Hey Transam, there are some great little flat screens that can be easily mounted in your truck, even under your bunk! A lot of places you stop will also have good reception. Like shutting down in LA, CA. Lots of good channels without the use of a fancy satellite!
My buddy who seems to always be baby sitting a load hauls over sized stuff. He seems to be always waiting on escorts, or permits, or to be loaded/unloaded, etc.,. In his case, other than at home time, he can only drive his rig to (towards) his destination. If he stops at night and there is a Wal*Mart two miles away, he has to walk. Is this common? Don't most trucks have satellite GPS tracking? I assume you need a WiFi card for laptop to be on Internet, but how do you get TV channels in this digital World?
Yeah, I hear ya...I want to learn from my trainer, not piss him/her off...I think the only time I'd refuse to do something the trainer told me to, is if it was something blatantly illegal...after all, it's my license!
If you lived on a diesel sub, chances are you'll find living in a truck with a trainer to be familiar. Plenty of time for food/showers/bathroom breaks, just make sure you communicate. I often found my "iron bladder" to be better than my trainer's. "What? Stop now? but we can make Indiana before sundown!" As a new driver, it'll take some time to learn the "tricks" of planing, hopefully your trainer will know a few. (ie, a decent place to entertain yourself for a weekend while waiting on a load. Malls with truck-friendly policies for example. Bonus if the mall has an arcade/movie theater/bowling alley/pool hall.) I've never understood drivers that pee INSIDE the trucks. Sure I'd love a toilet on the inside, but only if it drained to an external tank. Buckets and pails can spill! Ewww!