A Single Question That's Literally For The Birds: Cab Bouncing. How Bad Is It?

How bad does your truck bounce around when going down the road? People talk about being nearly bounced out of the bunk when team driving, but I -- having never been in a moving 18 wheeler -- don't know how much of that is exaggeration and how much of it isn't.

Please note, I'm not asking how easy or hard it is to sleep during team runs. That's just the only time I've seen it come up. And I know the seats have some suspension, but I'm also not asking about that. Literally, how much does the truck bounce around. Just on average; I know some roads are smoother than others, and some are washboards. (I've done plenty of 12-to-24-hour straight drives all around the west in a car with a 23 year old suspension. I'm under no illusions that the road is smooth and silky.)

Asking for the sake of potential pet passengers who would be strapped to the bottom bunk during driving. Tiny and notably hardy birds, in their flight cage, to be specific.

Disclaimers time: I already know how to keep their temperatures regulated without power for extended periods, etc. How to set up the cage to not have swinging nonsense inside it; how to avoid water and food spillage, etc. If I hit a really rough patch, the cage gets some nice soothing darkness. Not a novice at birds, just at trucking.

And I know I may have trouble finding a company that'll let me take something besides a cat or a dog. Understood. Right now I'm just considering logistics from inside the cab, not from inside the company (yet). If I can figure out the former, then I will worry about the latter. Company policy won't be relevant if I decide I can't safely bring my single cage, single pair of zebra finches to begin with.

The potential bouncing is all that I can't account for, not having experienced it. Sorry if my disclaimers seem a bit much, just trying to head off being told about bird basics. Unless you keep tiny, hardy cage-only birds in your truck, then by all means, dish them details.

Hopefully your birds do better in a car than my Caiques do... My African Grey would hate me forever if I took him OTR but does ok on short car rides.

Yeah, I've taken the finches on a 12 hour drive before in the cab of U-haul, and they were fine with it. But if it's mega super bouncy all the time I'm concerned about that. Vibration, I can counter (after sufficient time for the materials to de-gas, of course). But big shaky boom-boom bounces? Not so easily.

I've been in trucks that don't bounce to terribly bad but not many. If it's not well secured it's not where you left it.

My Caiques get car sick so.. My Grey just stares at me hopeful that he isn't going to see the man in the white coat that puts him in a towel and does other mean things to him.

Also I know you mentioned not wanting to hear about bord basics but one you may not have thought of.

Canaries were used in caves for the sole purpose of gas detection.

Be very vigilant in your pretrip while looking at the exhaust including underneath the cab.

It depends on the truck. The 2010 cascadia I trained in bounced so much I asked the mechanic if the shock absorbers were still functioning. But in the 2015 Cascadia I slept great and didn't notice too much bounce.

I have a cat who sits on his pole while .driving and he rarely gets jolted. I know cats are different. Best I can day though lol no experience with birds.

One thing to think about is asking companies if they would allow birds. Some only do cats n dogs.

I've been in trucks that don't bounce to terribly bad but not many. If it's not well secured it's not where you left it.

My Caiques get car sick so.. My Grey just stares at me hopeful that he isn't going to see the man in the white coat that puts him in a towel and does other mean things to him.

If my birds come along I plan to wrap a strap around the whole bottom mattress and secure it over the top of the cage, with the cage facing forward.

I'll also be zip-tying all the joints of the cage to make damn sure nothing pops apart.

Also I know you mentioned not wanting to hear about bord basics but one you may not have thought of.

Canaries were used in caves for the sole purpose of gas detection.

Be very vigilant in your pretrip while looking at the exhaust including underneath the cab.

Oh, trust me, I'm on it. I'm extremely chemically-sensitive myself. I've done alright as a DIY mechanic but that's in an open airspace, inside I'm damn near a canary myself. I plan to have a few flavors of detectors in the cab for extra measures.

It depends on the truck. The 2010 cascadia I trained in bounced so much I asked the mechanic if the shock absorbers were still functioning. But in the 2015 Cascadia I slept great and didn't notice too much bounce.

I have a cat who sits on his pole while .driving and he rarely gets jolted. I know cats are different. Best I can day though lol no experience with birds.

One thing to think about is asking companies if they would allow birds. Some only do cats n dogs.

Yeah, I suspect it'll end up being a "wait and see what my solo truck actually is" situation. I plan to have my birds in my criteria for choosing a company regardless, if I don't find any other compelling reasons not to bring the birds. I would just be too worried about them in anyone else's care. Experienced as I am with finches (well over a decade now), I know how to jump most of the hurdles including in emergency situations.

I've been sniffing around fulltimer RV forums for travel specific issues, but a truck is a lot smaller living space with a lot more work it has to do. Bounce is the main thing RVs don't have to consider (for caged pets) as compared to a semi. RV suspension goes down the whole body, and doesn't have to carry nearly as much weight.

I thought about bringing my Grey in the beginning but I just couldn't do it and he is "my bird" so he has alot more fits while I'm gone.

But he's a happy camper when I get home. He won't shut up for the first few hours "just to make sure he gets all my attention for awhile"

I also recommend checking out a Pack O Bird. Other companies might make them now but for the times you have to get out of your truck like at some shops while in for service it makes life a little easier and they collapse down to nothing.

How heavy or light your load will make a difference. Also if you have your load balanced. Lighter loads I can feel the trailer bounce, but not much effects up front. Hitting a hard bump with a heavy load tends to toss my truck around pretty good.