Lunch Bag
Specifically, a well-insulated and sturdy lunch bag with lots of room! Eating out for every meal on the road can get tiresome (and there may not be the healthiest choices available!), so a well packed bag with your favorite foods and drinks from home can make all the difference. And a sturdy, insulated bag will keep your items from being smushed and jostled around during your day of transport and keep them nice and cold for you to enjoy!
Insulated Water Bottle
This was one of the most common responses, and we get why! Staying hydrated is important in any job, but many careers (like one in an office) will have more direct and constant access to nice, cold, filtered water throughout the day. That might not be a guarantee on the road! So, a large, insulated bottle to keep your water fresh and cold the whole day is a must. We like ones with straws for easier and more efficient access.
GPS
A quality GPS can make your trip a whole lot easier. We all use GPS for maps almost daily, but good GPS for a truck driver can provide more information than what might be available on our phones. Truck-specific GPS can provide information on lane guidance to ensure drivers have time to maneuver into place without disrupting the flow of traffic. Also, not all roads are options for large semitrucks, so the GPS can navigate routes with proper clearance, weight restrictions, and other limiting factors.
Music
No road trip is complete without the perfect playlist, and neither is a day on the road as a truck driver! Your favorite tunes provide entertainment, help keep you alert, and just make the trip more enjoyable! Our drivers mentioned their specific favorites including AC-DC and their favorite XM stations. Rock on!
Flashlight
A flashlight is always a useful item to have around. While you’re on the road it can help you perform inspections on your rig, navigate around outside your truck if you are leaving early in the morning or arriving after dark, see into hard to reach places on the truck, and many other uses! Our drivers preferred flashlights that are at least 900 lumens, and bonus points if they are rechargeable so you don’t run into a dead flashlight with no batteries on hand!
Snacks
Also essential to any day spent on the road—snacks! This is pretty self-explanatory; snacks just make everything better. Some of our drivers’ favorite snacks included M&M’s, chips, ginger lemonade kombucha, honey roasted peanuts, Dr. Pepper, mixed nuts and fruit, beef jerky (specific shout outs to Old Trapper brand and any cracked pepper flavor), Bang energy drinks, trail mix, cookies, Twix, and coffee. We’ll take 1 of each, please!
Lumbar Support/Seat Pad
Long hours on the road can lead to some discomfort, but a good seat pad and proper lumbar support can do a lot to provide proper cushioning and ergonomic support! This makes long hours going cross country a lot more enjoyable and helps ensure long-term musculoskeletal wellness.
Good Mattress
Nothing beats a good night sleep, and that’s even more important when you need to be alert on the road all day! A comfortable mattress in your cabin can make a big difference for how you feel the next day. Our drivers all seemed to prefer thick gel memory foam mattresses for their trucks!
Bluetooth Headset
Being handsfree is important for safety while on the road. A good Bluetooth headset was a very popular favorite choice among all our drivers! Good sound quality, reliable connections, and easy to use interfaces make these an essential item for the road. And noise cancelling is a big bonus!
Dashboard Phone Holder
Keeping distractions to a minimum while still being able to see navigation is important while on the road. Dashboard phone holders keep phones out of hands while keeping navigation easily visible without obstruction views.
