Tools Needed?

Ok so I’m the rookie. What the heck are y’all pulling nails out off? With reefer I keep a little tiny screwdriver to pop air seals in with.

Sometimes the shipper nails wood down the the trailer floor to brace the freight to keep it from sliding around or builds complex cradles to restrain/contain freight. They usually use large nails which need a pry bar and hammer to pull out for the next shipper.

It's true, you don't really need a full toolbox on your truck. Here's some tools, and what I've used them for:

Large screwdriver - the small pry bar mostly, it's just something you have to have.

2 lb ball peen hammer: when some part (mostly the trailer) needs to be beat loose. Also: break up the ice on your steps and most importantly, to be the third hand when your kingpin high-hooks over the fifth wheel.

Vice grips: if the tandem release won't stay released.

8" or 10" Crescent wrench: mostly to work with the glad hands & air lines.

Tim snips (6"}: to cut seals. A metal seal will do in a knife.

Depending on what you haul, a push broom. (You should be able to stow it across the under- bunk storage.) If you haul certain things, like food or food containers or paper rolls, you will have to sweep out the trailer & it will be inspected.

Packrat my list probably matches yours pretty close, lol. Guess its the old navy in us.

Donna dry vans have a wooden floor that sometimes get securement nailed into it.

I bought a 70$ blower. Rigged floors in reefers are real hard to sweep.

dry vans have a wooden floor that sometimes get securement nailed into it.

Flatbeds have wood slats that run the length of the trailer as well, where cleats are often nailed. Receivers will remove the cleats, but the nails usually stay stuck in the floor, creating a very dangerous tripping point. Imagine a nail catching the edge of your boot, sending you over the side... A lot of guys will simply bend the nails over, but my brain won't allow me to do that. I have to pull all the nails.

Guys, I am upgrading in a few days and am wondering which tools I should have on my truck. I am thinking a socket wrench and combination wrench set, both metric and American. A hammer, a pry bar, and flashlight. And of course, extra fuses and light bulbs. Anything else I should have?

depends on what you mainly haul. all those sound good. I tried to carry as much as possible to avoid any service call delay out on the road. we hauled anything from a brand new trailer to trailers as old as 1988. I would carry a glad hand line for low tires you encounter in a drop lot so you can get it somewhere for service or drop with a write up.

screw drivers, pliers, vice grips, zip ties, duct tape, electrical tape, adjustable wrenches. again, depends on what you think you'll haul, age of equipment. how long service calls usually take etc etc.

My number 1 must have tool is the leaf blower. What a difference over a push broom from cleaning the trailer. Can't recommend one enough.

Number 2. Am I the only one that has a 50ft air hose and chuck? I'm a bit anal about my tires. With my own air hose I never worry about finding one that works!

Number 2. Am I the only one that has a 50ft air hose and chuck? I'm a bit anal about my tires. With my own air hose I never worry about finding one that works!

Every truck at Knight is equipped with one.

Needle nose vice grips, they work fantastic on air and coolant lines when or if they fail. Saved my bacon more than a few times. I CARRY FOUR PAIR, Home Depot sells them. Just get the inexpensive ones.

Torx bit screwdriver with different sized bits, you will need this to tighten up the rattles in the cab and elsewhere, or if you need to get into the dash to make a repair.

A good electrical kit, strippers and various connectors. Butt connectors, splice connectors, and go to Home Depot and get some screw on cap connectors, they work in a pinch to get you rolling. Not for permanent repairs, get a few for each wire gauge. These are for quick repairs on the road, get the truck to a shop or the house and repair correctly.

A tube of dialectic grease, use this on everything electrical, put a new light bulb in, apply the grease to keep corrosion out. Use in butt connector ends too, push some grease in and connect your wire, again keeps corrosion out.

Go over your motor and and undercarriage if possible, you are looking for cables and hoses rubbing against things. They rub enough, they will fail and leave you stranded. Really inspect the airlines coming out of the firewall. If you see something rubbing against something, and cannot reposition it, rubber hose will normally fix the issue. Find some scrap hose, slice it down the middle, long ways, and wrap it around the problem hose or line to protect it. Secure with zip ties.

And you will need zip ties, a good utility knife along with a roll of Gorilla Tape.

A good ratchet socket set too, I tend to use the 1/4" set the most, a mix of 3/8" and 1/4" should get you by.

A good set of chock blocks if you drive an auto.. you will need those when you do the Leaks, Alarms, Buttons portion of the pre and post trips.. Also lubricants, WD-40 & PBlaster. Cannot tell you how helpful a can of PBlaster is when side rail pins are jammed up or rusted. Or when you need to slide your 5th wheel.