Dec 19, 2018

Looking for the best gifts for truck drivers this holiday season?

Finding the perfect holiday gift for someone in your life can be a hard task. This is especially true if that person is a truck driver – you want something they’ll love, but you also need to keep their on-the-go lifestyle and limited truck storage space in mind. Your hours of stressing over the perfect gift are over. We’ve put together a list of some of the best gifts for truck drivers for the holidays and we’re pretty sure there’s something on this list every truck driver will enjoy.

Trucker Path

Nearly 1 million truckers rely on Trucker Path for vital information every day. Whether it’s route planning or finding truck stops, available parking, current fuel prices or a weigh station status, our app built by truckers for truckers makes life a little more comfortable and efficient for drivers while they are on the road.

Truck driver belt buckle

Let your trucker show off his career pride with a sharp new belt buckle.

Small tool set

Breakdowns and engine problems are just part of the job. Having a small tool set on hand can help truckers with preventative maintenance and quick fixes to keep them moving. Look for tools made from quality materials that will come in handy in a variety of situations.

Truck driver keychain

Truck drivers keep their keys on them all the time as part of the job, so this is a great reason to gift a personalized keychain to remind them of loved ones they have waiting at home.

Work gloves

There are many situations that call for work gloves in trucking and drivers tend to go through several pair a year. You’ll want to choose a pair that’s comfortable, breathable and flexible enough for your driver to handle load securement and other tasks.

Slow Cooker

Space is limited inside a truck cab, but a small slow cooker is something every trucker should own. They’ll be able to make home cooked meals while they’re on the road, which saves them money and helps them maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Electric blanket

A portable electric blanket is great for cold winter nights sleeping inside the truck cab.

Healthy snacks

Healthy snacks help give drivers the energy they need throughout the day between meals. You can either put together some of your trucker’s favorite snacks into a care package or find a pre-made one online.

Toiletry bag

Since truck drivers are on the road a lot, a great shower kit or toiletry bag can be so helpful. Choose one that has storage for all their shower essentials and that can hang anywhere for easy access.

Passenger seat organizer

A seat organizer in the front passenger seat is a great way to keep paperwork, route information, snacks and other important items nearby.

Portable stove or hot plate

Portable stoves or hot plates are also valuable cooking tools for truck drivers. If your trucker doesn’t already have one of these, they’re the perfect gift that they can use every day they’re on the road.

Mini refrigerator

If the trucker on your gift list doesn’t have a truck equipped with a fridge, this may be the perfect gift! A truck fridge can save drivers time, keep drinks cold and is the perfect place to store food for healthy meals on the road. Make sure you compare both size and capacity of the fridge and choose a 12-volt model, so it uses less power.

Portable vehicle safe

Wallet, phones and tablets, checks and cash – these are just a few of the valuable truck drivers have on them at any given time. A portable safe will help keep these important items safe from thieves when a driver steps out for a break.

Audio book subscription

Drivers spend hours on the road, so audiobooks are a great way to pass the time without being distracted from the road. An audiobook subscription will allow your truck driver to choose from thousands of books in their favorite genres.

Portable exercise equipment

Give the gift of fitness this year with portable exercise equipment. Resistance bands are perfect for truck drivers, because they offer a variety of workout options and take up minimal storage space. If your truck driver already has a set of resistance bands, equipment like dumbbell weights, yoga mat or a folding bicycle can make great fitness gifts too.

Happy gifting!

Celebrate National Truck Driver Appreciation Week with loads of savings and giveaways [p]National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW) is this week! This year, the trucking industry will come together from September 9-15 to honor professional drivers nationwide. We want to thank you for all your hard work and commitment to your careers. Without you and your integral role as a truck driver, life would get tough fast for the rest of us. Many of the things we take for granted, including access to medical supplies, fuel, food and clean water, would all be gone in a matter of weeks without trucks and truck drivers. What you do matters, and we are so grateful for you.[/p] [p]As a professional driver, there are several rewards and freebies you can take advantage of as part of NTDAW. These include:[/p] <ul> <li>[p]Denny’s - Participating Denny’s travel center locations will offer professional drivers scratch-off cards with various diner discounts and prizes through September 30. Drivers will also receive a 10 percent discount key tag that can be used until December 31, 2019. (<a href="https://www.truckersnews.com/dennys-to-show-appreciation-to-drivers-in-september/">https://www.truckersnews.com/dennys-to-show-appreciation-to-drivers-in-september/</a>)[/p]</li> <li>[p]Pilot/Flying J - Throughout the month of September, Pilot Flying J stores will have money-saving offers and daily giveaways via the myPilot® app. Pilot Flying J Truck Care is also offering free mid-trip inspections, valued at $50, to help professional drivers and trucking companies prepare for Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Brake Safety Week. The company is also handing out a combined 100 million myRewards® loyalty points to more than 60,000 drivers, including 2,000 daily winners. To enter, professional drivers can simply swipe their myRewards® loyalty card when purchasing diesel fuel at participating travel centers in the United States. Additional details can be found here: <a href="https://www.pilotflyingj.com/driver-appreciation/">https://www.pilotflyingj.com/driver-appreciation/</a>[/p]</li> <li>[p]Love’s Travel Centers - Love’s is celebrating NTDAW all month long with many food, drink, and merchandise deals as well as the opportunity to win 10,000 My Love Reward points. One driver will win 1 million points. Use the following link for more details: <a href="https://www.truckersnews.com/loves-appreciates-trucker-drivers-throughout-september/">https://www.truckersnews.com/loves-appreciates-trucker-drivers-throughout-september/</a>[/p]</li> <li>[p]AmBest Truck Stops - Specific AmBest members are hosting driver appreciation events. Check out the full list here to find one near you: <a href="https://am-best.com/News-Events/Driver-Appreciation-Days">https://am-best.com/News-Events/Driver-Appreciation-Days</a>[/p]</li> <li>[p]Southern Recipe - Vote for your favorite truck driver chef recipe for a chance to with $2,000 here: <a href="http://southernrecipe.com/truckdriverappreciation/">http://southernrecipe.com/truckdriverappreciation/</a>[/p]</li> </ul> [p]Many carriers around the country are also hosting their own driver appreciation events this week. Be sure to check out their social media pages to find out the details. Know about a NTDAW event happening that you want to share with other drivers? Leave the details in a comment below.[/p] [p]Here’s to a great National Truck Driver Appreciation Week![p]

Sep 10, 2018 • Community

Trucking Industry Update December 7, 2018 [p]By Jeremy Feucht [p]Did you Know? [p]On December 8, 1993, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was signed into law. For more on how NAFTA affects trucking, check out the <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/international-programs/north-american-free-trade-agreement-nafta-fact-sheet">FMCSA Fact Sheet</a>. [p]Trucking tip of the Week [p]Snow has begun to fall more frequently across the US. Make sure to allow yourself plenty of stopping distance. If you haven’t already, store an extra set of warm clothes and plenty of blankets in your truck in case you run into trouble out on the road. [p]Diesel Fuel Tax Increase [p]Multiple states are considering an increase to their state fuel tax rates. <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/gas-tax-hike-capital-bill-rahms-transportation-commissioner-pitches-rebekah-scheinfeld/">The state that will be the quickest to approve the increase may be Illinois</a>. If Illinois does not do it as a state, the city of Chicago may do it on its own. Citing the need to push ahead with construction jobs that have been tabled, officials say there will not be enough revenue to get it all done without the tax increase. With diesel prices expected to soar by mid-2019 into the <a href="https://www.ttnews.com/articles/will-trucking-be-affected-new-pollution-rules-ocean-shipping">$4 per gallon range</a>, any proposed increase in fuel taxes are worth noting. [p]Tariffs and Trucking [p]Could we see an earlier peak season than normal in 2019? With the recent pause being placed on tariffs from China, a rush may be placed on orders to arrive in the US before the threat of tariffs comes to fruition. Last year, with tariffs being imminent, peak season shifted from August to July. While it is a plausibility that <a href="https://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/us-tariff-postponement-may-reshape-early-2019-trucking_20181204.html">the Journal of Commerce entertains</a> (and makes a valid point),due to weather related issues that come with the first quarter of the year, it is highly unlikely that a full-scale shift from late spring/early summer for the peak season will come to pass. The ports will undoubtedly be busier than normal for that time of the year, but a total shift is unlikely to occur. [p]General News [p]The Federal Highway Administration enacted new regulations that will force all agencies to <a href="https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/national-environmental-policy-act-61701/">investigate environmental impacts of proposed legislation</a> prior to enacting new rules. While the trucking industry will not feel the effects of this rule immediately, this could be the start of a wider range of rules that could make older trucks illegal to drive for commercial purposes.

Dec 07, 2018

Must-See Movies for Truck Drivers Which night is movie night for you? Is it Wednesday evening, when you’re relaxing after a long day on the road? Or do you wait until the weekend to chill on your couch at home? Whichever represents your ideal movie night, rest assured that we have the perfect must-see movie list just for truck drivers like you. We’ll start with one of the most obvious: [p]Smokey and the Bandit (1977) [p]Starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Mike Henry, this action comedy film is about two truck drivers who take a dare to deliver a truckload of beer. After they pick up a hitchhiker - a runaway bride - they soon find themselves being pursued by the jilted groom and his sheriff father. [p]Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) [p]Did you even know there was a sequel? In this one, the Bandit returns to transport an elephant from Florida to Texas. [p]Armed and Dangerous (1986) [p]Starring John Candy, Meg Ryan and Eugene Levy, Armed and Dangerous is about a disgraced cop and an inept lawyer embark on second careers as security guards. The pair quickly discover corruption within their union and security firm. In this movie, John Candy’s character hitches a ride with a trucker who plows through cars in a traffic jam and ignores the rules of the road to prevent a robbery. [p]Big Rig (2007) [p]A documentary film, Big Rig follows several long-haul truckers as they discuss life on the road and challenges truckers face in the industry. [p]Black Dog (1998) [p]This thriller, starring Patrick Swayze, is about an ex-con truck driver who discovers he’s unknowingly transporting a truck full of illegal weapons. [p]Convoy (1978) [p]A group of trucker friends use their CB radios to warn each other about police nearby until a sheriff tries to foil their plans with his own radio broadcasts. [p]Flatbed Annie & Sweetie Pie: Lady Truckers (1979) [p]Two women team up behind the wheel of a Mack Super-Liner to keep it out of the hands of a repo man and hijackers. [p]The Great Smokey Roadblock (1977) [p]After a truck driver gets his rig repossessed, he steals it back to make one last cross-country run. [p]Hijack! (1973) [p]Two truck drivers are tasked with transporting top-secret cargo from New York to Houston. A terrorist group tries to hijack their freight along the way. [p]Over the Top (1987) [p]A struggling trucker, played by Sylvester Stallone, uses arm wrestling to earn extra money. When he takes his estranged son on the road with him, he tries to use the World Arm Wrestling Championships to win back his son. [p]Snitch (2013) [p]Dwayne Johnson plays a father whose son is accused of distributing drugs. In order to help his son, Johnson’s character goes undercover with the DEA to infiltrate a drug cartel. You won’t want to miss two major action sequences that involve a big rig. [p]Steel Cowboy (1978) [p]Trucker Clayton Ray Davis, played by James Brolin, agrees to haul some stolen cattle to avoid getting his truck repossessed. [p]They Drive by Night (1940) [p]Starring George Raft and Humphrey Bogart, two brothers try to make a living as wildcat truckers. [p]Thunder Run (1986) [p]A truck driver transports plutonium from Nevada to Arizona, unaware that there are terrorists waiting to steal his freight. [p]Time Bomb (1984) [p]A truck carrying plutonium gets hijacked by terrorists and it’s up to the truckers to save the day. [p]One of these has to sound good to you! Which film are you planning to see on your next movie night?

Oct 24, 2018