Can we get a like button? Lol

T shirts I mainly wear nerd logo shirts, so they should be fine.

Yes!!! My kinda fashion!!!

Amen to this. Recently, a student tried to bring enough stuff that she could have been mistaken for a celebrity rolling into a Four Seasons for a month.

Regarding luggage, bring only soft duffel bag(s). I suggest one for your sleeping bag and pillows, etc. - that one will be emptied so you can roll it up and put it out of the way. Then another bag for the rest of your gear. I suggest greatly reducing the quantity of things and getting rid of some. You will likely never use the frogg toggs - when you might use them, you won't have time to put them on. Just wear pants that can get wet without a problem (I use clothing from 511tactical - the pants are teflon coated). Get rid of most of the hygiene products. Deodorant and a little soap are all you need. You'll rarely need the soap - truck stops have it in the showers, so you will only need it at some company showers and and OH/PA pike stops. Forget the sandals and tennis shoes. You cannot fit all that stuff in a duffel bag and on the truck it will be in the way. You can become a prima dona and put all that stuff in your truck (and more) when you get it. I have so much stuff in my truck that I will have to hire four or five people to help me when I switch. But when I was a student, I had very little. Make sure that you can pickup and carry every single thing you bring all at once and hustle around with it in case you need to do that. You do not want to be making three trips with a wheelbarrel to move your stuff around.

My trainer told me, "You can bring anything you want, your gonna have to sleep with it."

This should be in bold print at the
top of any packing list ever created!!!

Not to mention, the Grey Dog only allows a couple of bags, just like the airlines.

I had my sleeping bag, a trash bag with my pillow, and a lg. soft bag

When driving, I had a back pack that doubled as my shower bag. I would put everything I needed for my shift in it and bring it up front with me. That way I never had to go to the sleeper area.

I'm sure that would be a reason to get kicked off a trainers truck for sure.

I agree with some others here. It is a good list, but reduce the hygiene and the QUANTITY of most everything. I had a similar list to this when I was about to head out, but the moment I peaked in that sleeper cab most of it went out the window. This is the truck your trainer lives in, and chances are he will have every storage space filled except for your own bunk. Take just the basics you need to survive and can stand to have cluttering up the bunk in which you will be sleeping every night.

Something else to keep in mind is that your training period is really one of survival. Drive, Eat, Sleep, Learn. Chances are you will be struggling just to keep up with everything being thrown at you, with any spare time being grabbed for sleep. Personally I was happy to get a shower every 2 or 3 days. When we were at a customer I had time to grab my coat and hard hat and then run to try and keep up with my trainer. I cycled a pair of basketball shorts for jammies, 2 or 3 pairs of jeans and a few t-shirts, a hoodie and a coat, and it was plenty using the laundry at the truck stops as needed. I was a vegan going solid for a year when I started training, but within a few days I realized that if I was going to get fed, I had to take a break from that diet and eat what was quick and convenient.

Time is money out here and every minute counts. My trainer once pounded on the restroom door because I was taking too long to pee on a load-check break, I was in there less than a minute. Now he may have been a bit of a hard-ass, but no matter who you are with, you will be too overwhelmed to think of much beyond the true basics. A good coat, a pair of flip-flops for showers, maybe a towel (I used the ones provided), maybe shampoo-conditioner (I cut my hair very short and just used the soap they provide), a small bottle of laundry detergent.

My point is the more minimalist you can be the better, and any conveniences you can live without, ditch them. You won't even have time to miss them. It all goes by in a blur, and you just hang on, try to keep up, and survive. It's just a few weeks, then you can get your own truck and do whatever you want with it. Like getting back on that vegan diet.

So since I've got a date for Orientation I'm not looking over my list and trying to figure it all out. I'm going reffer and was wondering should I do tennis shoes or boots? Steel toe or not? Just trying to get everything prepared :D

If it's an either or situation I would always pick boots over anything else.

Alright! Another question: Laundry Soap and a Fabric Sheets? My main issue is that there are a couple of detergents that break me out in hives (such as tide). I can we maybe bringing a baggie of the pod style set and a handful of fabric Sheets.. but wasn't sure.

Instead of bringing the laundry supplies & adding more weight to your luggage, you can pick all that up at Walmart which is walking distance from Campus Inn. That’s where you’ll be during week 1 of orientation. There I found the tide pods that are specifically for sensitive skin.

I’m one of those over prepared kind of person. I had a duffle & a carry on in my trainers truck. All my clothes are in my duffle. My clippers, boots, sneakers, sandals, collection of hats & skull caps, coats & jackets. I’ll only bring back my duffle after this home time though. I thought I’d be able to rent a locker to store my extra stuff at Sprimo but that didn’t happen.

Oh yeah, I also have a backpack with my electronics & wires. Along with another backpack for my shower supplies. Now would be a good time to say that I’ve been blessed with a great trainer. Like Diver Driver said, the more you bring the less space in that skinny top bunk. And you have to secure your stuff too. Else you might get knocked out with some of the bumps & craters on some of the roads you’ll be traveling.

Would you be allowed to bring a hiking backpack instead of a duffle bag?

Would you be allowed to bring a hiking backpack instead of a duffle bag?

Yes, of course. Whatever works best for you.