Cooking. Eating. Personal Hygiene OTR?

How does all of that work? Appliances? Can we cook? How do we stay clean? What does the inside of the truck look like? Storage? Potty business? I won't have trouble with driving. I've waited 35 years to become a truck driver. Just passed Class A permit. And dot physical. Planning to start at either Caledon or XPO second week of July. (Getting in those last days of pool time for awhile.) It's just the daily mundane things I'm curious about. Any info will be greatly appreciated!!

Hello, Stephanie, welcome to Trucking Truth.

The sleeper in most trucks has a bed, some closet and cabinet space. A tiny flat spot you could imagine as a desk, and a few lights.

Sadly, no plumbing or anything like a kitchen. Most often, no refrigerator either. Standing in the middle of the sleeper area, most people can easily touch all the walls.

Go to AllieKnight.com. Allie posts daily videos of her trucking career. In the last two years her work has changed, so look through her older entries. She has some topical entries, including "tours" of her truck, and her thoughts of being a woman trucker.

Also, here's our own start kit. (Written from a guy's perspective.)

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

I will try to break it down.

Appliances - there are no appliances that come with the truck. However, there are lots of 12v versions of things. Crockpots, skillets, lunchbox oven, popcorn maker, rice cooker, coffee pot, thermoelectric coolers, etc...

Also depending on the company's policy you can inverters. Inverters can get pricey.

Can we cook - yep. You just need to get creative.

How do we stay clean - I imagine most if not all companies will let you use your own rewards cards when purchasing fuel. You earn a shower credit for every fuel purchase of at least 50 gallons at major chains. You will fill up roughly every other day. Between showers there are baby wipes. You can also buy showers. Major chains cost between $12-$15 for a shower. Independents are a little cheaper and range between $6-$10 for a shower.

Storage - trucks have some storage. Not a lot. You have to get creative with your storage.

Potty business - rest areas, truck stops, shipper & receivers, those are the places you usually take care of those issues. Sometimes you just have to get creative. For women containers with a wide mouth work best. Laundry detergent bottles (remove spout), plastic coffee 'cans', etc.. make sure whatever can be closed.

I hope this helps.

I would be very careful with Celadon right now.

I would be very careful with Celadon right now.

Any more info on that advice?

I would be very careful with Celadon right now.

Any more info on that advice?

There's another (new) topic with a news link.

https://www.truckingtruth.com/truckers-forum/Topic-19497/Page-1/is-the-end-near-for-celadon

He's referring to this ^^^

We women cant just go in bottles like the men. Our company store sells a porta potty used for camping. You can get them on amazon. Not all companies allow it.

They are pricey though... You need to buy water and cartridges for them. Emergencies happen...so I have a small Rubbermaid container with air tight lid...line it with a trash bag and fill it with kitty litter. The litter absorbs liquid and smells until I find a trash can. Sounds gross but you'll be thankful after sitting in traffic for hours or on long roads with hundreds of miles of no stops.

Wal Mart also sells a little toilet seat that fits on top of a 5 gallon bucket. Like Rainy, you'd line it with a trash bag and put kitty litter in it. It's in the camping supplies section. Those aren't very expensive...I'm thinking around $15 ish. then you'd have to get your 5 gallon bucket for a few bucks.

I'm a newbie as far as driving (as in I just got the CDL but have ZERO experience yet), but I've ridden in trucks plenty. Most times, at least when I've been a rider, getting to a truck stop isn't usually a big issue. Sometimes, you do what you gotta do and deal with it. That's just part of trucking.

Baby wipes are your friend for "in-between" hygiene when a shower isn't possible because of time or location. I've also seen some truckers with an electric kettle to heat water to take a slightly better "cat bath" than the baby wipe bath. It can be dual purpose as you can also have hot water for your morning tea as well!

There are many tricks of the trade and you'll figure out which work best for you over time, I'm sure.

There is also a "Go Girl" and a "She Wee" that allows a lady to stand up to urinate should that be needed. I haven't seen them in stores yet, but I'm pretty sure Amazon has them. They are usually advertised for camping. And I'd say it is a great idea...I knew a lady once got ticks on her hoo-ha during a camping trip...but that's another story. If you have an inverter, cooking isn't hard, but the 12v appliances make it great even if you don't have an inverter. I have a friend who regularly cooks meals in the truck. Much cheaper and healthier than truck stop fare. There are electric skillets, Hot Logic Mini, lunchbox cookers, etc. Take a field trip to a truck stop or browse online (or both) and get some ideas. You Tube has some fantastic videos where people give tours of their trucks and you can glean different ideas there as well.

Good luck!

I don't understand why people don't use the high heat right there under the hood.

Manifold Destiny