I've Made It!

Well my trainer gave me the OK! Monday I will head in to the main terminal to finish up some more paperwork and get my truck and start rolling.

I was curious what some of you experienced guys and gals would suggest for must have equipment and oddities, things that make life on the road easier or the job itself more enjoyable? My trainer has already suggested Sirius XM is a good investment.

I was curious what some of you experienced guys and gals would suggest for must have equipment and oddities, things that make life on the road easier or the job itself more enjoyable? My trainer has already suggested Sirius XM is a good investment.

Well, it depends a lot on what your truck is going to have in it. There are many things you are going to want, but some might already be installed.

Must:

2500 Watt min, inverter Refrigerator Microwave Cell phone

Those are essentially required (for me)

Like to have:

Satellite radio Crock pot (one of my faves is to start the day by making dinner in the crockpots and they slow cook all day and I got to enjoy the smell all day) Laptop

I am sure I am forgetting things, but that is a decent start.

I would say my crockpot, coffee pot (also great for making hot water), Coleman thermoelectric cooler, cell phone with truly unlimited data (Verizon or Cricket), I have a DVD player and an ever growing movie collection. Hate to say it, but one of the best places to buy movies is at a truck stop. Always have 3-5 movie packs. Usually have some kinda sale on them too.

Btw, all of my stuff is 12v. I will say if you are allowed an inverter do get one. The 12v crockpots and coffee pots are very cheaply made. They tend to only last a month or 2. I would definitely get an inverter big enough for a tv, crockpot, and coffee pot. If you want a microwave or fridge you will have to get one of the big inverters. They do tend to get pricey.

How well does the coleman thermoelectric cooler work? Are you talking about the one I see advertised at the truckstops?

How well does the coleman thermoelectric cooler work? Are you talking about the one I see advertised at the truckstops?

Yes, that's the one. In the spring Walmart stocks them in sporting goods.

I bought one, and about two months in, the cooler stopped working. I called Coleman, emailed the required paperwork, they sent me a new cooler. I did this four times in the year, and now I have five coolers!

The thing that breaks down is the fuse in the 12v plug. I replaced all the fuses, and they work!

So, either set yourself up to open a cooler shop on Craigslist, or just keep the fuses handy.

Thanks for the replies guys!

I will either be in a KW t660 or t680, probably the t660 since I'm very green.

From what I've gathered they don't include anything in the truck but they will install anything that I buy. My trainer had a mini fridge and converter but it really seemed to take up a lot of room, so I was leaning towards an electric cooler. I guess I'll see if I have an actual spot for it and measure it when I get there Monday.

My Coleman works great. It all depends on the temperature you keep your truck. Remember it chills 40 degrees cooler than ambient temperature. I USED to keep my truck around 70-72 degrees inside. I know keep it between 75 and 80. All my stuff kept ending up frozen. Do you know how annoying it is trying to have a bowl of cereal in the morning and your milk is a block of ice?

Also a new solo driver here. I was a bit sceptical about those thermoelectric coolers but gotta say they do work fantastic. I got the Mobicool W45, but I imagine they all work the same...

The only other equipment I got was a RoadPro 12v Food Warmer. I use it with aluminum loaf pans with a bit of water under the pan to steam heat up my pre-made home meals I freeze and pack in the cooler at the beginning of the week. Does take 25-30 minutes but the result is fantastic piping hot and moist meals, better than a microwave, IMO... I also use it to boil water for coffee/tea.

I was planning on getting the company max allowed 1500W inverter installed and a microwave, but the current setup does a decent enough job that I'll hold off on that expense (and space) for now.

Congrats! Well indeed, the Coleman thermoelectric cooler is brilliant. A decent MP3 player will do for me.

This might make me sound old. But the first large purchase I made for the truck was not a refrigerator or TV etc...it was a plush Euro pillowtop mattress. 17 inches of pure luxury.

The standard mattresses felt like rocks that you sink into. I was told they were expensive memory foams.,..but I couldn't sleep on them...not even with a topper.

Best $550 I ever spent!!!