i will be looking for european work when i get my class 1 and i was wondering,
what sort of things do you have in your cabs when abroad ie; tv’s? playstation 2? laptops? anything else that you have in your cabs to make it more homely? and if you have tv’s what channels do you get when abroad? if you have laptops can you get internet access through phone in the cab? i have also been told i will need to get a voltage converter■■? this might be a silly and obvious question to ask but just wanted to know what you guys had in your cabs seeing as you spend so much time in it
Same here!!
When I did nights out (A while ago) when parked up I got out the cab!
When you work all day and sleep in a tin can I had to get out for a few hours… what better excuse to go and have a few pints with other truckers you meet on the road?
I only ever stayed in the cab once or twice and it drove me nuts! I did have a laptop and DVD as well as a TV (Christmas pressies from the Wife hoping I wouldn’t go out for a few no doubt ) but it didnt work!!!
I’m the same, after a day in the cab I want to get away from it for a bit.
To run a laptop or any other 240v item, you need an inverter. Depending on the item you want to run you then decide on what size of inverter you need. A portable 240v TV is a lot cheaper than a 12 or 24v item, to run that and a DVD or video player you would need at least a 300 Watt inverter. It would need to be fitted with long heavy-duty cables and crocodile clips to connect directly to your battery. It isn’t that good an idea to plug into the ■■■-lighter socket, the wiring to the lighter is usualy too light-weight and could burn out or even go on fire. That is very likely to annoy your boss severly.
My Tips! I use a king-size quilt folded over, rather than a sleeping bag. It is easy to remove the cover and wash it, rather than washing a sleeping bag. It takes a good while to dry a sleeping-bag out.
Buy your maps in the country where you will be using them. Ask an Italian for directions to Florence and they will look at you as if you are a the village idiot. You will be, Italians call it Firenza, why its Florence in English I have no idea.
The same applies to Russians and Moscow, its Moskva (I think), but even worse, in Russian script (Cyrillic) it looks totaly different as well. So you are heading down the roads to Moscow, looking for those signs except they don’t read Moscow. Your Russian map of Russia, will have Moscow marked in the same writting as will be on the signs and when you show someone the address for directions, they will be able to read it and, at least hopefully, be able to point you in the right direction. Your CMR obviously needs to be writen out in the appropriate language/script for this to work but they need to be anyway, so that the people you are delivering to can recognise their address and know that you are delivering to them. (you wouldn’t recognose your address written in Cyrillic would you, for example).
Simon:
The same applies to Russians and Moscow, its Moskva (I think), but even worse, in Russian script (Cyrillic) it looks totaly different as well. So you are heading down the roads to Moscow, looking for those signs except they don’t read Moscow. Your Russian map of Russia, will have Moscow marked in the same writting as will be on the signs and when you show someone the address for directions, they will be able to read it and, at least hopefully, be able to point you in the right direction. Your CMR obviously needs to be writen out in the appropriate language/script for this to work but they need to be anyway, so that the people you are delivering to can recognise their address and know that you are delivering to them. (you wouldn’t recognose your address written in Cyrillic would you, for example).
Never been one for incab entertainment, tho i must confess to having a pic of the misses in a state of undress for when im away for more than a few weeks,
tho now ive got a bigger shed, the XL’s gone and ive had a dvd player fitted in the super space thing, it is quite nice to be able to watch a film at night, other than that I would say essentials for me are latest copy of the times, on leaving the country, plenty of books, for swaps along the way, few months ago was stuck for five days waiting to unload, nothing more anoying than running out of things to read, O and a well stocked bar in case you are not within walking distance of the local one, and if you are in warmer climes a swimming cozy, bout it really.
sdj
Important stuff for me…telly & video,laptop,couple of bottles of red plonk and a fridge full of cold beer.
Oh and some nibbles in the fridge.And my deck chair.And coffee maker.And some books.
And don’t forget to carry some basic medicine with you,like paracetamol and something to stop you legging it to the toilet when something hasn’t quite agreed with your stomach …and toilet roll’s
In cab entertainment? I’ve only just realised that dvd isn’t text language for jumping in a swimming pool!
Used to have a telly years ago but soon got fed up with that and was content with books and radio. Of course living and working mainly in France the camaraderie of the Routiers is hard to beat.
Quilt v bag? Definitely quilt.
Emergency food. Never volunteer to eat in the cab.
First aid kit? Yes.
Jumper leads. With all that electrical gear hooked up by amateurs. Essential.
Bog paper and baby wipes. You don’t want a sore bottie do you?
the dribver who was asking about what do truckers carry in their cabs,firstly you gotta get your class 1…second you gotta find someone who will take you on…having no experience will give them a headache…and you.and i wish you luck there…t.v…video…dvd…lap top,games…forget it…just more stuff for the thieves…and a good reason for breaking in…i did middle east for years and only carried the essentials…food…fridge…toiletries etc…and stopped as and when to have a beer with fellow truckers…we were a family in those days…and always stopped when we saw long vehicle signs…so get out of the truck as often as you can…and park safely and where there is a local bar within walking distance
good luck
have a nice day
) but it didnt work!!!
