Hi Guys,
Start on class 1 tomorrow for the fist time as a civvie, looking forward to it but what would you guys usually carry in your drivers bag?
This is what ive planned on taking with:
Cards (Licence / CPC/ Tacho)
Spare roll for tacho (will pick up when i get to job)
Waterproofs
Work Gloves
High Viz vest
Skid lid
Multitool (leatherman)
Notepad and pen
Phone charger + Spare phone (16 year old nokia!)
Sat nav (only a car one at mo till i can afford a proper one )
If sat nav is only a car one, and so is your road map, I would be stopping at the first truck stop and picking up a Truckers Atlas, with bridge heights and weight limits and width restrictions. Otherwise you are going to get yourself into bother a bit sharpish!
F-reds:
If sat nav is only a car one, and so is your road map, I would be stopping at the first truck stop and picking up a Truckers Atlas, with bridge heights and weight limits and width restrictions. Otherwise you are going to get yourself into bother a bit sharpish!
You do know you have just stopped next weeks Newbie â– â– â– â– up story?
You can get a good hgv sat nav for £60,as for truckers atlas I bought one 4 years ago and it’s not left my locker…just look for road signs/warnings using your eyes.
xichrisxi:
You can get a good hgv sat nav for £60,as for truckers atlas I bought one 4 years ago and it’s not left my locker…just look for road signs/warnings using your eyes.
I wouldn’t free up the space from the cab that a truckers atlas takes up!
If I’d not touched it in 4 years, I’d be appreciative that my eyes and Sat-Nav haven’t let me down…
It’s a sensible back up and safety net device in my eyes.
Be prepared for an overnight emergency even if you’re a day tripper - a traffic jam or a series of delays can easily tip you over the fifteen hour limit. Toothbrush/paste, deodorant, underwear, soap etc can be useful and don’t take up much room.
A small bottle of hand rub gel (like you get in hospitals) is also useful.
A bluetooth earpiece is important for safety if you’re going to be taking calls from the office or something. It also helps to disguise you as an agency driver, provided you practice the accompanying limp…
xichrisxi:
You can get a good hgv sat nav for £60,as for truckers atlas I bought one 4 years ago and it’s not left my locker…just look for road signs/warnings using your eyes.
I agree, but if he hasn’t got a truck nav, or the ability to find £60, he’s going to be doing either a lot of turning around, or going the long way round!
I have a truck nav, but I still check the Atlas to make sure I concur with the route the nag has produced if I don’t know the area. I reckon I’ve used my atlas 10 times in 3 years, maybe not even that much. But if I was only running a car nav I’d check every bloody route it generated!
xichrisxi:
You can get a good hgv sat nav for £60,as for truckers atlas I bought one 4 years ago and it’s not left my locker…just look for road signs/warnings using your eyes.
I wouldn’t free up the space from the cab that a truckers atlas takes up!
If I’d not touched it in 4 years, I’d be appreciative that my eyes and Sat-Nav haven’t let me down…
It’s a sensible back up and safety net device in my eyes.
xichrisxi:
You can get a good hgv sat nav for £60,as for truckers atlas I bought one 4 years ago and it’s not left my locker…just look for road signs/warnings using your eyes.
I wouldn’t free up the space from the cab that a truckers atlas takes up!
If I’d not touched it in 4 years, I’d be appreciative that my eyes and Sat-Nav haven’t let me down…
It’s a sensible back up and safety net device in my eyes.
xichrisxi:
You can get a good hgv sat nav for £60,as for truckers atlas I bought one 4 years ago and it’s not left my locker…just look for road signs/warnings using your eyes.
I wouldn’t free up the space from the cab that a truckers atlas takes up!
If I’d not touched it in 4 years, I’d be appreciative that my eyes and Sat-Nav haven’t let me down…
It’s a sensible back up and safety net device in my eyes.
Where’s the excitement in sensible
[zb], I’m boring!
Two things to check if your unsure of where your going…your horn works & reverse gear works,if both ok crack on you have all the necessary equipment to get yourself out of anything you get yourself into
Proper job or agency.
Either way your a driver not a spanner monkey, some places won’t like it if you take it upon yourself to start doing repairs.
Just need a bag or small flight case on wheels wet wipes are better as bottles break. Take some long life dry grub anything that don’t need chilling sharp knife fork spoon, you can get long life puddings with custard that are handy. Juice, flask, energy bars mars etc any meds pen jotter pad clipboard.
Tipex tape ( it’s clear and you can write on it straight away) as said depends if your agency or employed and the type of company
I used to tramp and had a fair bit but back then had my own Scanny 143 all to myself and left most in the motor which was like my house. No one touched it at the weekends . I went back to day driving on fridges a few years back and took the following:-
Gloves
Phillips truckers atlas
Window cleaner (for mirrors) and couple of cloths from the kitchen
I phone connector
Torch
Pen
If feeling flush a spare tacho roll I’d pinched. If not, id just ask co to give me one.
And of course your own wallet, card, hi viz and boots are clothing or natural ones you’d take anyway.
Thermos to save money on Msa Costalotta and Stirbux coffee.
Some truckstops may charge about 50p to fill it.
Ask your employers to sign up to Snap , where the driver does not pay for parking.
List of wash sites from Snap.
Foam ear plugs are handy for noisy places when sleeping .
I find those see through plastic storage boxes handy for bits and bobs , Poundland and Poundworld sell them.
Wilkinson sell antibacterial wipes for 50 p, of which are great in cleaning the steering wheel, under the bunk, footwells and dash area.
If another driver is using the unit, a quick spray of antibacterial spray does the trick.
Freight Dog:
I used to tramp and had a fair bit but back then had my own Scanny 143 all to myself and left most in the motor which was like my house. No one touched it at the weekends . I went back to day driving on fridges a few years back and took the following:-
Gloves
Phillips truckers atlas
Window cleaner (for mirrors) and couple of cloths from the kitchen
I phone connector
Torch
Pen
If feeling flush a spare tacho roll I’d pinched. If not, id just ask co to give me one.
And of course your own wallet, card, hi viz and boots are clothing or natural ones you’d take anyway.
1000000000000% with you on the glass cleaner and cloths although i m newly passed hgv been driving odd days on vans for past 2 years and that was always my pet hate getting into a vehicle then not being able to see out of it was normally my first job of the day mirrors and windows
Obtain some safety glasses. You would be amazed at how many places now insist on hard hat and eye protection. Help yourself to the next blue roll you come across. Any newspapers you read, keep hold of a couple of them for your glass cleaning in conjunction with your glass cleaner.
Torch will be your best friend in a couple of months. Tape measure essential. Take no notice of the in cab height indicator. Measure from the ground to the catwalk, and then catwalk to top of air deflector, then you KNOW what the height of your unit is.
I have a plastic bottle with a LARGE screw top opening for ’ emergency ’ ■■■■situations. A couple of spare pens too.
)
. I went back to day driving on fridges a few years back and took the following:-