No matter what industry you’re in, tools and equipment are an absolute must. It’s always a matter of selecting the right tool for the right job, because making the wrong selection can be nothing short of dangerous, especially when it comes to your truck. Professional truck drivers understand this better than almost any other industry, and if you’re driving, there are certain tools that you certainly want to keep on hand. Even if you may never handle your own repairs, there are still a few things you’ll want to keep in the back for those emergency situations. Not sure where you should begin? This top ten list is a good start, but there are likely other things you’ll want to include depending on the type of truck you have and the kind of driving you do from day to day.
- Emergency Flares and Triangles – It goes without saying how important these can be for truck drivers who need repairs. These are the universally understood distress signal, and they help to signal oncoming traffic to move with caution around your truck.
- Fire Extinguisher – There’s nothing quite as terrifying as a fire in your truck, and having a fire extinguisher on hand can help make things a little less frightening until real help arrives to ensure everyone in or around your truck remains safe.
- Flashlight – When you have to stop for a problem at night either on the side of the road or even in a safe area like a truck stop, it may be useful to have one of these on hand so you can at least illuminate your problem. After all, it may mean the difference between a simple adjustment you can handle in five minutes and a serious repair that could take hours and put you way behind schedule.
- Load Security Devices: From the very simple choices like cable ties to the far more complicated ones like load straps and chains, ensuring your load is tied down correctly not only means that you’re going to prevent real financial problems like the loss of merchandise, but you’re also going to help keep everyone else on the road safe thanks to the fact that what you’re carrying won’t be all over the road creating traffic hazards.
- Screwdrivers: Manmade objects like trucks equal one big thing – they’re all held together with screws, and if you’re working on a truck, you’re going to loosen and tighten a lot of them. Make sure you have several sizes available because if you’re fixing something inside the cab, you’ll need a far smaller choice than you might if you’re fixing something outside.
Stay tuned for the next post when we finish this list!