans that are basically flat about 4-5 inches wide easy to transport.

 

Good idea on the fan, that top bunk can get hot and stuffy. White noise won't drown out the noise of engines idling and reefers on full tilt. It just won't. Earplugs help somewhat, but to be honest, you just get used to the noise and fall asleep out of exhaustion.

What earplugs won't help with are trains. My first night sleeping in the truck we camped out in a company yard that was right beside a railroad track. Between 12:45am and 8am no less than 9 trains went by with attention seeking drivers at the helm in full control of the horn button.

 

get a big thing of ibuprophen. cheap and easy on the liver.

 

don't forget those lot lizards..... lol

Joking aside, always be ready for plan B and an exit strategy.

 

There are a lot of team outfits that run on/off schedules, take your pick. You just have to be willing to slipseat every week. Teams pull a premium, either higher pay or more time off.(never did find one that offered the perfect combination of both)