It's a Team's Life
Oh NO I have nothing to wear
After being on the road for basically seventeen years I still do not have this right. We have worn uniforms for most of this time, either creating our own, or wearing the company suggested uniform. This not only simplifies our lives but we look professional when walking into a customer’s office. This takes care of one problem as we know how many uniforms we need each week.
Next comes underclothes and more is better as far as I am concerned. Laundry is done every weekend but having extra never hurts just in case. Last thing I want is to run out of underclothes and have to rewear under garments (better known as underwear). YUCK
Now comes the tricky part and were I often fail is casual clothing. We need casual clothing for cleaning the truck and going for walks in the heat. Next, we need clothing if we go out for a nice dinner, to the movies, or spending time with friends. Space is limited so mix and match works best and remember not every week will we wear much more than our uniforms. A couple of each; casual and nice works well. We wear nice pants for our uniforms and often that is what we will use for slacks when we go out in the evening. I like t-shirts, jeans, or shorts to clean the truck and I carry a couple pairs of jean, shorts, and t-shirts.
In the winter, we have our heavy coats, our lightweight liners, and our same uniforms. Bob usually has a couple of sweatshirts that he will wear when working on the truck. I am usually hot so I still wear short sleeve shirts when working inside the truck. I wear fluffy socks in the winter to keep my feet warm and leave the shoes at the door.
Shoes, now that is a problem! Luckily, I have an area for my shoes that is out of the way. I have my work shoes that I wear with uniforms. For the past many years, I have worn barefoot shoes and my feet feel awesome with the added bonus is that they do not take up much room. I also carry a pair of Sloggers to wear in the rain as barefoot shoes do not work well when walking through puddles. In the summer, I carry a couple pair of sandals that I will wear if getting out of the truck quick and not much walking involved. Bob has two pair of shoes, one for uniforms and casual, and one pair for working on the truck.
Each time we go home I rearrange what clothes I have in the truck and try to get the perfect amount of clothing and before a week or two is out I realize I did not bring enough of something or too much of something else. If it is bad enough we will go to a clothing store and do some shopping. In reality I probably still bring too many clothes, I have the room so I figure bring what will fit in my baskets.
When I start packing our clothes for out next stint out I first think of the time of year and what kind of weather conditions we might find. It can be hot or cold at our house but that does not mean it is that way all over the country. Think about how long you will be out and away from home and try to pack accordingly. I hope that you have better luck than me at getting it right!
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.