[trux]

re: thermometer on outside mirror

The trick I read somewhere is just roll down the window and reach out and see if there's ice on the front of the mirror housing.

[headborg]

Originally Posted by trux

re: thermometer on outside mirror

The trick I read somewhere is just roll down the window and reach out and see if there's ice on the front of the mirror housing.

yes that is 1 method- but if there's ice already building up there.... you're probably rolling on it too.

there's also the look for spray method.. nice too. But at night your range ahead is so short- that once again when the spray disapears from the tires on the rig ahead or passing you-- there you are again on the ice.
Being able to get a temp reading as the temp falls from 40-38-36 you could be on alert a little sooner and maybe find a place to pull over and park it. Remember -- Snow go slow, Ice No Dice Exp. when your just starting out and want to get several months under your belt without any black marks on your fresh Record.

Oh, one thing-- don't tape the electrical probe(outside sensor) near your CB coax.

I made that mistake with the first one I owned. The RF Signal damages the sensor. After a couple weeks-- I noticed every time I keyed the mic-- my ICE ALERT TEMP readout would take off like stop-watch counter. When I let off-- it would return to a different temp reading every time.

[jd112488]

i can save you all kinds of money. buy an atlas at the truckstop. the really nice laminated ones with big print go for 40 bucks. sure beats the hundreds you will spend on a laptop. tehn if you do not know how to use it find the oldest looking guy are at least most electronically ignorant person to show you how to use it. it save money and takes up less space in the truck. and i agree with headborg, get ready for winter. extra food, lots of water, antifreeze, gloves, sand or salt for if you get stuck.

[headborg]

Originally Posted by jd112488

i can save you all kinds of money. buy an atlas at the truckstop. the really nice laminated ones with big print go for 40 bucks. sure beats the hundreds you will spend on a laptop. tehn if you do not know how to use it find the oldest looking guy are at least most electronically ignorant person to show you how to use it. it save money and takes up less space in the truck. and i agree with headborg, get ready for winter. extra food, lots of water, antifreeze, gloves, sand or salt for if you get stuck.

Thanks for the solidarity.
I prefer- Kitty Litter for traction( you can buy it in plastic Pails (bags tend to rip open in sidebox-making messes), A jug of Bleach is nice too.
methyl-alcohol for air lines( don't forget to start bleeding your tanks routinely too) Plastic Air lines can snap-- (you might want to carry a spare) + 2 large Crescent wrenches to remove said broken air-line. They also make a air-line "compression-fitting" type repair kit that might get you out of a jam. You need a good hammer too, different drivers prefer different types: Van drivers like having a claw hammer(they sometimes need to pull nails & nail down blocking & bracking)
A good masonry hammer is my choice( Reefer's don't have wood floors )
the chisel end is great for chipping ice, spiking someone's head, or taping a frozen brake shoe without damaging the pad.

[b00m]

Regarding the tech side , if u don't have a lot of money to spare a tom tom gps or garmin under maybe 300 will be just fine.I use one and gets we out well,especially planning my trips.The ONLY part i don't use it is when i get to destination.I double check my directions with the ones from my borker and input them in the GPS.Sometimes works sometimes it doesn'tThe gps can really mess u up and you can end up in bad places ,where a truck is not supposed to be in.A laptop is nice,i have one for my business and entertainment.Got one from best buy for like 600 and works great.Really don't need to spend more than probably 500.On the inverters,you can go really cheap since a laptop doesn't require a very big one too.Good luck though!!!

[JeffTheTerrible]

I don't know about laptops.. I like mine, but it cost me about $1500, and that was after I stopped driving OTR..

As far as inverters go, I bought a 400 watt Coleman inverter at.... some truck stop... somewhere. It was much less expensive than most inverters of equal wattage (it was on sale at the time for something like $20), and it's proven to be rather reliable.

[ta93gt]

As far as a laptop goes, your best bet is probably to buy one that isn't brand new, like a refurbished one and maybe buy a RAM upgrade for it. I bought an IBM Thinkpad that was top of the line a couple years ago and just upgraded the RAM and the total cost to me was about $300 and it runs great. As far as a fridge goes, if you do get a cooler, I wouldn't put anything that can spoil in it, like meats, cheese, milk etc. Unless you idle constantly (which doesn't look favorable as a company driver), most trucks will cut power to any accessories after so much time being turned off in order to save their batteries. I learned this the hard (and smelly) way. For food, eat lots of canned or dried goods, bread, there's tuna in cans and pouches, and you can just snitch mayonaise packets from convenience or fast food stores, there's also stuff called Gooberz, it's pb&j mixed together in one jar and doesn't need a fridge, Walmart usually has really cheap soup, and some truck stops carry a beverage heater that plugs into your cigarette lighter and dips into your can/cup if you HAVE to have hot soup, bags of pretzels, chex mix, stuff like that is always good, get some bags of Maltomeal cereal. They're cheap and taste the same as name brand stuff, and just buy small containers of milk as you need it, say pints or quarts or something. As far as getting directions, GPS is nice but I haven't needed it yet and I've gotten out of some pretty sticky situations just by keeping calm, using my atlas and calling the customer. If you want to get GPS, that's your call, but personally, I'd say your best bet is to call the shipper and consignee well beforehand and asking them for clear, detailed directions long before you're in the area. Keep in mind many places will give you directions based on their daily drive to work. If they say stuff like "you can't miss it", ALWAYS second guess them and ask that they consider the size of your vehicle. Ask about low clearances, tight turns or anything like that coming into the yard. Ask to talk to someone else if you feel at all leery about what they tell you. Write down ALL directions and other pertinent information on a little memo pad and glance at it when you're not sure what to do. This is part of trip planning and should become second nature. If you plan detailed trips in advance, your company can't get away with pinning blame on you as easily if there's a problem. (also learned this the hard way). You should ALWAYS have time to pull over and call if your atlas isn't steering you right. Most companies give you deadlines that allow you to run well below the speed limit, allow for traffic jams, construction, etc. If they don't, they're running you illegally and should be reported. As for tools, like the others have been saying, it never hurts to have some wrenches, sockets, pliers, bolt and/or wire cutters, screwdrivers and whatnot on board. If it's a company truck, it should have some extra oil, coolant, funnels, etc stored in the side compartment under the bunk or somewhere like that. If not, ask for some at your terminal. I second the gladhand idea. 2 for the trl and 2 for the truck probably isn't a bad idea. That way if you ever pull them, yeah you might need to go in the shop but at least it'll save you time by having them there, and you can never have too many of the rubber grommets. My best advice is just economize as much as you can because truck stops really soak you in any way they can.

[cdswans]

Originally Posted by BluHeeler

PS there is a tool called StaRat that is the ultimate in sliding tandems, made in Spokane WA. sold on the internet, it is improved over the original, expensive but if you're going to pull vans, I wouldn't be without one.

don

Can you post a link to this? Google offered plenty but nothing in the way of a tool.

As for the laptop/mapping software; I have used and recommended Delorme Street Atlas USA for almost 5 years. It, like many other things, is a tool you will need to learn how to use before you can really depend on it. You'll need to bring a little common sense to the mix. If it looks like it's sending you someplace you don't want to go, don't go. On the other hand, there has to be a little bit of trust, too. I have encountered turns you'd never see until you're right on top of (or about to pass) them . . and the program was spot on.

Since adding an aircard, my laptop is priceless. I am sending this from my consignees dock. I got to this town via DeLorme. I got to this dock via a Google maps birdseye view satelite picture that eliminated any doubt about how to get to it. No wrong turns, no unnecessary backing or backtracking. 10 minutes of prep can save untold hours of recovery.

I have and still use my big, laminated Rand-McNally and I use it all the time to check for things like low clearances.

The winter survival tips are terrific! Do a search and look at the conditions in the NW last winter. There were a bunch of trucks stuck for 2-3 days at a time. That should give you some idea of what to prepare for.

Good luck to you . .

[coastie]

Originally Posted by Kevin0915

1) Best Laptop on the market for around $500-700ish.
2) Best laptop map program/log program.
3) Best inverter
4) Best lot lizzard? (kidding)
5) and what is the best things to have in the truck for a new driver??

1. I got one from wal mart and does great.

2. I use Microsoft Streets and trips, and compare to my Atlas

3. You can get a small one from Wal mart that will be good for a laptop.

4. Best Lot Lizzard? your wife or girl friend, (not kidding) The ladies of the T/S keep away unless you want AIDS.

5. Pad of paper to write down your routes, load info,
and what the others had stated.

[kimmeegoose]

what is a gladhand? Remember, I am a trucker's wife, not a trucker, so be gentle. Also, I wanted to thank everyone for the great suggestions. Hubby and I are making our shopping list, he leaves Sunday for training, and there were several things here that made it onto the list. I always get useful info here, just wish I could get hubby to read it. I guess it makes me useful if I relay what I see here. So, thanks again.