Trucking Comfort Items That Every Driver Should Have

Trucking is a hard job. The hours are long and the stress of fighting traffic all day will wear out the best drivers. After spending a tremendous amount of time behind the wheel of a semi-truck I have found the following items helpful in making each trip a little more comfortable.

Steering Wheel Cover

One item most truckers will not go without is a steering wheel cover for their truck. You can find these at most truck stops. If you drive for any length of time without a steering wheel cover in all likelihood your fingers will start to cramp up for having to squeeze too hard to grip the wheel. Considering truckers are known to call themselves “steering wheel holders” is no coincidence. We hold that wheel for up to 11 hours a day. You are going to want your hands to be as comfortable as possible because of this. What type of steering wheel cover should you get? It is going to have to be eighteen inches and that is really the only requirement. They come in varied materials, colors and patterns depending on your personal tastes.

12 Volt Cooler

The next most important item every trucker should have out there on the road is a refrigerated cooler that plugs into a 12-volt outlet. Some trucks come with a fridge, and some do not. If your truck does not have a fridge a 12-volt cooler will be one of the best items, you can invest in. You will be able to store cold drinks and food in it. My personal favorite brand is Coleman. They come in all shapes and sizes but you are best off buying a large one. You can never have enough cold storage when living your life out of a truck.

Memory Foam Mattress Topper

If you value getting a good night’s rest and your truck’s mattress leaves a lot to be desired on the comfort scale. You may want to invest in a 3 or 4-inch memory foam mattress topper. It made a world of difference on the quality of sleep I was able to get in my truck. I slept like a baby most of the time. But part of the reason for that is we do work really long days out there trucking. Another advantage of using a thick memory foam mattress topper is it will help absorb many of the vibrations from your truck if you happen to be idling while you are asleep.

Foldable Back Scratcher

This next item may not seem like the most important item to have in a truck but let me tell you. When you are driving down the highway and a serious itch that is out of reach on your back you will be incredibly grateful that you have a telescopic back scratcher. They are cheap, easy to store and well worth the investment. If you can handle that back itch driving, you crazy for 2 hours then you’re a better truck driver than me.

Coffee Maker

To all of you coffee drinkers out there having a non-12-volt coffee maker is the way to go. The 12-volt ones do not get hot enough and take too long to brew a pot. Make sure you get one that plugs directly into your truck’s invertor. I had a cheap $10 coffee maker from Walmart, and it made steaming hot coffee in a couple minutes every morning without ever having to leave my truck. Talk about a life saver!

Comfortable Running shoes

Your feet will thank you for investing in a high-quality pair of breathable running shoes. The color I prefer is black because they will be getting dirty and scuffed up and black hides this well. Any dark color should work though. If you drive flatbed, tanker or handle touch freight you may be stuck wearing steel toed boots but for the rest of us comfortable footwear can go a long way. I am not a huge fan of open toe shoes while driving but I know a lot of drivers are. You really just want to be wearing breathable footwear if your job allows it.

Spandex Jeans

Ok so this next item may sound like something Richard Simmons would wear while driving a truck but hear me out. I have several pairs of Wrangler jeans that were partial spandex and let me tell you. They were extremely comfortable, long lasting and looked like real jeans. They were lite weight and also breathed better than your standard denim jean. No one will know either. I was not a driver to wear shorts, so I always made sure to have a comfortable lose fitting jean to wear because you are going to be wearing them for a long time each day. Some drivers may prefer to wear sweatpants and flip flops for comfort and if they do it is their right but for me a comfortable pair of jeans went a long way while still maintaining a semblance of pride.

Nylon Latex Coated Work Gloves

When you are outside of the truck you will be touching some dirty stuff. The gas pumps, trailer doors, landing gear crank and you name it. You are going to want the right type of gloves that will allow for easy movement with your fingers as well as protect your hands from scrapes, dirt, and gunk. I found the latex and micro foam coating work gloves to be outstanding. They fit better than an oversize pair of leather gloves that a lot of truck stops seem to carry, and you will have better finger dexterity also. And the best part is that they can be ordered in a ten pack. After a week or so you are going to want to swap out your old dirty pair for a new one. They are also great for handling freight if your truck job involves doing that.

Noise Canceling Earbuds

Trucks are loud and sometimes you just want a little peace and quiet. If you invest in a pair of noise cancelling earbuds, you can turn your factory loud cab into an almost quiet room. It works wonders really. Whether you are listening to the radio, taking a call over your phone or just want some peace from the constant rattling and shaking noise your engine and the highway are making. I found active noise cancelling earbuds to be one of the best pieces of equipment I had. You may even find that it helps to ease your nerves a little during those long noisy days.

Seat Cushion

This is going to depend on your driver’s seat but investing in a decent quality seat cushion can go a long way to making the ride a lot more comfortable. It can even help reduce some of the bouncing up and down on your body when you truck is running over a bumpy highway. Every truck I have drove benefited from adding a seat cushion except the brand-new Mack Anthem I ran when doing over the road flatbed. That truck’s seat was so comfortable it did not really need anything. If your back hurts after a long drive a seat cushion may also relieve some of this discomfort as well.

Memory Foam Head Rest

Now here is an item I did not see too many other truckers travel with, but it was a god send. The head rest had a contour were your neck or head fit in and it was as soft as a pillow. It simply just strapped to the upper part of the driver’s seat from the top. Once there you had a place to relieve neck pain! If you have driven a truck for any length of time being able to relax your neck muscles by resting your head on a head rest does wonders. It is like heaven for your neck.

Comfort Items Summary

Who says trucking has to be so hard? Make it as easy as possible on your mind and body with these accessories for your truck. These are just some of my more favorite creature comfort items while driving and living in a truck day in and day out. And they helped me out a great deal. Let’s face it if you are not as comfortable as you can be out there you are going to be miserable. So do yourself a favor and invest in anything on this list that you think may make your day’s go a little better.