So, I’m a few weeks I embark on a new adventure and start a new job Tramping.
Looking for a bit of guidance from any experienced Trampers out there on what gear I might need, equipment etc and possibly the best places to get them from.
Thanks in Advance [emoji106]
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Assuming your employer provides work clothes, such as polo shirts and trousers; minimum two changes of both in addition to what you’re wearing Monday morning.
Wash Kit including a decent sized towel. I carry one of those microfibre camping towels as well in reserve.
Brew kit and a kettle, electric or gas will do fine; a stove and a small saucepan. Cutlery including a teaspoon.
Bedding. I use a single quilt, and most single fitted sheets will suffice on the bottom. I also take a cushion for when I’m lying on the bunk reading a book, as well as pillows.
Set of “civvies”… casual clothes for if you eat in a pub etc. Make sure to include shoes.
Enough underwear for five nights away and one spare for an accident!
Food; up to you and depends on your preferences but always have at least one main meal and a breakfast in reserve, in the cupboards. I tend to keep a tin of chicken stew and a pot of instant porridge.
“En suite”; use a fabric conditioner bottle but DO remember to rinse it thoroughly first! The residual perfume in there means you can re-use it a few times without it getting stinky provided you rinse it out, and the neck at the top is big enough for most peckers; if you get stuck just stop thinking about the wife’s sister!
Packet of wet wipes. VERY important.
Water. At least three two litre bottles. Don’t buy new every time, refill them.
That’s the basics. I’m assuming you do have the same lorry every week; if not, don’t go tramping!
All of the above and a love sock
trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewto … 10&t=37297
Don’t make the mistake a lot make by turning it into a rat race endurance test.
Make your own steady pace from day 1 and stick with it, and don’rt allow them to push you.,.the more you allow them the more they want from you, ignore the tear arse heroes trying to impress, .and don’t try and compete with them, they are too stupid for their own good.
Park in proper places where there are facilities, avoid lay by parking like herpes, don’t turn into a cab rat at night waiting for the next 11 (or 9 if you must) hours to click over to start another slog of a day, have at least one night in a town out for a walk and a meal.
Do it right and you’ll enjoy it, don’t do it right and it will be a living hell culminating into a heart attack and an early grave…seen it SO many times over the years.
God advice from somebody who has done it most of his working life, take it or leave it.
Good luck.
Two changes of work cloths? Are you retired and part time?
I have a fresh set of cloths for every day, including trousers. If my employer provides enough, I wear his branded clothing. If he doesn’t, I wear one of my (now extensive) back catalogue of works polo shirts. Including the competition… 
robroy:
NIGHTS OUT - what should I take? - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (READ ONLY FORUM) - Trucknet UKDon’t make the mistake a lot make by turning it into a rat race endurance test.
Make your own steady pace from day 1 and stick with it, and don’rt allow them to push you.,.the more you allow them the more they want from you, ignore the tear arse heroes trying to impress, .and don’t try and compete with them, they are too stupid for their own good.
Park in proper places where there are facilities, avoid lay by parking like herpes, don’t turn into a cab rat at night waiting for the next 11 (or 9 if you must) hours to click over to start another slog of a day, have at least one night in a town out for a walk and a meal.
Do it right and you’ll enjoy it, don’t do it right and it will be a living hell culminating into a heart attack and an early grave…seen it SO many times over the years.
God advice from somebody who has done it most of his working life, take it or leave it.
Good luck.
Wise words from an old sage, take note OP… 
All of the above, especially Rob. Get out of the cab and mix with other humans. Even if you arent the most social person, going for a pint/meal with some conversation floating about you helps. Even just like this morning, stopped in a nice cafe/burger hut on the A1, reasonably quiet so ended up having a chat for 20 mins with the 2 ladies behind the counter, stops you going insane 
Fuzrat:
All of the above, especially Rob. Get out of the cab and mix with other humans. Even if you arent the most social person, going for a pint/meal with some conversation floating about you helps. Even just like this morning, stopped in a nice cafe/burger hut on the A1, reasonably quiet so ended up having a chat for 20 mins with the 2 ladies behind the counter, stops you going insane
On the other hand…
You may end up talking, no listening to interminable bores, who’ll have you believe they missed the balcony, because they missed the Herald, because they had a ■■■ with a French Mayor Daughter on a night out…
After they had a night out in Dagenham Tesco, after …
Oh fun it. I cant be bothered, I prefer my own company, in a very comfortable cab.
Flip flops/slides or dare I say it… crocs 
Your feet will thank me for avoiding verruca/fungal infections from shower floors
PhilMc:
So, I’m a few weeks I embark on a new adventure and start a new job Tramping.
Looking for a bit of guidance from any experienced Trampers out there on what gear I might need, equipment etc and possibly the best places to get them from.
Thanks in Advance [emoji106]Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just remember you’ll need to completely clear the cab out on a Friday as anything you don’t take out will be gone by the Monday , when I was tramping they’d take air fresheners , bottles of disenfectant s , hard hats , basically if it’s not bolted down it’s gone
So I’d take the bare minimum of stuff with you , unless you want to spend a hour or two on a Friday night clearing it all out , then another 2 hours on a Monday putting it all back in
I remember one of our lads coming into a smashed screen on his tv on a Monday , it was fitted up , how it was possible to break it god knows , it was never reported but eventually the company paid for it , but he was told he must empty everything out on a Friday from then on .
Shouldn’t be like this ( but it my experience ) it is , so as I say bare minimum of stuff , and everything out at end of week .
Done a bit of tramping & for when I couldn’t get a shower I carried a washing up bowl as a makeshift sink and made up warm water using the kettle for a face wash before bed/in morning. Felt better for that than baby wipes.
No excuse imo not to have a regular shower unless your out in the back & beyond all the time. I didn’t think twice about going a tiny bit off route to have my 45 somewhere with facilities if I needed it - if your boss gives you grief for that he isn’t worth working for.
Don’t be shy over carrying a fabric conditioner bottle. When you wake up at 2am needing a ■■■■■ your not going to want to get dressed to go outside in the cold/rain.
Meal vouchers from services don’t have to be spent on Burger Kings. I often used mine in M&S to stock up on supplies… £10 shop for £2.
Get a tray to eat off & catch crumbs in the cab.
Thanks for all the info fellas, some really good tips to take from them[emoji106].
Just one more question!!
Card in or Card out during overnight rest??
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I leave mine in, in the evening press Places, end country UK then put it on rest. Morning, on cross hammers, Places, start country UK. (Scania Stoneridge model)
toonsy:
Flip flops/slides or dare I say it… crocsYour feet will thank me for avoiding verruca/fungal infections from shower floors
Gotta be sliders …… bonus point for wearing them with white socks
peirre:
toonsy:
Flip flops/slides or dare I say it… crocsYour feet will thank me for avoiding verruca/fungal infections from shower floors
Gotta be sliders …… bonus point for wearing them with white socks
Yes pulled up as high as possible too.
My lad is at the fashion conscious age and I’m obviously getting older because I look at stuff that is fashionable now that I’d have gotten pelters for when I was a kid such as pulled up socks
PhilMc:
Thanks for all the info fellas, some really good tips to take from them[emoji106].
Just one more question!!
Card in or Card out during overnight rest??Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Entirely up to you. I leave mine in all week. Just don’t forget to stick it on bed when you finish.
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toonsy:
peirre:
toonsy:
Flip flops/slides or dare I say it… crocsYour feet will thank me for avoiding verruca/fungal infections from shower floors
Gotta be sliders …… bonus point for wearing them with white socks
Yes pulled up as high as possible too.
My lad is at the fashion conscious age and I’m obviously getting older because I look at stuff that is fashionable now that I’d have gotten pelters for when I was a kid such as pulled up socks
Aye but you start worrying when you start dressing like your Dad. 
I’m at the age where I try to be kind of fashionable up to a point, but at the same time get the balance right between that and avoiding looking like trucking’s oldest teenager.
Somewhere between Alan Partridge and Justin Timberlake.
PhilMc:
Thanks for all the info fellas, some really good tips to take from them[emoji106].
Just one more question!!
Card in or Card out during overnight rest??Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Much will depend on working practice at your employer.
When I worked for ForFarmers, I was told to remove the card overnight and make a manual entry in the morning. Apparently, leaving it in caused issues with Tachomaster; nothing illegal but it showed up something which the compliance auditors (god how I hate them) didn’t like. It’s a habit which has remained with me.
Whichever you do, it’s good practice to keep a diary and note your start and finish times; if in doubt you can then refer to it and avoid putting the card in too soon, easily done if you’re tramping.
I also note where I parked up, where I delivered to (just the town or area) and what out of pocket expenses, such as parking, I incurred. You’ll soon find that after a few weeks, unless you write that down, you won’t have a clue where you’ve been! Useful reference point if you eve get accused of doing something you haven’t, for example if your boss gets a complaint from a member of the public.
Sidevalve:
PhilMc:
Thanks for all the info fellas, some really good tips to take from them[emoji106].
Just one more question!!
Card in or Card out during overnight rest??Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Much will depend on working practice at your employer.
When I worked for ForFarmers, I was told to remove the card overnight and make a manual entry in the morning. Apparently, leaving it in caused issues with Tachomaster; nothing illegal but it showed up something which the compliance auditors (god how I hate them) didn’t like. It’s a habit which has remained with me.
Whichever you do, it’s good practice to keep a diary and note your start and finish times; if in doubt you can then refer to it and avoid putting the card in too soon, easily done if you’re tramping.
I also note where I parked up, where I delivered to (just the town or area) and what out of pocket expenses, such as parking, I incurred. You’ll soon find that after a few weeks, unless you write that down, you won’t have a clue where you’ve been! Useful reference point if you eve get accused of doing something you haven’t, for example if your boss gets a complaint from a member of the public.
[emoji106] Cheers for that… some great advice there.
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Sidevalve:
I was told to remove the card overnight and make a manual entry in the morning. Apparently, leaving it in caused issues with Tachomaster; nothing illegal but it showed up something which the compliance auditors (god how I hate them) didn’t like. It’s a habit which has remained with me..
Leaving it in doesn’t raise any issues with Tachomaster/compliance (provided you remember to enter your Start and End country each day - which is easy to overlook if you’re not ejecting your card…)
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