One of the major challenges you’ll endure in your trucking career is a lot of driving in winter weather. Early mornings braving the cold and hours on the road negotiating low visibility and icy roads can be wearying to drivers.
If you drive overnight, you need to be aware of the risk of black ice, which can be even more difficult to see. Luckily, there are some excellent features and accessories that can help semi truck drivers cope with the winter months.
- Ice Scraper – Don’t hit the road without one of these convenient devices for removing ice from your windows and windshield. Ice scrapers come in handy on those cold mornings when your windshield is entirely covered in ice and you simply don’t have time for the defroster to work.
- Snow Brush – You need a high-quality snow brush to fully remove snow from your truck. Not only should you remove snow from the windshield, but the front, sides, and top of the truck.
- Snow Shovel – You should have a snow shovel handy in case you get stuck, so you can dig out your tires.
- Lock De-icer – The last thing you need is to be locked out of your truck because the locks froze. Always keep a bottle of de-icer in your coat pocket.
- Tire Socks or Tire Chains – These items can help provide added traction to get to safety.
- Cat Litter/Ice Melt – Keep a box of both in your cab in case you get stuck. The cat litter helps provide traction, while the ice melt can help melt ice and snow if it is not too cold out.
- Heavy Winter Wear – If you’re going to be loading or unloading your truck during the coldest parts of the day or night, you need quality winter clothes to protect you from extreme low temperatures. Also, if you end up having mechanical problems on the road, you don’t want to be caught without sturdy gloves and a thick winter coat with a hood or a cap while you work on blown tires or frozen airlines.
- Reflective Vest/Jacket – A brightly colored reflective vest or jacket you can wear over your winter coat will make you more visible should you get stranded roadside.
- Remote Access/Start – If your truck doesn’t already have this convenient feature, you’ll want to check into installing it. Remote entry and access are very helpful on cold winter mornings after your truck has been sitting turned off.
- Portable Heater – There are several types of cab heaters available that you can use to keep your cab warm when you are sleeping.
- Electric Blanket/Bunk Warmer – Electric blankets and bunk warmers are also available to help keep you warm and comfortable for a good night’s rest.
- Front Grille Cover – There are special winter grille covers that help reduce cold airflow into the engine. Not only does the engine operate more efficiently, but it is also able to crank out plenty of heat in the cab to keep you warm.
- Tool/Supply Kit – Make sure you have adequate fuses, light bulbs, tools, additives that can liquefy gelled fuel, de-icing fluid, and other important maintenance equipment.
- First-Aid Kit – You should already have a first-aid kit in your truck. If not, you need to get one as soon as possible.
- Emergency Kit – You want to put together an emergency kit that contains bottled water, snacks, food that doesn’t need heating, thermal blankets, hand warmers, and battery-powered smartphone chargers. If you get stranded and your truck stops running, you can stay warm until help arrives.
- Emergency Roadside Kit – Your truck should already have one of these onboard that contains roadside markers and road flares.
- Windshield Cover – This handy accessory fits over the windshield’s exterior to help keep snow and ice off of it. When you get ready to head out, remove the cover, and you will have a cleared windshield.
- Heavy-Duty Winter Floor Mats – Winter weather means you will be tracking in water, snow, slush, salt, and sand into your truck cab. These types of mats have lips on the sides to keep water contained and make them easier to remove and clean.
- Seat Covers – If you have leather or vinyl seats, you already know how cold and uncomfortable they can get in winter, even if you left the truck engine running all night long with the heat on. Invest in a set of thick, soft, comfortable, and high-quality cloth seat covers as cloth does not get as cold as leather or vinyl.
- Heated Seats – Even better than seat covers are heated seats. Before you have them, you don’t understand what all the fuss is about. After you get them, you wonder how you ever survived without them. Heated truck seats are a blessing when driving during the winter season and help keep your backside warm. They also help alleviate any lower back pains and aches you may experience from colder weather.
- Heated Steering Wheel – Some trucks can be upgraded to a heated steering wheel. The steering wheel warms to keep your hands comfortable while driving without having to wear gloves.
- Steering Wheel Cover – If you cannot upgrade to a heated steering wheel, your next best option is to get a steering wheel cover.
- Winter Wiper Blades – These wiper blades are designed to work with water, snow, and ice. It also helps to keep an extra set of blades in your cab in case you need to replace one.
- Road Watch Sensors – Road Watch sensors help monitor the changing road temperatures by monitoring the air temperature and pavement temperature. They can also alert you to black ice and other dangerous road conditions.
- Heated Mirrors – Heated mirrors help keep ice and snow off of them so you can always see clearly to safely change lanes.
- Heated Backup Camera – You do not have to worry about snow or ice covering the screen of your backup camera when you upgrade to a heated model.
- Double-Layered Face Coverings – Colds, flu, and other viruses are easily transmitted in cold weather. The last thing you want is to be sidelined and miss work because you got sick.
Order Winter Accessories for Semi Trucks
It is easy at Suburban Seating & Safety to find the best accessories for semi truck interiors during the winter to stay nice and warm while driving, including heated seats and seat covers. We also carry a variety of exterior safety accessories for wintertime like Road Watch Sensors, heated mirrors, and heated backup cameras.
Explore our online store to find what you need or contact us directly at 844-727-7328 for further assistance today.
