On Food Storage Ideas For When You Go Solo

Hi all

It's been six months give or take a week since I left for Prime's training program. Naturally I have learned a few things about trucking in that time but I'd like to show some things on my truck for the prospectives that are curious for storing food.

Originally I had illusions of being motivated enough to cook and use recipes and ideas from this site out on the road. In short time I learned this motivation was not making an appearance and have decided to embrace that fact by adhering to my current dietary choices: if it's not on the truck, I can't eat it.

While I'm not capable of clean eating exactly, I've tried to limit myself to light indulgences when the urge strikes on a particularly long day, i.e. chocolate with almonds instead of a pint of Ben and Jerry's.

My truck is a 2018 cascadia, with what I believe is a Freightliner refrigerator mounted to the deck under the carpeted area (strange I know).

Here's the fridge with junk drawer built in top.

Inside I've stowed 2 bags of apples, bag of carrots, bag of grapes, yogurt, a roasted chicken and 5 wrap style sandwiches. The freezer is tiny and I have 3 bags microwaveable veggies and a secret chocolate bar for previously mentioned bad days.

I carry 4 gallons of potable water in 2 separate containers, one for backup drinking water and tea, another for washing hands or whatever. I live on sparkling water and carry close to 100 lbs in at a time when I hit a Wal Mart.

The cupboard has various canned goods in case I get stuck somewhere, very necessary for the upcoming winter months I think. I also keep popcorn for similar reason.

Ok, so I'm cleaning the truck now during my 34 here in Carlin NV off I 80. That's gonna keep me in a prepared mode for the week ahead, knowing I'm clean and stocked for the road. Got a Monday morning delivery in down town San Francisco.

What kinds of things do you stow in your truck?

I have a 2019 Cascadia with the same setup and our food selections are very similiar.

Main complaint I have is with the fridge mounted on the floor and the front opening door is it is easy to miss something when emptying the fridge. My truck normally sits all weekend so in the summer the battery management system shuts the fridge off sometime Sunday afternoon when temps are in the 80s- 90s. Came back to work one Monday with a very funky yogurt container in the back. Now that things are cooling down some it has still been cold on Mondays.

The KW T-680s I trained in at Millis had the drawer type fridges which I like a lot better.

Yeah that aged yogurt punishes you for making that mistake. Same goes for the forgotten chicken.

I have a 2019 Cascadia with the same setup and our food selections are very similiar.

Main complaint I have is with the fridge mounted on the floor and the front opening door is it is easy to miss something when emptying the fridge. My truck normally sits all weekend so in the summer the battery management system shuts the fridge off sometime Sunday afternoon when temps are in the 80s- 90s. Came back to work one Monday with a very funky yogurt container in the back. Now that things are cooling down some it has still been cold on Mondays.

The KW T-680s I trained in at Millis had the drawer type fridges which I like a lot better.

Really?????? Im not a fan of our drawer fridges. I run out of room really fast and the freezer section is useless. It more of a super chill section. Maybe i need to rethink how i pack it.

The way you have planned and organized your stock of necessities is impressive. It is pretty much an alien concept to me. I do have enough essentials to get me through any emergency situations where I might be stranded for a few days but that's just dumb luck. I'm a little embarrassed to say I've never really thought about it let alone actually prepared for it.

I have my infamous bags of trail mix and boxes of protein bars. I have at least 20 bottles of zero sugar Gatorade (I can get them 10-for-$10 sometimes at the grocery store), and I buy a gallon of water every other day or so. Not because I'm trying to be prepared and well-stocked for emergencies, or because it is healthy...but because I'm cheap and lazy.

And when you mentioned a lack of motivation to do some cooking, you were speaking my language. To me, cooking requires preparation and clean up. I just dont have time for that at the end of the day. Once I hit the sleeper I'm checking TT, Facebook, Email, sports results, and then I'm reading for a couple hours before sleeping.

So, kudos for having your shiznit together out there!

Meat

Fish

Nuts and seeds

Eggs

Certain vegetables and fruits

Water, coffee, tea

I do sometimes wish we could find the motivation well to cook, but it's just daunting to find a place to store the appliances and clean them etc at this point. Plus the last time I made a stew in the Crock-Pot, I ended up eating it in one sitting watching Archer. Not my proudest moment upon realizing the Tupperware was going back on the shelf, MT.

For those that cook, what's your regimen? Laying a skillet on the engine block for some eggs and ham? When do you have the energy? The cleaning time? My PSD trainer had a pack of baby wipes as his kitchen sink. Bleh.

This was the truck I did PSD in. This is from the pride and polish event Prime does every year. You can find it on YouTube , it's Prime pride and polish 2019, minute mark 21:30.

He built out a lot of space maximizing equipment and containers. Up in the top bunk there is a shelf system for his students gear. Nifty ideas but way beyond my skill set.

No that is not champagne.

I wipe out my Pyrex cooking storage containers (glass) after use. When I'm home, these go into the dishwasher.

Most utensils are plastic, one use only.

My metal utensils get wiped off with a Clorox wipe after use. Same goes for Foreman grill, inside of microwave (as needed), Coleman cooler and the fridges.

My new truck has a built in fridge plus I have my new 4.4 cu ft "Dandy" brand fridge. That one does not have a freezer. I found it online for about $250 including shipping. Runs fine off my 1800 watt inverter. I actually just tried the microwave awhile ago, with the fridge still plugged in. Ran fine with no issues.

When I get home, I'll post photos of the setup I have in this truck. This phone not doing picture posts for me anymore, so I'll take some with my tablet next time I'm home.

That Foreman grill seems space friendly. I should consider that.