Hello all,
Ive just left the forces after serving 10 years to become a hgv driver.
The idea is to do day work starting early and getting back late afternoon to be able spend time with my daughter as in the forces it was every other week and sometimes months away.
Because ive left to see my girl more often nights and tramping is out the question for me and ill end up on tippers or doing multi drops which is fine.
Back ontopic and to my origional question… What can i get that would be handy to go in the cab with me that would make my life that little bit easier?
below i will list what i have or will be getting, if you can think of anythign else please add to my list.
- Grip bag with spare clothes Got
- Note pad and pen + spare pen Got
- Clipboard Got
- GB map and local map
- Big flask Got
- 3-1 cofee sachets
- Lunch box Got
- Torch for the early starts for my vehivle check Got
- HGV Satnav ( probably use on the last drag when closer to drop)
- Incab phone charger Got
- Wallet to hold all driver cards
- Dashcam ( too many idiots on the road ) Got
- Spare Tacho roll ( ill ask the company )
- Cab cleaning equiptment ( wipes , hand brush , glass cleaner , polish )
- Name plate ( gotta fit in
)
- Timer for my driving/working hours. Got
Many thanks,
Stracks
Sound like you’re ready to rock’n’roll mate. Let us know how you get on in you’re new adventure
Stracks:
Hello all,
Ive just left the forces after serving 10 years to become a hgv driver.
The idea is to do day work starting early and getting back late afternoon to be able spend time with my daughter as in the forces it was every other week and sometimes months away.
Because ive left to see my girl more often nights and tramping is out the question for me and ill end up on tippers or doing multi drops which is fine.
Back ontopic and to my origional question… What can i get that would be handy to go in the cab with me that would make my life that little bit easier?
below i will list what i have or will be getting, if you can think of anythign else please add to my list.
- Grip bag with spare clothes Got
- Note pad and pen + spare pen Got
- Clipboard Got
- GB map and local map
- Big flask Got
- 3-1 cofee sachets
- Lunch box Got
- Torch for the early starts for my vehivle check Got
- HGV Satnav ( probably use on the last drag when closer to drop)
- Incab phone charger Got
- Wallet to hold all driver cards
- Dashcam ( too many idiots on the road ) Got
- Spare Tacho roll ( ill ask the company )
- Cab cleaning equiptment ( wipes , hand brush , glass cleaner , polish )
- Name plate ( gotta fit in )
- Timer for my driving/working hours. Got
Many thanks,
Stracks
Bog roll especially for windy days like today 
When I was tramping E. Europe I seriously used to carry bog roll. Apart from the obvious, great for wiping dipsticks, cleaning windows, mirrors, dashboards etc. Maybe the blue paper roll is better nowadays for most jobs.
You do seem to have a really good idea so go with it.
Pete 
If you are doing agency work mate, you will need a limp too.
eagerbeaver:
If you are doing agency work mate, you will need a limp too.
And a Lidl or Aldi bag for life,the agency might supply these so hold of on buying one yourself though.
I have a 7 year old Motorola Bluetooth earpiece covered in ear wax somewhere, I will send it over to you buddy, for the ultimate agency look.
You two
Must say kitchen roll is much better than toilet tissue for those other jobs, as the latter falls apart too easily and leaves too much residue.
Sorry G. It’s xichrisxi’s fault.
He egged me on, and I couldn’t resist. As for the ’ Juan sheet does plenty thing ', what are you getting at?
Actually,…don’t answer that.
A black light incase you get in a motor Beezle has already been in!
NickW88:
A black light incase you get in a motor Beezle has already been in!
Geez, I’m getting abuse from all angles at the moment.
Even from the bloke who was heading to Swansea and almost ended up in Birmingham.
So no fear of you finding anything with a black light!
I prefer the term via Birmingham lol
You better be scared, I’m booking my C+E next week, so I’ll need the black light to check the motor out from last time you had it!
Few spare bulbs and fuses you can blag from somewhere, roll of insulation tape.
Good gloves, i have two types, waterproof and normal (though ours are different to normal normal due to hot fittings from the blower)
Leatherman type multi tool, or at the bare min good pair of pliers, pen knife, adjustable spanner, screwdrivers and various torx fittings as most lights are now torx screws.
Some places won’t let you touch bulbs etc but where allowed i’d sooner change a bulb or two or other minor bodge and be on me way than ponce about waiting for an hour for shift change at the workshops.
Squeegee and spray bottle with clean water and only couple of drops of fairy liquid in, with salty windows and mirrors you can wipe them till the cows come home and never get them clean/dry, quick spray and squeegee job done.
Waterproofs, lightweight ones you can roll up and stick in the corner of your bag, wide brimmed fishermans style hat, doesn’t matter if you look a bugger, looking a bugger but a dry bugger is a sight better than a freezing cold soaked to the skin fashion victim.
If you have a regular motor stick a brolly behind the seat, very handy when it goes ■■■■ up, again when its all gone wrong but you’re still dry you can cope with a lot, but then an ex squaddie or whatever doesn’t need to be told that… 
Your preferred headache pills.
Small tub of vaseline…this’ll get 'em going, i can hear 'em now all excited 
…if you get the trots it’s the best thing for cooling a ring of fire.
Blootooth headset.
spare batts for torch.
For tea/coffee i take a large stainless flask with boiling water, a half pint plastic bottle with freezer pack inside with the milk in (sod that powdered crap), that sits inside a plastic mug in me bag, obviously then tea/coffee sugar/sweeteners and spoon.
If your swapping trucks daily…
HAND SANITIZER AND A BOTTLE OF DETTOL OR STERILE WIPES to give cab fixtures a wipe before you start…will save u a fortune in bog roll
Don’t forget to check out how many outputs cab has for charging phone, sat nav as u may find it ain’t got shizzle in it lol if its some cheap tat wagon.
NickW88:
I prefer the term via Birmingham lol
You better be scared, I’m booking my C+E next week, so I’ll need the black light to check the motor out from last time you had it!
How the bloody hell do you end up in Birmingham when you needed to be in Wales?!
Rerouted a strange way due to road closures. Went down the A38, through Derby, Burton and further south then was heading for the M6. Didn’t actually end up the centre or anything like that but was a ■■■■■■■ ■■■■ route.
We weren’t allowed to deviate from the sat nav route, company provided nav, company orders, so like a good boy I did as was told lol was a ■■■■■■■ funny day!
Attached is the route in rough form but had to avoid the M6 toll
Stracks:
Hello all,
Ive just left the forces after serving 10 years to become a hgv driver.
The idea is to do day work starting early and getting back late afternoon to be able spend time with my daughter as in the forces it was every other week and sometimes months away.
Because ive left to see my girl more often nights and tramping is out the question for me and ill end up on tippers or doing multi drops which is fine.
Back ontopic and to my origional question… What can i get that would be handy to go in the cab with me that would make my life that little bit easier?
below i will list what i have or will be getting, if you can think of anythign else please add to my list.
- Grip bag with spare clothes Got
- Note pad and pen + spare pen Got
- Clipboard Got
- GB map and local map
- Big flask Got
- 3-1 cofee sachets
- Lunch box Got
- Torch for the early starts for my vehivle check Got
- HGV Satnav ( probably use on the last drag when closer to drop)
- Incab phone charger Got
- Wallet to hold all driver cards
- Dashcam ( too many idiots on the road ) Got
- Spare Tacho roll ( ill ask the company )
- Cab cleaning equiptment ( wipes , hand brush , glass cleaner , polish )
- Name plate ( gotta fit in )
- Timer for my driving/working hours. Got
Many thanks,
Stracks
a big list there Stracks 
when i started driving artics i just turned up…didn’t bother with any of that stuff! although i did get caught out once when my lorry broke down (SedAtki 400) in the Lakes,and i spent the night in my Day Cab in just my jeans and t-shirt…no jumper or coat…just the remains of an old donkey jacket as a pillow
NickW88:
Rerouted a strange way due to road closures. Went down the A38, through Derby, Burton and further south then was heading for the M6. Didn’t actually end up the centre or anything like that but was a [zb] [zb] route.
0
We weren’t allowed to deviate from the sat nav route, company provided nav, company orders, so like a good boy I did as was told lol was a [zb] funny day!
Attached is the route in rough form but had to avoid the M6 toll
Looking at it, its not that odd of a route. We go to get to Cardiff, out of Immingham, M180, M18, M1, A42, M42, M5, M5, A40, A449. You can go down the A46 to Lincoln then on to Newark down to Leicester then on to the M6 but you hit all the traffic at J21.
That’s what the route would have looked like but it through a few curve balls in that I wasn’t overly sure of. I think Beezle got it in his head I went via the bullring lol
NickW88:
That’s what the route would have looked like but it through a few curve balls in that I wasn’t overly sure of. I think Beezle got it in his head I went via the bullring lol
I don’t think he’s left Southampton!
