The Actual Tools A Driver Needs To Carry On The Truck

LOL Rick. I knew someone would post a version of this here. No surprise it's you. Classic.

LOL Rick. I knew someone would post a version of this here. No surprise it's you. Classic.

There's a meme out there for everything, and a picture is worth 1,000 words.

LOL.

Rick Technical Advisor

The thing I use most is a Leatherman Wave. Mine is 15 years old and just starting to get a little loose in the joints. Use it all the time.

LOL Rick. I knew someone would post a version of this here. No surprise it's you. Classic.

There's a meme out there for everything, and a picture is worth 1,000 words.

LOL.

Rick Technical Advisor

A promotion!

This is a great question. Last week I had a situation with a drop and hook that was a prime example of why you may want to carry a few tools onboard. After dropping my one trailer I found my other trailer having a tandem issue. The bolt that released the tandem in the front left pin had magically disappeared making it impossible to slide the tandem to the proper position.

I informed road assist and to my chagrin they made me aware it may take 5 or 6 hours to get someone out there to repair it. Having a bolt and a couple pair of vice grips I was able to fix the problem and get back on the road in a relatively short amount of time. All the while preserving my clock for driving.

Having a few basic tools can be a lifesaver not only will it make you a hero with road assist, it will enable you to stay on the road longer to avoid losing money.

Here's a list of tools and parts I carry on my truck and why

1) 2 hammers one sledgehammer and one standard 20 oz hammer. When it's the winter and you have ice on brake assemblies there is no quicker way of removing it. Also the occasional stubborn pin on the tandem. In the morning I occasionally see guys thump there tires. To me it's a waste of time . A under inflated tire will thump just like a proper inflated tire use an air gauge.

2)Air gauge and tread depth gauge- self explanatory.

3) Assorted hand tools, my tool bag has assorted screwdrivers, vice grips, small ratchet set, standard and metric wrenches, wire cutters, linesman pliers and side cutters. I use these for simple fixes to get me running and profitable.

4) Pocket knife- never know when you need to cut something. (Hopefully it's not to cut cloth for a tourniquet after cutting myself).

5) Battery operated grinder ( my favorite tool) great for cutting bolt or wire type seals, the occasional lock left on the trailer by the previous driver it's the best investment I made! Why struggle with bolt cutters when you just zip it off like butter! Also great to cut off bolts on mud flaps. Most of the time when you have to replace a mudflap the bolts are so rusty it's almost impossible to get them off. Why struggle.

6)Assorted bolts, wire, shrink tubing, screws nuts tape etc. - it's not enough just having the tools if you don't have the part. I went to the trailer shop and the tractor shop at Prime and asked them for the most common parts needed for a simple fix on the road and they hooked me up.

7) Assorted bulbs,fuses and a spool of electrical wire and wire connectors. There's not a light I cannot replace myself.

8) 100ft air hose with glad hand assembly- airing up a trailer tire is never a problem.

9) APU service kit. Oil and air filter and belts. You would be surprised how many shops I go to who can't PM your APU because they don't have the parts. I like my a/c. Also carry some cabin air filters. Nothing like clean air!

I'm sure I forgot a few things

a ladder for changing out a trailer light i would suggest a light weight sliding painters ladder that could be attached to the back of the cab, a good cordless drill kobaltor dewalt, a good headlamp, gaff tape, better than duct tape, large wire ties, hose clamps, extra wiper blades, breaker bar and a team driver that doest have to stop at every truck stop, if your really dedicated, 5 gallon bucket with a lid and garbage bags, you can figure what for, the more you can do yourself the more time and money saved. Youre welcome jsf trucking

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Drop And Hook:

Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.

In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

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.

This is a great question. Last week I had a situation with a drop and hook that was a prime example of why you may want to carry a few tools onboard. After dropping my one trailer I found my other trailer having a tandem issue. The bolt that released the tandem in the front left pin had magically disappeared making it impossible to slide the tandem to the proper position.

I informed road assist and to my chagrin they made me aware it may take 5 or 6 hours to get someone out there to repair it. Having a bolt and a couple pair of vice grips I was able to fix the problem and get back on the road in a relatively short amount of time. All the while preserving my clock for driving.

Having a few basic tools can be a lifesaver not only will it make you a hero with road assist, it will enable you to stay on the road longer to avoid losing money.

Here's a list of tools and parts I carry on my truck and why

1) 2 hammers one sledgehammer and one standard 20 oz hammer. When it's the winter and you have ice on brake assemblies there is no quicker way of removing it. Also the occasional stubborn pin on the tandem. In the morning I occasionally see guys thump there tires. To me it's a waste of time . A under inflated tire will thump just like a proper inflated tire use an air gauge.

2)Air gauge and tread depth gauge- self explanatory.

3) Assorted hand tools, my tool bag has assorted screwdrivers, vice grips, small ratchet set, standard and metric wrenches, wire cutters, linesman pliers and side cutters. I use these for simple fixes to get me running and profitable.

4) Pocket knife- never know when you need to cut something. (Hopefully it's not to cut cloth for a tourniquet after cutting myself).

5) Battery operated grinder ( my favorite tool) great for cutting bolt or wire type seals, the occasional lock left on the trailer by the previous driver it's the best investment I made! Why struggle with bolt cutters when you just zip it off like butter! Also great to cut off bolts on mud flaps. Most of the time when you have to replace a mudflap the bolts are so rusty it's almost impossible to get them off. Why struggle.

6)Assorted bolts, wire, shrink tubing, screws nuts tape etc. - it's not enough just having the tools if you don't have the part. I went to the trailer shop and the tractor shop at Prime and asked them for the most common parts needed for a simple fix on the road and they hooked me up.

7) Assorted bulbs,fuses and a spool of electrical wire and wire connectors. There's not a light I cannot replace myself.

8) 100ft air hose with glad hand assembly- airing up a trailer tire is never a problem.

9) APU service kit. Oil and air filter and belts. You would be surprised how many shops I go to who can't PM your APU because they don't have the parts. I like my a/c. Also carry some cabin air filters. Nothing like clean air!

I'm sure I forgot a few things

a ladder for changing out a trailer light i would suggest a light weight sliding painters ladder that could be attached to the back of the cab, a good cordless drill kobaltor dewalt, a good headlamp, gaff tape, better than duct tape, large wire ties, hose clamps, extra wiper blades, breaker bar and a team driver that doest have to stop at every truck stop, if your really dedicated, 5 gallon bucket with a lid and garbage bags, you can figure what for, the more you can do yourself the more time and money saved. Youre welcome jsf trucking

Hi, Jerry!

Welcome to Trucking Truth; I'll make sure that gets added to our cache / list(s.)

Where does JFS trucking hail from, may I ask??? We have one (out of the 7 that exist allover!) here, in Ohio...!

Thanks!

~ Anne ~

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Drop And Hook:

Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.

In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

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.