From our very first trip as a professional truck driving team, our packing list included two items that we considered indispensable.
In fact, even when Mike became a solo truck driver — and the number of items that he took with him on the road increased — he kept these items on his travel checklist with two exceptions:
- when driving for a trucking company with prohibitions; and
- when driving a truck locally (when they weren’t needed).
Please bear in mind that the information on this page is geared for truckers:
- who have a sleeper berth on their trucks; and
- who routinely spend time away from home overnight — in order to help make their trucks their home sweet home.
Before we get into our packing list, on March 16, 2023, Vicki came across this article:
Daily Infographic: Truck driver essentials: Things truckers describe as ‘must-haves’
Indispensable Item #1 on Our Packing List
The first indispensable item we packed was a device to keep food cold.
Because we consider this ability to be very important, we have used a variety of devices over the years.
You may read our pages linked from our meal preparation page, and especially our use of
Indispensable Item #2 on Our Packing List
The second indispensable item we packed for life on the road was a portable toilet.
We wanted (and needed) the convenience of being able to “go to the bathroom” whenever we needed to.
The Porta Potti® served not only as a toilet, but also as a collection point for all waste water from
- cleaning dishes,
- brushing teeth, and
- washing hands.
We listed 10 reasons why OTR truckers should consider having a portable toilet in their trucks.
Our Lists
Depending on your needs, the room in your truck and your personal preferences, you may have an inventory much different from ours.
Here are the different packing lists that Mike uses for time on the road:
- job-related;
- food and equipment; and
- personal.
You may download all of these through our Free Downloads page.
Other Packing List Items
As we have time, we plan to provide info on these other travel checklist items:
- baby wipes for various cleaning tasks;
- baking soda as a low-cost cleaning agent;
- bedding, as in a sleeping bag or combination of bed sheets and blankets, and even sleeping bag repair;
- bedding accessories, including pillows and curtains;
- cameras, both digital and disposable;
- clothes, clothing and doing laundry on the road;
- door mats to help you keep your truck cleaner;
- grooming tools and personal hygiene items;
- inverters;
- a laptop computer;
- the all-important portable toilet, and absolutely essential deodorizing chemical treatment;
- truckers atlas or trucker maps;
- trucker hats;
- sunglasses: polarized, transition prescription lenses, and amber vision; and
- a vacuum cleaner.
- ventilation systems including portable fans and window screens;
There are lots of items that drivers might routinely use in their homes that don’t exactly fit in a truck.
Sometimes items can be repurposed so that they will work for better use and functionality in a truck.
We provide a list of our recommended trucker accessories.
We also provide some guidance on truck organization.
We think that every truck driver needs to be prepared as much as possible in advance of emergencies, with an emergency fund and emergency kit.
There are also some items that a professional driver should not pack in his or her truck, which should be apparent by reading through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s list of definitions in Part 390.5 of the Rules and Regulations.
Additional Resources About Trucker Packing List Items
Some of these resources have been provided by others.
Money saving tip: Although a professional driver cannot anticipate absolutely every contingency that he or she will face on the road, being well prepared by following a well laid out packing list is certainly an advantage.
Consider, for example, the cost of a ticket for having a burned out headlamp when you could have had not only a spare with you but also the tools with which to change it.
