Nights Out in a Truck Tramping Essentials

My first experience of spending the night in a truck was awful! I was totally unprepared with items I had with me and also what the experience itself would be.

I was delivering goods in Gloucestershire around the Cotswolds and for all intents and purposes was supposed to be back home that night.

The phone rang in the cab, it was the office, “there is a change of plan after you deliver in Gloucestershire can you make your way to Tilbury Docks to collect a load first thing in the morning”. I was horrified because I was not expecting to be out in the truck all night, luckily I had my sleeping bag and a pillow which I always kept in the cab with me.

I delivered in Gloucestershire and started to make my way towards Tilbury, I decided to park the truck at Cobham Services on the M25, then I could set off early in the morning.

I parked the truck, put my tacho on break, and paid for the overnight truck parking, I got myself some food and a couple of bottles of water for the night ahead. 

I sat in the truck and eat my food listening to the radio, once I had finished my meal I made up my bunk ready for a relaxing evening.

I had no TV with me so it was radio only for me, which to be honest in my opinion does get a little boring after tea time.

I had a very weak signal on my phone so going on social media wasn’t much of an option as the phone was up near the skylight before getting a signal.

As the night drew in I lay back on the bunk turned on the night heater and hoped the radio would send me to sleep.

All was going well and I was dozing nicely when all of a sudden! A truck parked next to me with the noisiest fridge unit you have ever heard.

I could barely hear the radio never mind try and get some sleep.

Eventually, I did get some sleep but all night long it was disturbed by the fridge unit starting up next to me.

I woke the following morning as my alarm clock rang out, I slowly got myself dressed and went to get a coffee to wake me up.

Once I was fully awake I took my tacho off-break and started my morning vehicle checks, as I walked around my truck I noticed someone had slashed the curtains on the side of the truck.

Luckily I had some gaffa tape in my bag and made a temporary repair to the side curtain so that I could continue with my day, thankfully it was not too big a tear.

That was my first night out in a truck, totally unprepared, no knowledge of where I should try to park to avoid a fridge parking next to me, no entertainment in my truck like a truck TV, no kettle totally relying on the Service area, the only good thing was at least I managed to get to the services as a night out in a layby with no kit would have been a disaster.