Upgrading

Since I will be upgrading to my own truck very soon I would like to revisit a question I asked months ago before I started CDL training (and I was told I was being silly for asking and that I was putting the horse before the cart (I guess the commenter didn’t know my determination and drive 😁)).

My question is this: what do you wish you had on your very first truck that you didn’t have? Anything and everything you can think of. I will be going home for Thanksgiving and can hit some good sales while I’m there.

Thanks and be safe!

Since I will be upgrading to my own truck very soon I would like to revisit a question I asked months ago before I started CDL training (and I was told I was being silly for asking and that I was putting the horse before the cart (I guess the commenter didn’t know my determination and drive 😁)).

My question is this: what do you wish you had on your very first truck that you didn’t have? Anything and everything you can think of. I will be going home for Thanksgiving and can hit some good sales while I’m there.

Thanks and be safe!

A refrigerator........depends on what model/make of truck you get as to what you can & cannot do.....

Ernie

Hello Kim T. I also will be upgrading soon but what I have noticed being on my trainers truck (he has no inverter) when I upgrade my truck will have a refrigerator already on it but I will put a small microwave and a crockpot in it (110v as mine will come with a 1800 watt inverter) so I can cook cheaper and healthier food. Most important though what I realize will be VERY benificial is a shoe/boot cleaning brush mounted on the steps!!! I would have never even thought of the brush but the first dirt yard you walk on after a rain you cant stop thinking about it. We both had 5 pounds of mud caked on our shoes and were still blowing dirt out of the truck for days.

Although I do not have any experience myself, there is a fellow over on the Facebook Maverick board showing off some of the meals he makes using the Quick Pot he bought. Might be something to consider. :-)

Thank you Ernie, Michael, and Mike. I am definitely planning on cooking on my truck, it’s cheaper and healthier. I wouldn’t have thought of a brush on the step either. Great idea!

Michael, good luck on your upgrade.

Ditch the microwave. I just read that they kill all the nutrients in your food therefore you’ll be eating carcinogens. I tried the crockpot too but it took an hour to heat my soup. I returned it for an electric skillet/pot. It heated my soup in 5 mns. I’ll include a pic at the bottom.

At the various Iowa 80 locations they sell a plastic version of the boot brush. This is a must have on your steps.

The fridge they sell at the company store is very good & it costs about $225. My Walmart dorm fridge did something weird the other day. I was parked on a slope & the truck leaned right. Apparently the gas was not level & the left side of it got really hot!

Blanket!! The organizer that hangs behind the seat.

Soon after getting my solo truck, I quickly realized I needed more places to put my stuff. With my wife being with me, that was extra important. So I got a bunch of hook thingys from Walmart for jackets, bags, etc. They really come in handy for those oddball things that need to go somewhere. And they can be placed in otherwise useless spaces. Think "space management ".

Closet door

Above driver seat

Between closet & upper bunk

Soon after getting my solo truck, I quickly realized I needed more places to put my stuff. With my wife being with me, that was extra important. So I got a bunch of hook thingys from Walmart for jackets, bags, etc. They really come in handy for those oddball things that need to go somewhere. And they can be placed in otherwise useless spaces. Think "space management ".

Closet door

Above driver seat

Between closet & upper bunk

Those are cool. I was looking for the one that hangs over the door but couldn’t find anything that looked like what you have. I looked in the closet organizer section in Springdale, AR.

Thanks Kim, hope all goes well with your upgrade as well. Something else thats nice is either satellite radio or a radio app (IHeartRadio is free and popular) for your phone so you are not always searching for a station or driving in the silence.

Congratulations Kim!

I thought you might enjoy reading some of the comments in this older thread about the Top Ten Things You Absolutely Need In Your Truck.