HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANDI!
I promised to post pics of the truck so everyone can see how we live on the road. There are many misconceptions about living on a truck so I'm going to try and clear them up.
Isn't it expensive to live on the road?
No, it's not. We have everything we need on board, plus some things you might not think of!
Don't you have to pay for motels every night?
Not at all. Most trucks are equipped with two beds.
How do you take showers?
Nearly every truck stop has showers, which are free to drivers when they purchase fuel. Trucks usually fuel once a day and can hold from one hundred to three hundred gallons of diesel. We fuel at the Love's Truck Stop where we have unlimited free showers and coffee.
What about laundry?
Most truck stops have a laundry room with washers and dryers like the ones at your local laundromat.
What about food? Do you eat at restaurants every day?
Some truckers do, but that's expensive. We have a refrigerator/freezer and microwave on board, as well as plenty of storage. We shop at Wal-Mart and buy groceries not only for meals on the road, but also in the event we run into bad weather and wind up stuck on a road due to accidents or road closures.
Any other questions? Please leave them in your comments and I'll answer as I can!
We drive a 2006 Freightliner Columbia class with a Detroit engine and a fully automatic transmission (our first auto).
This is the tractor, or Bobtail when driven without a trailer attached.
We pull a 53' reefer that carries refrigerated and frozen items. The max weight allowed on any truck is 80,000 pounds. A reefer can take approx. 45,000 pounds cargo weight and still scale under 80k. Weights are calculated per axle. The steer axle can weigh at 12,000 pounds, the drive axle and tandems can weigh as much as 34,000 pounds.
On the scales weighing a load to make sure all axles are legal.
Log books are required by the DOT for all drivers. They have specific rules for driving, loading, unloading, and off time that must be logged every day. A calculator and loose leaf log book is a drivers best friend!
Sonya and Harley run things. Seriously!
Command central.
Sonya on our bed. She's usually under the blankets, tunneling like a gopher!
The entire bed opens up and there is a ton of storage beneath. Above our bed is a bunk that has had the mattress removed and hinged lids added for more storage space.
Microwave on top of fridge.
Bedside control panel for lights, AC/Heat, stereo, and 12 Volt plug.
The "pantry" above microwave. As you can see, we store food, paper towels, and dishes here.
The doggies food and water next to our closet. The closet is below the TV/DVD shelf.
Trucks can carry as much as 400 gallons of fuel and have a fuel tank on each side. There are pumps on both sides so tanks are filled simultaneously.
The reefer trailer has a refrigerator unit at the front, thicker walls, and a fuel tank to operate the reefer, which adds extra weight and causes the cargo loads to be less than those a dry van can carry.
Sonya and Harley run things. Seriously!
Command central.
TV & DVD Player
Above this shelf are more shelves I use for clothes.
Sonya on our bed. She's usually under the blankets, tunneling like a gopher!
The entire bed opens up and there is a ton of storage beneath. Above our bed is a bunk that has had the mattress removed and hinged lids added for more storage space.
Rie,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing all of this. I found it to be fascinating. I've always wondered about how truckers manage on the road. It's sort of like a compact RV?
Safe travels.
Linda
Yes, Linda. That's a good analogy. We have less floor space, but we have lots of head room and storage. It's sort of like my first efficiency apartment was! lol
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to travel! that's a beautiful truck! I never realized they had so much room and a television?? Microwave! WoW!
ReplyDeleteNot to mention DVD player, PS2, about 300 movies on board, Sirius Radio, and about a hundred or so CD's, plus novels, and a few novels on CD!
ReplyDeleteThat was an interesting tour. My husband tried to describe this to me years ago; he use to receive shipments at work and was friends with the truckers. He didn't do it justice. What an adventure. Are your trucking experiences in any of your writings? Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteJulie E. P.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, Julie. In Blood Line the H/H are both truck drivers. And I do use some of the things I see along the way sometimes. However, many of the things I see you just wouldn't believe anyway! lol
ReplyDeleteRie,
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting adventure, sort of a honeymoon in its way. The truck seems more like a trailer than a truck, and I can tell Harley and Sonya certainly have things under control. Was wondering however, how have you made out with all the snow on the east coast. Have you managed to skirt it? Or were you in the middle of it all?
Keep on sharing!
We ran into a bit of snowfall on the east coast. We stopped at a truck stop one night in NY because the roads were getting icy, and the next morning saw numerous accidents where people, including big trucks, didn't stop...or at least they didn't stop the way they wanted to! So far we've had pretty good timing and have either been ahead of the bad weather or come in right afters its headed out. We have been in some bitterly cold weather, which neither Harley nor Sonya like. They take no time at all to pee and head back to the truck!
ReplyDeleteOkay, maybe this is a stupid question, but what about a bathroom. Once, when we were on our way to Nevada, I 40, I think,there was a huge accident and we were stopped for over two hours. I needed a bathroom. The trucker stopped next to us asked if I wanted to use his facilities. I thanked him profusely but when I was about to take him up on his offer, we started to move. By the way, no one was hurt, just two loads of wood, 2x4's spilled all over the interstate. Took two hours to clean it up.
ReplyDeleteAllison