Useful Items To Bring On The Road?

5G router - Gives your truck wi-fi! Plug your sim directly into the router (if your carrier allows), otherwise connect the router to your phone with a USB cable and set your phone up as a hot spot with the USB connection.

I'm a little confused about this. Phones have Wi-Fi hotspots built in. Why would you need a router?

...Phones have Wi-Fi hotspots built in. Why would you need a router?

1) Terms of service generally restrict you to ONE device connected to your hot spot at a time. The wi-fi solution allows you to have your tablet, GPS, smart TV, Apple TV, etc. connected at the same time without violating your ToS.

2) Hot spots don't automatically reconnect. On iPhones the hotspot only shows for a few seconds when you initially activate it. You need to activate your hot spot on your phone then connect your device to the wi-fi signal before it drops off to use it. Using a wi-fi router you don't need to set everything up again if you take your phone off the truck, just reconnect your phone to the router and all your devices will reconnect to the network automatically.

5G router - Gives your truck wi-fi! Plug your sim directly into the router (if your carrier allows), otherwise connect the router to your phone with a USB cable and set your phone up as a hot spot with the USB connection.

I'm a little confused about this. Phones have Wi-Fi hotspots built in. Why would you need a router?

Plus the hotspots on your phone get throttled very fast to dial up like speeds. Something I heard other truckers using, that I plan on getting is 5G home internet router. Technically, you are only supposed to use it in your home. But it works in your truck, unlimited internet that doesn't get throttled. 25$ a month and comes with the router. https://www.verizon.com/5g/home/ Tmobile also has their own.

My recommendations around this time of the year is clothes for every season. You can experience all 4 seasons in one day. It sucks when it's hot and all you have is long sleeves or cold and you only have shorts. (Trust me on that, a 34 in FL during Dec when it's 100° but you only have jeans and sweater isn't any fun). Enough chargers and cords. I can't tell you how many of those things break. And just in case you wondered those truck stop prices are not what you want to be paying on a rookies salary. Emergency supplies or necessities can be procured with a quick trip to Wal-Mart but definitely call first! A lot of places aren't allowing us to park anymore. Also, pack you some DUDE wipes (or baby wipes). They will definitely come in handy. I would also keep an emergency stash of easy open can goods, granola bars and water. You never know when you will be stuck out here with no facilities, food or electricity. Good Luck on your journey 😁

Begin a trip in Ohio where it's in the 20s and end it in Arizona where it's in the 70s.

I talked to a driver over the weekend about the change of seasons. I mentioned that I didn’t look forward to having flys in the cab. She said it wasn’t a problem for her because her little dog wouldn’t rest until he had caught and eaten any fly that dared to enter her truck.

Now that’s my kind of dog!

A shovel. If you’re going to be driving anywhere where there could be any kind of snow, take a sturdy shovel. I learned the hard way during a lake effect blizzard on Lake Erie once. Just once. A small, cigarette lighter powered fan can make a huge difference in the summer temps. On days where we have to sit out here to get loaded in the dead of summer without being able to run the trucks, I’d die without my fan.

I talked to a driver over the weekend about the change of seasons. I mentioned that I didn’t look forward to having flys in the cab. She said it wasn’t a problem for her because her little dog wouldn’t rest until he had caught and eaten any fly that dared to enter her truck.

Now that’s my kind of dog!

What if her "little dog" is a Great Dane? Imagine a small horse jumping around the truck's cab?!?!?

I talked to a driver over the weekend about the change of seasons. I mentioned that I didn’t look forward to having flys in the cab. She said it wasn’t a problem for her because her little dog wouldn’t rest until he had caught and eaten any fly that dared to enter her truck.

Now that’s my kind of dog!

What if her "little dog" is a Great Dane? Imagine a small horse jumping around the truck's cab?!?!?

Actually, I saw her fly catching dog. It was a little black haired terrier type dog.

But her trailer was a Great Dane.

A shovel. If you’re going to be driving anywhere where there could be any kind of snow, take a sturdy shovel. I learned the hard way during a lake effect blizzard on Lake Erie once. Just once. A small, cigarette lighter powered fan can make a huge difference in the summer temps. On days where we have to sit out here to get loaded in the dead of summer without being able to run the trucks, I’d die without my fan.

Your truck doesn’t have an APU?

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.