Tbird and the other Gals with the Recipe Card suggestion-great idea. I don't have the patience or inclination to yank cards out of a recipe box. Hence, that's why I use a spiral notebook. Although, if I get organized enough someday I may try that suggestion. Also, liked the fifth wheel pull idea it's a great suggestion. I get filthy while hooking up the trailer. I've had more marks across my chest I always look like a female [wear tank tops and a long skirt] before I hook up and a dirty ol truck driver after hookup. I should keep a t-shirt just for hooking up to my trailer Obviously, my pigtails are usually dirty-even after having the truck washed. Somehow they never seem to get clean!!!
I must say I've used scrunchies [large elastic bands] on many occasions even to "harness down" the landing gear handle. I'm sure the next driver probably laughed their butt off. However, it certainly came in handy. I have them on the ring that I bought them on which is on one of my nets to my cabinets above my head. I too have long hair and use those often. I don't know what I'd do without them. They are essential just like my duct tape. I have used two duct tapes in the past three weeks taping the inside of trailers where holes have been knocked into the wooden sides of the trailers. Always afraid a customer will turn me away with huge holes in the walls. Don't care to search for hours for another empty.
I have had to repair at least 6 trailers since December. Those are only the ones that I remember. Hence, it is essential to bring lights with you and duct tape. I don't know how I'd survive out here without duct tape. Another great idea Thanks TBird is the coveralls. I haven't bought them yet trying to avoid it. However, I'm sure I'll have to break down and get them. Since I live in Denver and go west often I'm sure I'm going to need them....
Hauled trucks much longer than freight and haven't needed them except once on top of Donner. Even then I didn't want to chain. UGH!!! We were forbidden from chaining the new trucks because they were going to dealerships being sold as new and they didn't want any damage from the chains. My first month on freight after hauling trucks for 19 months and I had to chain on Donner. Not a lucky gal for sure!?! How funny there was a guy in front of me with 27 years experience who had never chained.
Gals anything we use out here can be written off as a business expense including your cell phone. No woman should be out here without a cell phone. If you can't afford a contract get a prepaid cell phone that way you can pay as you go. It is imperative that we all have one. You never know when you may absolutely need one: breakdown, accident, blowouts etc... It's supposed to be a certain percentage of your cell phone the part you use for work that can be written off. However, in my case most of my cell phone is used for work. My bills are very high. That's a great write off for your taxes. I am an Accountant and have found more and more that can be written off the longer I stay a driver. We are able to write off I think it is $53 a day for food without receipts. That's a huge write off [days out on road x $53]. After that calculation I think we can take 70% of that as our total to write off. Hey gals, that's an enormous amount. People think that if they don't have mortgages to write off that they can't do Schedule A. B.S. look at the write off above that gives you more than the standard deduction and that's before the other write offs: cell phone, clothing, equipment, tools etc...
If you don't have an Accountant to do your taxes get Turbo Tax. I'm sure I've done better with that than I would by sitting and doing the taxes on my own. I never did Trucker Taxes until I went trucking. It was a piece of cake using Turbo Tax. I realize with my background it's easier for me than others to do taxes. However, trucker taxes were much different than what I was used to doing. I was a Cost Accountant and Financial Accountant which has NOTHING to do with taxes. I loathe tax accounting.
Good luck to all the newbies and remember we are always here to help each other on this forum. I haven't had much luck with females on the road. I don't know if it's a competition thing or what but males have been much more helpful to me on the road. I think it may be because I wear skirts and they assume I'm looking for a husband or boyfriend. I'm not, I hauled trucks and put trucks on the ground and axles in the back drives. I'm not a girlie girl. May look like one but can assure anyone that I have the tools and know what to use them for. I was married for 1/2 a lifetime prior to my divorce. I say, "I've been there, done that, didn't work and don't want to go back. We should never make assumptions about another person due to the way they dress or look. People are wrong about me most of the time. They assume I'm a wife or girlfriend simply because I wear skirts. No, I don't wear skirts for attention. I'm used to wearing skirts and not pants. Therefore, I'm much more comfortable in skirts. They aren't short and wouldn't show my chubby legs anyway even if I wanted to wear shorter skirts. So I always look like I stepped out of an office unless I just hooked to a trailer than I look like a "dirty ol truck driver".
So if you face nastiness from other females just blow it off and ask a male for help. I was told by a U.S. Express Driver one night that when she started 35 years ago there were only 3 females on the west coast and they all knew each other and helped each other. I told her about my experiences and she told me the next time another gal was rude to me to just say, "find a puddle of water and show me how you can walk across it." I've never forgotten that advice. Don't let nasty females intimidate you. I cried at a shipper one day when a nasty driver from my company-no less put me down in front of three other drivers. I was told later that no one liked her-she thought she knew it all.