Unanswered questions about living on the road

[candun]

I have several questions about living on the road that I haven't seen answered since I started monitoring the boards. I'd appreciate some wisdom.

For reference, I will be literally living on the road with virtually no home time (maybe once a year!), so even simple things like laundry become an issue.

1) How do you keep your bath towels from mildewing? or for that matter your dirty clothes if they've gotten wet. I've yet to see a sleeper cab with a towel rack!

2) I want to eat out of my truck as much as possible but I may need to delay buying a buying a microwave and fridge for a while. If I bring along something that needs to be heat, like maybe a bowl of soup, will I be welcome to use the truckstop microwave or am I likely to be run out for not buying anything?

3) How do you do dishes on the road? Are there sinks (aside for the restroom) that I could use at truckstops or do I need to plan on washing with bottled water at the side of the truck?

4) How do you do laundry on the road? I'm assuming that truckstops have laundry machines, but I'm sure they are also expensive. Saving it up to take home won't be an option for me. Does anyone ever go to public laundrymats or is just paying at the truckstop the easiest solution?

5) What do you wear to sleep? At home, I'm accustomed to not wearing anything to bed, which is not likely to be a good idea in a truck. Do most of you just sleep in your work clothes? Do you change into PJs or shorts or something?

6) I've heard some say they sleep with earplugs at night to keep out noise and that seems like a good idea. However, I'm wondering if anyone wears earplugs while driving/on duty for ear protection or even if that is legal. I'm sure the noise of the engine depends on the make/model/age of the truck, but does anyone find it necessary to wear ear protection when faced with 11 hours of it?

Thanks for sharing!

[brigpilgrim]

I'll give it a shot, I have been doing this for over 20 years. I spent about 5 of those years homeless living in the truck.

1. When you get fuel, you get a free shower. Most decent companies will pay for your showers at other times. The truckstop supplies the towels. If you do laundry once a week, that usually takes care of everything.

2. Travel light, especially when you start. The truck is not your apartment, it is your workplace. A small refrigerator to keep some things to make a sandwich and a box for some snack will take you a long way. Don't be afraid to spend a little money to take care of yourself out there. If you can't afford to eat, you are working for the wrong company.

3. I don't carry dishes, the truck smells bad enough after a while. A roll of paper towel and some plastic utensils should do.

4. Pay to do your laundry at the truckstops or a laundromat once a week. Once again, if you can't afford to do your laundry out there, you are working for the wrong company.

5. I usually sleep in sweat pants. You never know when you need to come out of the bunk in a hurry. It is a dangerous world out there. The clothes you wore all day are damp with sweat and you will never get warm or comfortable.

6. Earplugs depend on the truck. I drive a lot of different trucks nowadays so I always carry them. Sometimes I need them, but most times no. Just having the window open can get your ears ringing when the wind is blowing hard.

Most import rule is to take care of yourself. Have sleep discipline and eat right. Have a budget of what you can spend on the road. It does no good to save every penny you make if you burn yourself out after six months and end up dirty side up in a ditch somewhere. If you are not making money out here, you need to do something different.

[River17]

Originally Posted by candun

I have several questions about living on the road that I haven't seen answered since I started monitoring the boards. I'd appreciate some wisdom.

For reference, I will be literally living on the road with virtually no home time (maybe once a year!), so even simple things like laundry become an issue.

1) How do you keep your bath towels from mildewing? or for that matter your dirty clothes if they've gotten wet. I've yet to see a sleeper cab with a towel rack!

2) I want to eat out of my truck as much as possible but I may need to delay buying a buying a microwave and fridge for a while. If I bring along something that needs to be heat, like maybe a bowl of soup, will I be welcome to use the truckstop microwave or am I likely to be run out for not buying anything?

3) How do you do dishes on the road? Are there sinks (aside for the restroom) that I could use at truckstops or do I need to plan on washing with bottled water at the side of the truck?

4) How do you do laundry on the road? I'm assuming that truckstops have laundry machines, but I'm sure they are also expensive. Saving it up to take home won't be an option for me. Does anyone ever go to public laundrymats or is just paying at the truckstop the easiest solution?

5) What do you wear to sleep? At home, I'm accustomed to not wearing anything to bed, which is not likely to be a good idea in a truck. Do most of you just sleep in your work clothes? Do you change into PJs or shorts or something?

6) I've heard some say they sleep with earplugs at night to keep out noise and that seems like a good idea. However, I'm wondering if anyone wears earplugs while driving/on duty for ear protection or even if that is legal. I'm sure the noise of the engine depends on the make/model/age of the truck, but does anyone find it necessary to wear ear protection when faced with 11 hours of it?

Thanks for sharing!

candun

I will only answer Question 6 so that others may chime in with the other questions.
Q6 YOU DO NOT, and I repeat do not wear earplugs. The engine noise you won't hardly hear if you buy an XM Satellite Radio.
I would not go around the block let alone cross country, without listening to my XM radio 21 hours a day. Three hours a day we still have to listen to the AM radio. Do you know what three hours of the day are must listen hours if you care to be informed as to what is going on in the world??
All kidding aside the XM or if you prefer Sirius radio will make the day go by much quicker and will be just like sitting at home watching cable TV without the picture. I hope this help.

[crash935]

Originally Posted by candun

I have several questions about living on the road that I haven't seen answered since I started monitoring the boards. I'd appreciate some wisdom.

For reference, I will be literally living on the road with virtually no home time (maybe once a year!), so even simple things like laundry become an issue.

1) How do you keep your bath towels from mildewing? or for that matter your dirty clothes if they've gotten wet. I've yet to see a sleeper cab with a towel rack!

Had a grab handle on the upper cabinets, would just hang the towel on that if i needed to use it in the am to dump some water over my head. And can you say "Baby Wipes"

2) I want to eat out of my truck as much as possible but I may need to delay buying a buying a microwave and fridge for a while. If I bring along something that needs to be heat, like maybe a bowl of soup, will I be welcome to use the truckstop microwave or am I likely to be run out for not buying anything?

Bought a $30 power inverter and a small crock pot, start it up and do some paper work for the day and clean the truck up a little and soup was usually done by then.

3) How do you do dishes on the road? Are there sinks (aside for the restroom) that I could use at truckstops or do I need to plan on washing with bottled water at the side of the truck?

Always kept a gallon of water in the truck along with paper towels. Also had paper plates, paper bowls and plastic silverware

4) How do you do laundry on the road? I'm assuming that truckstops have laundry machines, but I'm sure they are also expensive. Saving it up to take home won't be an option for me. Does anyone ever go to public laundrymats or is just paying at the truckstop the easiest solution?

Didnt have to do laundry, had enough to last 2 weeks and was usually home just before that. From what i did see though it didnt cost much more to do it at the truckstop versues going to a laundry mat, just buy your soap at your local grocery store, its alot cheaper than at the TS

5) What do you wear to sleep? At home, I'm accustomed to not wearing anything to bed, which is not likely to be a good idea in a truck. Do most of you just sleep in your work clothes? Do you change into PJs or shorts or something?

Just threw on a pair of sweats

6) I've heard some say they sleep with earplugs at night to keep out noise and that seems like a good idea. However, I'm wondering if anyone wears earplugs while driving/on duty for ear protection or even if that is legal. I'm sure the noise of the engine depends on the make/model/age of the truck, but does anyone find it necessary to wear ear protection when faced with 11 hours of it?

If you can stop early enough, try and find a spot at the TS that you can pull into yet back out of (corner spots), that way you shouldnt hear a truck or reefer idling next to you but keep the ear plugs handy. As for wearing them while driving, had to listen to the truck and the road out of habit and with the exhaust behind the cab it wasnt loud at all.

Thanks for sharing!

Couple of other things you will want, satelite radio, good CB, TV with DVD player and a small fridge

[Questen]

1) How do you keep your bath towels from mildewing? or for that matter your dirty clothes if they've gotten wet. I've yet to see a sleeper cab with a towel rack!

I use my own towels for drying my body and use the truck stop towels for the shower room floors. Some truck stops don't wash their towels well and I once got a creepy skin fungus that was very hard to get rid of. I had to take 6 months of expensive antifungal and antibiotic meds to get rid of that. So, I use my own towels now. I use only white ones so I can bleach them good when washing. Hang it from the top bunk or from a plastic hook at the foot of the bed until it's dry then throw it in the laundry bag. If you don't have some plastic hooks in your truck you can pick them up for abt 50 cents at walmart and superglue them on.

Wear shower shoes to keep the fungus away also.

2) I want to eat out of my truck as much as possible but I may need to delay buying a buying a microwave and fridge for a while. If I bring along something that needs to be heat, like maybe a bowl of soup, will I be welcome to use the truckstop microwave or am I likely to be run out for not buying anything?

I have a 1750 watt inverter and microwave in my truck. It's healthier by far to eat foods you prepare yourself than truckstop junk. I have seen many drivers using truckstop microwaves to cook in, never seen one get chewed out for it.

3) How do you do dishes on the road? Are there sinks (aside for the restroom) that I could use at truckstops or do I need to plan on washing with bottled water at the side of the truck?

I don't do dishes except for my water cups and I wash those at the sinks by the fountains in truckstops. I buy a lot of frozen meals and things that only need add water for cooking. Use paper plates and bowls and plasticware. Buy those in bulk at Sams.

4) How do you do laundry on the road? I'm assuming that truckstops have laundry machines, but I'm sure they are also expensive. Saving it up to take home won't be an option for me. Does anyone ever go to public laundrymats or is just paying at the truckstop the easiest solution?

Coin laundry is available at most truckstops and they are expensive but it's what I use most of the time. There are some truckstops that have laundry service - wash, dry, fold - and when I'm at those I take advantage of that service. In the time it takes me to shower and eat they have my laundry done for not much more than it would have cost me to do it myself. I love those places. Sometimes when there is a hotel next to the truckstop they have better laundry facilities, both cheaper and cleaner. Never been to a laundrymat on the road.

5) What do you wear to sleep? At home, I'm accustomed to not wearing anything to bed, which is not likely to be a good idea in a truck. Do most of you just sleep in your work clothes? Do you change into PJs or shorts or something?

Pajama bottoms and a tshirt. Never sleep naked in your truck because you never know when you'll need to hurry out. Keep my shoes by the door too.

6) I've heard some say they sleep with earplugs at night to keep out noise and that seems like a good idea. However, I'm wondering if anyone wears earplugs while driving/on duty for ear protection or even if that is legal. I'm sure the noise of the engine depends on the make/model/age of the truck, but does anyone find it necessary to wear ear protection when faced with 11 hours of it?

Earplugs for sleeping definitly. Never for driving. Dangerous and I believe illegal.

[RickyRicardo]

In regards to #3, it sounds like you will have plenty of disposable income, with no structural home or family to maintain.
Why do you plan on eating like you're on bivouac?
I keep a few light snacks and some canned stuff for unexpected events, like a breakdown or a long delay at a customer, but I prefer to eat in a restaurant.
You can eat like a real person out here. And if not, to quote brigpilgim, you're working for the wrong company.
Even so, I might be out of touch with things, but I cannot imagine any company that pays so poorly that you can't afford to eat properly.