Sitting for long hours as you drive your semi down the road should never be uncomfortable or leave you feeling stiff and sore when you take a break from driving. If you notice you are experiencing back pain, shoulder pain, or neck pain or your bottom is sore and aches, you should seriously consider upgrading your truck seat.
Features to Look For to Find the Best Seats
Whether you are a fleet manager or independent long haul truck driver, some of the things you should look for to find the best semi-truck seats include:
#1. Decent Back Support
Decent back support is essential to preventing aches, pains, soreness, and injuries. You want a comfortable seat with air lumbar support and air suspension to help relieve strain on your shoulders, neck, and back and prevent you from slouching.
One of the top seat brands for long distance driving comfort and support to consider is National Commodore series seats. Other brands to consider are other National seats or Bostrom seats with the BackCycler System, which is an active air-powered device to help fight back pain and reduce fatigue.
#2. Comfort and Comfort Enhancing Features
You never want a commercial truck seat that isn’t padded or that lacks sufficient padding. Poor padding will make sitting for long hours very uncomfortable and leave you with a sore backside and bottom after driving for long periods of time. Therefore, you want to make sure your new truck seat has high-quality padding that will last.
Besides having a well-padded seat, you may want to look for these other seat features for an enhanced driving experience:
- Flex Support Cushion Systems
- Heated and Cooled Seats
- Automatic Height Adjustments
- Memory Settings
- Adjustable Armrests
- Adjustable Headrest
#3. Easy to Clean Materials
Accidents are bound to happen when driving, such as spilling your coffee or dropping part of a sandwich onto your seat. Make sure your new seat offers stain-resistant fabrics and has been treated to prevent liquids from soaking into the materials.
Another option if you are accident-prone is to invest in a vinyl or leather seat. Both vinyl and leather resist stains and do not absorb liquids, so cleaning up is much easier. However, with certain features like heated and cooled seats, there can be small air holes in the vinyl or leather. So, you may want to look at seat cushion covers for added protection.
#4. Stylish Design
There is no reason why you should not get a stylish truck seat when you are upgrading and replacing your existing seat. There are numerous designs and styles to choose from to fit your tastes and match your truck’s interior.
For example, Bostrom Wide Ride + Serta air ride seats come in several different two-tone colors like black and gray or black and saddle ultra-leather. There are several two-tone and single-colored leather and cloth seat choices too.
You can also find several different tone-tone and single-colored seat options with Knoedler, National, and Sears Atlas II truck seats. It is easy to find the perfect seat in the style and design you prefer.
#5. Personalization Options
Having the flexibility to personalize and customize your new seat with the features and options you want is important. After all, you spend countless hours on the road long distance driving. So it only makes sense to want a seat that you will enjoy using every single day. Some personalization options you can choose from include heating and cooling, automatic adjustable lumbar support, memory foam, arm rests, and choice of cloth or leather in your preferred color or colors.
Types of Truck Seats
As you are browsing through new truck seats, you will come across two general types of seats. It is essential to understand the difference between these to ensure you choose the correct truck seat replacement for your truck model.
Standard Truck Seats
Standard truck seats are some of the most commonly replaced truck seats for regular truck cabs and Class B semi-trucks.
Low-Profile Truck Seats
Low-profile truck seats have a lower profile, sit lower in the cab, and are well-suited for cab-over trucks and medium-duty, delivery-type trucks. You need to check the specifics of each low-profile truck seat, as there can be variances depending on the manufacturer.
For example, Knoedler truck seats lower the riser height of the seat yet maintain the five to six inches of suspension stroke. Other manufacturers lower both the riser height and the suspension stroke height, so you end up with between three and four inches of suspension stroke.
Final Tips to Select the Best Semi-Truck Seats
Choose a seat for comfort and with adjustable lumbar support so that you can sit easily for long hours.
- Look for seats with the features and options you want.
- Compare brands to find the best semi-truck seats that fit your truck and needs.
- Do not hesitate to ask questions when you need clarification.
- Verify if an adapter plate or other seat parts will be needed to install your new seat.
Order the Best Semi Truck Seats from Suburban Seating & Safety
With almost eight decades of experience, Suburban Seating & Safety has the widest selection of quality semi-truck seats. We offer tailored solutions to fit your fleet or individual seating needs with responsive, simplified solutions and competitive prices. Please feel free to browse our online store, stop by our showroom in Lodi, NJ, or contact us at 844-727-7328 today to order the best semi truck seats, including customized seats.
