Quick Question

This may or may not have been answered before on the site but I can't find anything in the search bar. I'll be going on the road soon (probably this Thursday according to Swift) with my mentor for the 6 to 8 weeks of on the road training. How does the food set up work? Will my mentor have a fridge or cabinet I can use? How often do you stop to wash dishes or should I just bring paper plates an plastic silverware? Will they have a microwave? How will we be cooking food?

Once again, sorry if it's been answered before but I'm trying to plan now for what kind of food and dishes to buy.

Little trucker, glad you asked. This is more a "great unknown" than even what life as a team is like. It all depends on what the trainer has set up. I doubt he/she will have any food arrangement for you. But, usually you can use whatever appliances he has. My trainer had a broken cooler which meant no refrigerated food storage. Be ready to eat in the truck as opposed to stopping all the time to grab fast food. My trainer gave me plenty of opportunities to shop at Walmarts on the way.

Here's an answer to washing dishes: Bring some paper towels to wipe down your utensils. (Secret known but to few: peanut butter can simply wipe off, and leaves a thin film of peanut oil on your knife, a good thing.). Since my food was mine, I drank milk products right from the bottle, and my coffee cup got rinsed out each day. (note: most truck stops have a little sink near the coffee counter, don't need to go to the restroom for this.) Same with a spoon and/or fork - it's only you, so wipe it down with a paper towel.

You will have storage space in a cabinet or two. I'm a big guy (6-2") and had a few boxes laying on my bunk and still slept easily.

Going into training, I assumed I would not be able to cook anything.

Is there any way to contact your mentor and ask? You will be basically living in their truck, and I would think they'd appreciate you asking them personally. Just my $.02

Little trucker, glad you asked. This is more a "great unknown" than even what life as a team is like. It all depends on what the trainer has set up. I doubt he/she will have any food arrangement for you. But, usually you can use whatever appliances he has. My trainer had a broken cooler which meant no refrigerated food storage. Be ready to eat in the truck as opposed to stopping all the time to grab fast food. My trainer gave me plenty of opportunities to shop at Walmarts on the way.

Here's an answer to washing dishes: Bring some paper towels to wipe down your utensils. (Secret known but to few: peanut butter can simply wipe off, and leaves a thin film of peanut oil on your knife, a good thing.). Since my food was mine, I drank milk products right from the bottle, and my coffee cup got rinsed out each day. (note: most truck stops have a little sink near the coffee counter, don't need to go to the restroom for this.) Same with a spoon and/or fork - it's only you, so wipe it down with a paper towel.

You will have storage space in a cabinet or two. I'm a big guy (6-2") and had a few boxes laying on my bunk and still slept easily.

Going into training, I assumed I would not be able to cook anything.

Well I'm allergic to nuts so the peanut butter trick won't help me unfortunately. But thanks for your help. I'll bring paper plates and plastic bowls and real silverware and just wipe them down. If you assumed you wouldn't be able to cook anything what did you bring? I was thinking like ravioli and ramen and instant oatmeal but I realized all of those require a microwave, which I don't have and my trainer may not have. I'm allergic to nuts like I said so I can't bring PB&J. What did you take to eat?

Is there any way to contact your mentor and ask? You will be basically living in their truck, and I would think they'd appreciate you asking them personally. Just my $.02

Not yet there's not. Swift said probably Wednesday they can get me some contact info. And I don't want to wait until the last minute to try to grab everything because I no longer have a car so I would need a ride which means I would be running on someone else's time and they might not be able to help me if I need help at the last minute.

Is there any way to contact your mentor and ask? You will be basically living in their truck, and I would think they'd appreciate you asking them personally. Just my $.02

Not yet there's not. Swift said probably Wednesday they can get me some contact info. And I don't want to wait until the last minute to try to grab everything because I no longer have a car so I would need a ride which means I would be running on someone else's time and they might not be able to help me if I need help at the last minute.

My mentor texted me with "I'm outside", but I had no idea who that was! We students had not been assigned mentors just at that time.

But they do hand you a paper with mentor info on it (among other things), and then you go find your new trainer.

As for the microwaveable stuff I haven't been in a truck stop yet that didn't have a microwave. Cup of noodles is easier than ramen since its self contained. I ate a lot of Bologna since my trainer had a fridge. Also tuna fish. You can go in the truck stop and get the little cardboard hotdog tray and fill it with onions, relish, mustard, mayo and mix with your tuna fish. There's also Vienna sausage, potty meat, spam and such. Find one of those glass storage bowls with the lid. Then you can buy cans of soup to microwave. Old trick, if you don't have access to microwave take the can of soup and put on the exhaust manifold when you leave in the morning. By lunchtime it will be piping hot. You can also wrap some foods in tinfoil and cook this way. Works kinda like a slow cooker.

As for the microwaveable stuff I haven't been in a truck stop yet that didn't have a microwave. Cup of noodles is easier than ramen since its self contained. I ate a lot of Bologna since my trainer had a fridge. Also tuna fish. You can go in the truck stop and get the little cardboard hotdog tray and fill it with onions, relish, mustard, mayo and mix with your tuna fish. There's also Vienna sausage, potty meat, spam and such. Find one of those glass storage bowls with the lid. Then you can buy cans of soup to microwave. Old trick, if you don't have access to microwave take the can of soup and put on the exhaust manifold when you leave in the morning. By lunchtime it will be piping hot. You can also wrap some foods in tinfoil and cook this way. Works kinda like a slow cooker.

Good ideas. Thanks!