Setting up the Truck
“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” - Benjamin Franklin
The first step to setting up your semi-truck for your little one is preparing the space you have so that you can fit the little one in along with all the stuff that they need or might possible need on a daily basis.
What kind of storage is there in a semi-truck?
The answer to this question is largely dependent on the type of truck you have. I am familiar with the Freightliner Century and Cascadia.
From my experience all Semi-Trucks have:
- Storage underneath the bottom bunk;
- Side storage box;
- A Top bunk bed (unless it was ordered without one);
- Two smaller cabinets;
- Two shelves ;
-Space between the chairs and doors;
-Space at either end of the bed;
- A slide in and out desk (I have found that you can place an average size wooden cutting board on this making an excellent kitchen workspace);
Flatbed trucks have extra side tool boxes (can be used as a refrigerator in the winter);
Side Note: In our truck note that we have replaced one of our cabinets for a refrigerator and microwave. See our Interior Design section for more information.
From my experience all Semi-Trucks have:
- Storage underneath the bottom bunk;
- Side storage box;
- A Top bunk bed (unless it was ordered without one);
- Two smaller cabinets;
- Two shelves ;
-Space between the chairs and doors;
-Space at either end of the bed;
- A slide in and out desk (I have found that you can place an average size wooden cutting board on this making an excellent kitchen workspace);
Flatbed trucks have extra side tool boxes (can be used as a refrigerator in the winter);
Side Note: In our truck note that we have replaced one of our cabinets for a refrigerator and microwave. See our Interior Design section for more information.
Cutting down on what you don't need
The number one important principle to follow in any truck is:
What do I absolutely need in one week?
Within that week you should have time to do laundry once, make a shopping trip to Walmart and grab a shower at least every 2-3 days.
Don’t bring any fancy clothes out on the road with you and keep your shoes down to two pairs at the most.
Scan paperwork onto a laptop or store it in the cloud and access it on your phone. Invest in a decent iphone or tablet and store any books on it (including kid’s books).
Take a good hard look everything you keep on the truck. What can I eliminate? What can I sacrifice?
Don’t bring any fancy clothes out on the road with you and keep your shoes down to two pairs at the most.
Scan paperwork onto a laptop or store it in the cloud and access it on your phone. Invest in a decent iphone or tablet and store any books on it (including kid’s books).
Take a good hard look everything you keep on the truck. What can I eliminate? What can I sacrifice?
Baby Essentials
I mentioned earlier that you need to have the bare essentials for your baby. There’s not a lot out there on this and it is very subject to opinion as to what a baby actually needs and even then to make things even more complicated every baby is different. Here is what I have found:
Clothes – Just like with your own clothes the baby will need one weeks-worth of practical clothes. Add in an extra 2-3 pieces for emergency changes. If they are close to going up a size add in 2-3 changes of clothes in the larger size. You will also need to consider the season. Note: long sleeved shirts can be easily turned into short sleeved shirts with a pair of scissors, so if you have to choose pack clothes for colder weather.
Diapers - Think about how many diapers they go through in a week and plan accordingly. I found that I needed at least a box and a half to two boxes once they get older. If you pull the diaper packs out of the boxes, they are more easily stored.
Formula - Even if your breast feeding you will always want to keep a supply with you just in case. If you’re using formula on a regular basis, you may wish to keep more than two cans on you at all time in case of an emergency. Truck stops do not carry formula.
Bottles - I have found that keeping two or three bottles on the truck is a good number. Alternate them out, cleaning them out after the little one is finished. As they get older, keep one for juice and water, one for formula or milk and the third as a backup. I kept a bottle brush in the shower bag and gave them a really good cleaning whenever we took a shower. We’ll go into more of this later.
Transportable changing mat - Great for all occasions. Optional depending on the child.
Diaper bag - Good for outings, even better for clothing storage. At first I would pack one in the morning and use it throughout the day. Later on, I abandoned the bag and just used my purse to keep diapers and wipes in.
Burp cloths – I kept about four or five folded underneath the mattress. I used them for more than just burping the baby. Cleaning up messes, pot holders, etc.
Bedding – Whatever you need in order to form a crib and keep your baby warm. We’ll go into this more later.
Bathing - A baby bath with a holder and baby soap (the fully closeable kind or it WILL leak everywhere). I found that the flannels in the truck stop bathrooms suffice for cleaning the little one, but you may want to add in baby flannels if your little one has sensitive skin.
Baby backpack - For those awesome times when you are needing to transport your child, or just multi-task. This is absolutely essential until the little one can learn how to walk. Depending on the backpack you can wear it on the front or move it around onto your back with the help of your partner.
Car Seat - Every moving vehicle needs one, and yes because your truck does not have an air bag you are able to put it safely in the front seat. We’ll cover this in more depth later.
Toys - Depends on the baby’s age. I found that my little one loved his car seat mobile and it would entertain him for hours. Later on we kept a crate on board filled with toys that could be easily moved into a truck stop, hotel or home.
Clothes – Just like with your own clothes the baby will need one weeks-worth of practical clothes. Add in an extra 2-3 pieces for emergency changes. If they are close to going up a size add in 2-3 changes of clothes in the larger size. You will also need to consider the season. Note: long sleeved shirts can be easily turned into short sleeved shirts with a pair of scissors, so if you have to choose pack clothes for colder weather.
Diapers - Think about how many diapers they go through in a week and plan accordingly. I found that I needed at least a box and a half to two boxes once they get older. If you pull the diaper packs out of the boxes, they are more easily stored.
Formula - Even if your breast feeding you will always want to keep a supply with you just in case. If you’re using formula on a regular basis, you may wish to keep more than two cans on you at all time in case of an emergency. Truck stops do not carry formula.
Bottles - I have found that keeping two or three bottles on the truck is a good number. Alternate them out, cleaning them out after the little one is finished. As they get older, keep one for juice and water, one for formula or milk and the third as a backup. I kept a bottle brush in the shower bag and gave them a really good cleaning whenever we took a shower. We’ll go into more of this later.
Transportable changing mat - Great for all occasions. Optional depending on the child.
Diaper bag - Good for outings, even better for clothing storage. At first I would pack one in the morning and use it throughout the day. Later on, I abandoned the bag and just used my purse to keep diapers and wipes in.
Burp cloths – I kept about four or five folded underneath the mattress. I used them for more than just burping the baby. Cleaning up messes, pot holders, etc.
Bedding – Whatever you need in order to form a crib and keep your baby warm. We’ll go into this more later.
Bathing - A baby bath with a holder and baby soap (the fully closeable kind or it WILL leak everywhere). I found that the flannels in the truck stop bathrooms suffice for cleaning the little one, but you may want to add in baby flannels if your little one has sensitive skin.
Baby backpack - For those awesome times when you are needing to transport your child, or just multi-task. This is absolutely essential until the little one can learn how to walk. Depending on the backpack you can wear it on the front or move it around onto your back with the help of your partner.
Car Seat - Every moving vehicle needs one, and yes because your truck does not have an air bag you are able to put it safely in the front seat. We’ll cover this in more depth later.
Toys - Depends on the baby’s age. I found that my little one loved his car seat mobile and it would entertain him for hours. Later on we kept a crate on board filled with toys that could be easily moved into a truck stop, hotel or home.
How to organize Everything
I have been incredibly lucky to have my husband who used to be in the army train me in how to organize and pack. I will attempt to help you with this also.
· Be creative;
· Always put the largest items in first;
· Put the items that you need most often where you can reach them;
· Unpack Boxes, break them down and get rid of them (diaper boxes);
· Which objects can fit inside one another?
· Use soft objects to cushion anything breakable and to fit in the cracks between other solid objects;
For more ideas and solutions check out our Interior Designs and Storage solutions page.