Truckin' with Tamie
From CEOs to mechanics to truck drivers, women are revolutionizing the transportation industry. Tune in to "Truckin' with Tamie" where host Tamie explores the ins and outs of trucking, showcasing how this formerly male-dominated field is now opening its doors to women worldwide. We cover the issues affecting women entering the industry for the first time, CDL Schools and training programs, and adjusting to life on the road. We will interview women in various positions in the trucking industry, and get the real scoop on what to expect as a woman in this field.
Truckin' with Tamie
Hey New Drivers: What NOT to Pack for Trainer Truck
Surviving life in a 70-square-foot space with your truck trainer requires careful planning and consideration—especially when it comes to what you should leave at home. Drawing from years of experience as both trainee and trainer, Tamie dives deep into the dos and don'ts of packing for your trainer truck adventure.
Those massive hard-shell suitcases might seem essential for weeks on the road, but where exactly will you store them? Your trainer's truck isn't equipped with walk-in closets or overhead compartments. Instead, soft duffel bags that can be compressed and tucked away make much more sense in the limited space available.
Kitchen appliances are another major no-no that new drivers frequently get wrong. That George Foreman grill might seem like a good idea until it trips the inverter and knocks out power to essential systems. And let's talk about smells—whether it's tuna sandwiches, unwashed gym clothes, or heavy cologne, strong odors become monumentally invasive when you're sharing such tight quarters.
Entertainment options should be minimal and personal. Leave the gaming consoles, Bluetooth speakers, and—yes, it's happened—portable movie projectors at home. Your focus should be on learning, not turning your trainer's professional space into your personal recreation room. And those sentimental items like guitars, lucky rock collections, or oversized stuffed animals? They'll just take up precious space that you simply don't have.
Ready to hit the road with your trainer? Listen now to avoid the rookie mistakes that could make those crucial training weeks uncomfortable for everyone involved. Your trainer will thank you, and your experience will be so much better when you're not crammed in with unnecessary stuff!
Good morning truckers. How are you today? Welcome back to Trucking with Tammy. I'm your host, tammy, and this is the podcast where we talk about all things trucking, and today we're going to give you some tips and tricks from the road. So, whether you're a seasoned driver just getting your wheels rolling, like what we're going to address today, we've got something for you. So today we're going to dive into a segment.
Speaker 1:So last week, I did a segment on what to bring on your trainer's truck, and, after scrolling through some social media this week and seeing some crazy things, I decided to do a segment on what not to pack when you're hitting the road with a trainer. Okay, so, trust me, I have been there both as a new CDL holder getting trained and, later in life, being a trainer, and I have seen some crazy stuff that'll make you laugh and possibly cringe a little. So grab that coffee, settle into that seat and let's roll on through it All right. So picture this you just passed your CDL test right, congrats, by the way and now you're about to spend weeks, maybe even a month or two, in a trainer's truck. It's exciting, it's nerve wracking and, let's be real, it's a whole lot of cramped in that truck, that trainer's truck. It's their home, it's their office, it's their castle. You got to respect that you. You're their guest. So the last thing you want to do is roll up on that trainer with a bunch of stuff that's going to make your trainer just regret saying yes to training you. So today I'm going to break down the top things you should leave at home, because less is more when you're sharing 70 square feet with someone who's teaching you how to drive right.
Speaker 1:So let's start with the obvious Biggest thing giant suitcases. You know those hard-shelled big suitcases. I know I know You're like Tammy, I'm going to be out for weeks. I need my stuff. But here's the deal, guys. The trainer's truck. They don't have a walk-in closet in there. You're not moving in, you're bunking temporarily. So that big old suitcase that you're using for vacations, it's not going to fit under the bunk. There is no overhead storage that big.
Speaker 1:I once saw a newbie. She rolled up with a hard shell roller bag that was literally I could have fit in it myself right, took up half the cab and the trainer that the truck that he was going on. The trainer made him leave it at the terminal. There was absolutely no room for it, and that's a true story. If the things aren't going to fit, you don't get to take them, you have to leave them. So be prepared for that, okay, prepared for that, okay.
Speaker 1:Tip, and if you look at my my last video, I go over this quite a bit Stick to a soft duffel bag. It's something that, if you unpack or there's room to hang up stuff, that duffel bag can fold up. It can roll up, you can squish it into the corner, you can throw your pillow on it at night and sleep on it. So we only want to pack light essentials only. You're not going to a fashion show. Leave the stilettos at home. You're learning to haul freight, okay. So baggage we're going to and what to pack.
Speaker 1:If you're confused about that, go back and look at my other segment as well, right? So? Next thing Kitchen overload. If you're confused about that, go back and look at my other segment as well, right? So? Next thing kitchen overload. Right, I get it.
Speaker 1:Eating out gets old and those truck stop fast food warmer plates, hot dog rollers, roller dogs adds up fast in dollars, calories, not to mention what it does to your stomach. But do not I repeat, do not bring a full on cooking setup in your trainer's truck. I'm talking slow cookers, electric skillet, air fryer. Leave them at home. Okay, this isn't your truck, this is a trainer's truck. Save that for when you get your own truck. Okay, so I once had a trainee that brought a mini George Foreman girl. Plug it in, trip the inverter and then we're done, we're off Fridge didn't work. Burn up the inverter Not a good start on day one.
Speaker 1:Okay, don't do it. Most trainers already have their own setup and you should be in communication with your trainer prior anyway. So you guys can have a little side chat about food. Okay, they're not going to let you turn their cab into a mini gourmet kitchen. Right, space is tight. So if they have room and discuss this with them, uh, stick to a small cooler for snacks, maybe a thermos for coffee. Ask your trainer what they are cool with before you start packing up appliances, um, and bags of things. Okay, because you're going to be limited on space. So while we're talking about eating and cooking gear, let's talk about food, okay.
Speaker 1:So this is number three of what not to bring on your truck trainer's truck. Okay, do not bring anything with a strong smell. This one is huge. Folks, you are in a tight, confined space with someone for weeks. Right? We're not heating up fish in here, we're not. We're not heating up shrimp. No, no, no, no, no. Nothing. No strong seasonings.
Speaker 1:And then let's let's expand on that. Right, if we don't want smelly stuff, we don't want to smell like a locker room either. We don't want to smell like a perfume counter. We don't want to smell your stinky gym shoes. We don't want to smell like a locker room either. We don't want to smell like a perfume counter. We don't want to smell your stinky gym shoes. We don't want to smell tuna fish sandwiches. We don't want to smell your cheap cologne. You know, we don't want to smell you.
Speaker 1:Instead of taking a shower you like, cover yourself in an ax spray. Right, it is not a substitute for a shower, so we don't want that. Keep it neutral. Pack unscented toiletries. Or, if you got your stuff, don't spray it outside the truck. That's my advice to you. When you gotta put your perfume on your body spray, do it outside the truck. Get that first extra whiff off of you before you climb in the truck.
Speaker 1:If you got sweaty clothes, bring a sealed plastic bag to put your dirty laundry in. Right, um, bring some of those odor eaters for your shoes. Respect the airspace. It is a shared resource and I hope that your trainer is doing the same thing. And if they're not, and you are a super clean, nice smelling person and you get into some rank, nasty trick, let student services know. Okay, let them know, because we don't want you having to endure that for weeks at a time. All right, nobody wants to endure that for weeks at a time. I wouldn't endure it. And make sure you shower. There is no reason why you should not be showering on the road. Okay, I don't care what anybody says, there is plenty of time to shower, all right.
Speaker 1:So we talked about luggage. We talked about kitchen appliances. We talked about strong smelling stuff. So let's talk about entertainment and tech. All right. So you might hear a lot of people or be on grooves where people are setting up gaming consoles right, you might have Bluetooth speakers.
Speaker 1:You might be some old school person with stack of DVDs I mean, that's not really a thing anymore, right, because there's so many streamings but you still got them. Nope, nope, nope, nope. First off, where are you plugging all that in? You're in a trip. Second, your trainer is not your roommate dude, they're your boss for this stretch. Okay, we don't want no portable projector to watch movies on the cab wall. Yes, yes, it has happened. Cute idea. But no, when you are on that trainer's truck, keep it to your bare minimums. Headphones headphones when you're listening to things. Right, your phone with headphones. I mean, you got to listen to trucking with Tammy, which is great. But other than that, leave the electronics at home until you get your own truck.
Speaker 1:You might need your iPad, you know if you, if you're doing so, um, some people are doing school on the road and if you're doing that, fine, bring your iPad, bring a laptop, but keep it down to a minimum, okay, um, do not turn the truck into a Best Buy showroom, absolutely not. So here's the last big nose random personal junk. And you may think I'm kidding, you may think who brings this kind of stuff, but they do, they do. You do not need your high school trophy, right? You don't need your collection of lucky rocks and you do not need that giant stuffed animal that your boyfriend gave you before he left you to remind you of him. I'm not kidding, I have seen it all.
Speaker 1:I had a trainee that brought a guitar instead to help them to relax. You can't play a guitar when the other person's driving down the road. You cannot play a guitar in an enclosed space. Okay, save it for your truck now, and there's no room for it anyway. Right, so you get a bunk and maybe, maybe, if you're lucky, the trainer may give you a little bit of cabinet space.
Speaker 1:But even when you have your own truck, you're going to learn that you have to organize it in a way to get everything in there, and there's a lot of things you're not even going to want to take with your own truck. Clutter drives, trainers, nuts. It should drive you, nuts. They have a system. It should drive you nuts. They have a system. They have their own vibe and your job is to learn. It's not to redecorate their space. So only pack what you need to survive Bring your clothes, bring your toiletries, bring some non-smelly snacks, bring your charger. Leave the sentimental stuff at home, leave the living on the road, stuff that you're going to need when you have your own truck at home. Um, so all the carriers generally, no matter what trucking company you get, once you're assigned your own truck, they will route you through the house so you can get the rest of the stuff you need. Okay.
Speaker 1:So my first week as a trainer, um, I saw some pretty big rookie mistakes. So, uh, I had this girl who walked to my truck and she opened the passenger door and, I kid you not, this girl looked like she was moving into a home. She had so many things, it was too much, it would not fit. It took up almost all of her bunk and I gave her closet space and I gave her a cabinet and then she's like I can't sleep with all this stuff here. Well, I'm not sleeping in with my bunk. This is the stuff you brought. You better make room for it, because that's your space. That's all the space you have to store things. You get a little bit of cooler refrigerator space. You get a shared closet space. You may get a small cabinet and when we're talking small cabinet, we're talking small cabinet. Okay, anything else that you bring you have to sleep with on your bunk. So remember that. Remember that if bring it, if you are okay with sleeping with it, all right.
Speaker 1:So that's it for today's episode of Trekking with Tammy. I hope this helps with the new CDL holders out there. That's getting ready to hit the road with your trainers. If you got a packing horse story, drop me a line. I'd love to hear it. You can find me on Twitter or shoot me an email on my Trucking with Tammy webpage. So next week we are going to talk about shoes. I literally just watched a TikTok video with a lady flatbedding in stilettos. So until then, keep the shiny side up, rubber side down. I can't talk today. This is Tammy signing off State travels and you guys have a great day.
