Must-Have Items For Your Rig

Posted in Trucker Lifestyle by Brian · Leave a Comment 

Truck drivers spend most of their waking hours inside their rig.  Since you have to spend so much time in your truck seat, you want it to be comfortable.  To make that time easier and more comfortable, here are some must-have items for your rig.

Safety first is a motto most drivers are aware of.  Having a stocked first aid kit is an absolute must for your truck.  You hope you won’t need the contents of the box, but it’s a great idea to have one with you each time you hit the road.

Flashlights, batteries, and extra bulbs are also great must-have items.  In fact, it would be a good idea to have more than one flashlight.  Choose one that you crank, one with LED bulbs, and flashlights of different sizes.

Obviously one must-have item for your rig is a CB.  These are imperative for communication with other drivers and your home base.  Choosing the best CB that you are able could make the difference between being able to communicate with others or not.

Another must-have item is a tool box complete with a full set of tools that fit your engine.  Wrenches, pliers, sockets, ratchets, tire gauge, emergency flares, and tools that are particular for your engine should be included.  At least one fire extinguisher is also necessary.  Of course, you’ll want to purchase the best quality tools you can so they aren’t likely to break when you need them.

Even truck drivers have paperwork they have to fill out. Travel orders, trip logs, accident reports, and expense reports are absolute must-haves.  You will also need a place to keep receipts and freight bills so they can be turned in when necessary.

Maps, atlas, or global positioning system (GPS) are necessary if you’re unfamiliar with a route or the location of a delivery.  With the GPS systems, they can give you audible directions so that you won’t have to stop to take a look at a map.  Technology is changing every day.  Before long these systems may be pre-installed in all truck cabs.

If you have a sleeper cab, one item you’ll want to have is a comfortable mattress and pillow.  You’ll also need storage space for bedding, clothing, and other supplies that you’ll carry with you.

Along with a place to sleep, a sleeper cab is a great place to put a microwave, mini refrigerator, and television.  These items will help make layovers more pleasant and help you save money by not having to go out to eat or spend the night in hotels.

Finally, you’ll want things to help keep you comfortable while you’re driving.  A comfortable cabin chair and air conditioning are definitely must-have items for your rig.  You may be able to do without some of the items on this list, depending upon your truck cabin, but they are must-have items for many truckers.

How To Stay Connected While You Are On The Road

Posted in Trucker Lifestyle by Brian · Leave a Comment 

Truck drivers spend many hours on the road.  When they have some downtime, they may spend time surfing the internet in order to relax.  Go to your favorite search engine to find the following resources for drivers which are available to provide information and help make their lives and jobs easier.

Blogs and News Sources

Blogs are popular all over the Internet.  They may not be actual news sources, but they do provide useful information for those who have time to read them.

If you’d like a network of blogs, rather than searching for each one individually, check out the Trucking Blog Network. They provide opinions from truck drivers all around the world.  They also have information that concerns drivers and those in the trucking industry.

If you’re traveling through several states while you’re on the road, go to each State DOT site to find helpful information.

A Trucker’s Wife is a blog that is written by women who are the spouses of truck drivers.  They have a unique perspective and are there to support not only their trucker, but also the spouses of truck drivers. And of course visit TheTruckerBlog.com your one stop for Everything Trucker and sign up for the free updates on topics ranging from fuel savings to trucker health and lifestyle.

Road and Weather Conditions

When you’re out on the road so much, it’s important to know what types of weather you’re driving into.  Knowing the conditions of the roads you’ll travel is also needed to arrive safely at your destination. These types of resources can also provide information about construction and traffic problems.

Beat the Traffic will give you live information about traffic conditions.  It will also help you find alternate routes if there are traffic problems.

The National Traffic and Road Closure Information database provides road closures for the entire United States.

Weather.com is one of the best sites for weather forecasts.  They also have radar images which show you what weather conditions are ahead, as well as a driving section.

Fuel

Everyone is concerned about fuel prices and no one is more concerned than truck drivers.  These internet resources will help you find the prices of fuel on your route so you won’t be shocked by the price when you get there.

TruckLoadRate.com boasts of being able to provide route-specific fuel prices.

If you prefer using a certain brand of fuel in your truck, check online to see if your favorite provider has a website.  Flying J Pricing, Pilot Travel Center Complete Pricing List, Love’s Fuel Prices, and Speedway are a few companies that provide this information online.

MapQuest is a tool many people use when trying to find the best route to get from one place to another.  They also have available MapQuest Gas Prices which purportedly helps you locate the lowest fuel prices, not only in the United States, but also in Canada and Mexico.

There are so many tools and resources for drivers if they have the time to find them.  If that’s not possible, their loved ones would likely be glad to help them find the resources, especially if it means making their driver’s life easier.

Learn How To Cope With Your Trucker While They Are On The Road

Posted in Trucker Lifestyle by Brian · Leave a Comment 

Do You Love A Trucker?
Special Advice For Children, Spouses, And Significant Others…

Anyone who has a loved one that’s a truck driver knows that they face some serious stress and trials while on the road.  Many people don’t realize there are trials faced by those still at home which are as daunting as the ones faced by the drivers themselves.

Facing Loneliness – It’s never easy to be separated from a loved one, but truck driving families have to face this regularly and often for weeks at a time. To combat this loneliness, partners can talk on the telephone during layovers or when they’re stopping for the night. They can also use email or instant messages while online during down time.

Support Them – Be supportive of your spouse, both while they’re away, and when they return home.  Make an effort to be responsive to their needs while they’re home.  Managing the home so they don’t have to worry about it is also a way to be supportive.

Remain Faithful – Some spouses or partners may wonder if those away will stay faithful while on the road.  This issue may not be verbalized, but it may be a concern.  If the couple is having problems with the separation, being tempted to stray is a legitimate worry.  Keeping lines of communication open and working at keeping the relationship alive while you’re together will help both of you remain faithful.

Stay United – Raising children is stressful for two parents to do together.  When one parent is absent for weeks at a time, the stresses of raising children are compounded.  When the driving parent returns home, the children may be resentful of their comings and goings so they may act out.  Create set rules that the children are expected to follow, along with specific consequences, no matter which of the parents are at home.  The parents also need to maintain a united front; be consistent in your discipline.

Take Time for Yourself – With all a truck driver’s spouse has to do in the driver’s absence, it’s important for them to maintain their own interests and their own identity.  You can’t create such a life for yourself that your partner doesn’t feel a part of it when they return, but not having an outlet can cause problems.

Business Time – Many truckers’ spouses help with the business matters while the driver is out.  They help them keep track of business expenses, checking on weather conditions, and helping with directions.  So instead of dealing only with family financial aspects, the spouse at home handles the business finances as well.

Being married and maintaining a great relationship isn’t easy under the best circumstances.  When one spouse is away for a week or more, there are stresses that both partners face.  The trials faced by those at home are just as real as those faced by the truck driver, so it’s important for them to communicate and work on any problems that arise together.

Tips For Staying Healthy On The Road

Posted in The Healthy Trucker by Brian · Leave a Comment 

Besides being away from loved ones, one of the aspects that truckers dislike most is gaining weight while they’re out on the road.  They may feel there isn’t much choice except eating at fast food restaurants in order to save money, especially since diesel fuel prices have increased so much. Most want to stay healthy on the road but may not be sure how to accomplish that.  

Any trucker, regardless of age or sex, can get healthier while on the road.  These tips may help when they have to spend so much time in their rig:

Understand that in order to stay healthy on the road, you must be at a “normal” weight.  What is a “normal” weight?  That is going to be different for everyone.  You can go by the insurance company standards which most doctors’ offices use, but it would be better to base your best weight by how you feel.  Do you have enough energy to do everything you have to do?  Do you sleep well or have problems in this area?

If you must lose weight, which isn’t easy under the best circumstances, you’re only going to succeed if you burn more calories than the food you consume.  Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound, to lose weight at a healthy rate, you could eat 500 calories less each day for a week.  If you don’t want to eat less, you can exercise enough to burn those 500 calories.  At the end of the week, you should be one pound lighter.

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Six Little Known But “Easy To Do” Secrets To Saving Big Money On Diesel Fuel

Posted in Secrets To Fuel Savings by Brian · 3 Comments 

With the rising cost of diesel fuel, truckers all over the country are trying to reduce the money they have to spend during each road trip.  If you’re new to driving a big rig, you may wonder what some ways to save on diesel fuel are.  These ideas may help you keep more of your hard-earned money.

Check your tire pressure.  This may seem like a simple solution, but it can help reduce your fuel usage by as much as 2% if your tires are properly inflated.  Tire pressure is affected by the temperature, how fast you drive, and the condition of the roads.  If your tires are improperly inflated, there is undue pressure put on the sidewall which causes the tire to blow out more easily.  Check your air pressure weekly, if not that often at least once a month, and don’t them become under-inflated.

Drive at night.  Since tire pressure is affected by the outside temperature, driving at night should help your tires remain inflated properly.  Another thing about driving at night is that the traffic is usually lighter which mean there would be less need to slow down and less reason to stop for congested traffic.

Slow down.  Install a governor, if you own your own rig, or start using your cruise control.  For each mile per hour over the speed limit you travel, you lower your miles per gallon by 2%.  By installing a governor, truckers won’t be able to let their lead foot take over.  They’ll only be able to drive as fast as the governor allows. Having a governor, according to some reports, could save fuel for every hour that the truck is in use.

Give your rig a tune-up.  If you haven’t been servicing your truck on a regular basis, now would be a good time to start.  Some mechanics recommend scheduling a tune-up every 10,000 miles.  What would you do during that tune-up? Replace the oil and fuel filters, check each belt to see if they need to be adjusted, check all lights, rotate the steering tires, verifying suspension on both ends, and that all gears are lubed properly.

Don’t carry unnecessary weight.  Every truck driver has things in their cab or sleeper that aren’t necessary.  By removing extra items from your truck, you can increase how much fuel stays in your tanks.  If you remove 1,000 pounds from your truck, your fuel economy will increase by 0.4%.

Reduce tractor-trailer gaps.  Motorists know that aerodynamics off of trucks can help them save gas if they drive closely behind.  If you reduce the tractor-trailer gap, you increase your truck’s aerodynamics by reducing the resistance the truck feels.  This will help you save fuel.

These ideas are just five ways to save on diesel fuel.  If you think about it, you’ll probably be able to think of some others like not leaving the truck running.  Use these ideas to begin saving money and then incorporate others as you run across them.

Trick For Making Your Truck More Fuel Efficient

Posted in Secrets To Fuel Savings by Brian · 2 Comments 

Fuel economy and the effects of fossil fuels are on the minds of nearly everyone who drives.  They want to get the most miles per gallon but the desire to save money is not enough.  There has to be action in order for savings to occur.  This is true whether it is a small car or a big eighteen-wheeler.  Manufacturers are trying to make cars more “green” in an attempt to improve fuel economy; will making a more fuel efficient truck soon to follow?

Laws are already on the books that will require cars to get 35 mpg in the near future.  Politicians are trying to make the same rules apply for medium trucks.  Will laws concerning fuel economy for over-the-road trucks be far behind?

Many people would argue that there have already been gains in the fuel economy of big rigs.  In fact, improvements have stayed at about 1% for a number of years.  Have automotive manufacturers been able to say the same thing?  The answer to that question is “no.”  It seems fuel economy improvements are only made for cars when Congress enacts laws to require it.

To combat the cost of fuel for big trucks, some large companies are beginning to incorporate hybrid propulsion technology into their delivery trucks.  Instead of an electric motor, batteries, and wires, these new trucks are propelled using a hydraulic pump-motor, high-pressure fluid lines and accumulators.  Can this technology be far behind for big rigs?

These improvements make it possible to store energy while the engine is not actively being used, as when the trucks are idling, so they can help reduce the amount of pull on the diesel engine once it starts again.  While these changes may not seem to be very effective, the difference in the emissions is expected to be substantial.  The initial cost to change over to this system is also expected to be quite large.

It will probably be quite some time before this technology is required on big trucks, if it ever is.  However, it’s good to know that there are people developing ways to improve the fuel economy of these trucks as well as address the environmental concerns of the fossil fuels to run them.

Are there other ways to improve fuel economy without such a major outlay of funds to upgrade a rig?  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that trucks could save more than $2,000 per year.  All they’d have to do is spend about $2,400 once to install side skirts.  This would save on the cost of fuel which will also help reduce the amount of emissions.

Fuel economy is important to everyone who drives, but of the utmost importance for truckers who have to spend so much money on fuel.  Making a more fuel efficient truck would go a long way to easing costs, and there are some systems in the work.  Hopefully it won’t take an act of Congress to ensure the changes are made.

How To Keep The “Home Fire” Burning While You Are On The Road

Posted in Trucker Lifestyle by Brian · Leave a Comment 

The old adage says, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”  For truckers who are married and spend a great deal of time on the road, it seems the time away may have an adverse effect on their marriages.  They may need some ideas for keeping the home fires burning while they have to be on the road.

It used to be that only men were over-the-road truckers, now there are many women and husband/wife teams making the long journeys across the country.  The following ideas can be used for either a male or female to help keep the marriage strong while they have to be apart.

Little surprises go a long way.  This may not be something a man would normally think to do, but your lady will definitely appreciate the effort.  If you’re a woman trucker, your man will enjoy these surprises as well.  Write little love notes and leave them for your spouse to find while you’re gone.

In the same vein, before you leave on your next run, purchase some little items you know will be appreciated.  Hide them around the house.  No idea where to put them?  Why not put them in their sock drawer, hanging in the closet, in the refrigerator if it won’t be hurt by the cold, or in some other place they’re sure to find it.

Stay connected.  Truckers spend a great deal of time on the road, but they do have to stop for breaks every once in a while.  This is a great chance for you to call up your loved one and let them know you’re thinking about them.  Sometimes hearing a voice will help alleviate the loneliness of being apart.  Be sure to tell your spouse or significant other how much you love them and miss them.

Many truckers have computers, so be sure to send regular emails when you’re out on the road.  While it might be tempting to send sexy notes, be careful not to send anything that would be too embarrassing if someone else saw it.  By all means, don’t send anything pornographic.

Send a gift.  While you’re on the road for several days at a time, put a small gift in the mail.  It doesn’t have to be anything big.  A small box of chocolates, a CD that you know they’ll love, a card with a coupon for a backrub when you get home, massage oil, or flowers.  You get the idea, send them something unexpected that let’s them know you’re thinking about them.

There’s nothing that says a trucker can’t be romantic.  It might not be something that comes naturally, but it is something most people can learn.  These are just a few ideas for keeping the home fires burning while you’re on the road.  Maybe they’ve sparked your imagination so you can think up some on your own.

Is It Time To Slow Down?

Posted in Secrets To Fuel Savings by Brian · Leave a Comment 

Diesel fuel and gasoline prices continue to skyrocket and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.  For truck drivers, that’s disastrous because they have to use fuel to complete their job of transporting goods across the state, many times across the country.  The cost of fuel has many truckers and trucking companies wondering, is it time to slow down?

Back in the 1973 during the Arab oil crisis, speed limits were reduced nationwide in an effort to cut back on fuel demands.  This speed reduction has been credited with helping the US over the fuel slump then and its hope that reducing speeds will help with the current problem.

Several of the larger trucking companies are leading the way by setting the governors (electronic speed limiters) on their fleet from 65 mph to 62 mph. For some companies, especially those with a fleet over 8,000 trucks, slowing down by just 3 miles per hour could help them save over $12 million per year.

How do those savings compare to cars?  If 8,000 trucks were to reduce their speed by 3 mph each, that would be like over 7,000 cars disappearing from the roadways.  It would also be better for the environment because it would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 70 million pounds.  Not only will the truck companies breath easier from the savings, the whole country can breath easier because of the reduced emissions.

The larger trucking companies, along with the American Trucking Association, would like every driver to slow down, which would save fuel all across the board.  It would also be safer for cars that must travel the same highways as the big rigs.  Reducing speeds to less than 60 mph would increase the savings for the whole nation, which may inadvertently reduce the price of fuel for everyone.

Congress instituted a national speed limit in 1974 and set it at 55 mph.  The speed limit policy changed during the 1980s because oil prices had fallen.  Congress repealed the speed limit regulations entirely in 1995.  It would take another act of Congress to institute a new speed limit in an effort to save fuel.

Some people have also suggested that new trucks be manufactured with an internal governor that would permanently keep trucks from driving faster than 68 mph.  It would probably follow that automobiles would have governors or that the governors’ speed would be reduced.

Don’t expect smaller trucking companies or automobile drivers to be enthused about possible changes in manufacturing.  Unfortunately, if you’re a small trucking company or a private truck owner, slower trucks means less money in their pockets.  Independent truckers make more money the more miles they have behind them.  

No one expects reducing speeds to completely solve the current fuel cost crisis.  It may, however, start us down the road to recovery.  When others ask the question is it time to slow down? The answer from many trucking companies may be a resounding “yes.”

 

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