What are some "must have" items to make living on the road more pleasurable?

You need to have several large coolers (I had 2) and lots of bagged ice to keep your perishable foods cold. You will also need something to cook canned foods with. There are pouches that plug into the cigarette socket around $50 that you can put two cans of (for instance) soup and have them piping hot in about 5 hours or less. I had two of these pouches so I could have breakfast in the morning and lunch later on when stopped for lunch, then put dinner into the breakfast pouch in time for supper later.

Don't recommend a microwave oven as you don't want to have to worry about the oven emitting radiation when not in use which can impact your joints. Don't bother with a plug in ice box either as they don't keep food that cold and are a waste of money.

Get an upgraded mattress for your bunk. Preferably one of the memory foam series at least 4" thick is in order. The thicker the better for a good night's sleep.

Also, a good TV, DVD player is in order. Liots of truck stops have the service where you can hook up your TV to their cable system, and also a/c or heat source.

You of course need a good cell phone to contact your receiver/shipper's offices if you get lost and your dispatch office for next load. Pay phones don't exist any more but extremely hard to find.

Don't bother with a satellite TV system as these are impossible to set up once you are parked for the night in some areas and you'll be wasting more time trying to get the dish right when you could be watching say a dvd instead.

A good plug in electric blanket is good as the cabs can get quite cold at night in the winter even with the heat turned on. Most places do not permit idling away for hours on end now so you're going to get mighty cold without a heated blanket.

Lots of spare clothes to wear. Remember your clothes should not be too good as you will get very dirty and greasy and some grease won't be able to washed out. And some thermal shirts are good to pack as well. Flannel shirts are good as well. Sweatshirts are good also with hoods.
And a good heavy winter coat or two and heavy hats that cover your ears and forehead to keep your head warm are good.

A good, all around raincoat is best. And don't forget rainshoes or rainboots as it will get muddy, snowy and yucky out there. Also a good 3 D cell flashlight like a Maglight and possibly a portable spotlight as well to work at night or having to find trailers in the dark in a huge lot or inspecting the trailers for damage before you hook them up.

And good warm snow boots.

I know my list is long, but you did ask for what is necessary to be comfortable. You need to remember the type of weather you will be driving in for the next week or month you are gone over the road and where you will be going. This country can have wild swings of different weather in the winter from well below freezing in up state Minnesota to the 80's in Florida. So just pack accordingly and you'll be just fine.

You can include a laptop if you have one but don't expect to connect to the internet everywhere you go unless you have an uplink connection which is very costly but you can connect at the truck stops if they have a service to connect to. The smaller truck stops don't have much to offer period. The larger ones like Petro or Flying J's have much more to offer but sometimes they are no where around where you go to pick up or deliver and sometimes you will have to camp out for the night at a rest area and just have a bathroom and sink.

Don't forget your shaving items and your own soap and shampoo.. And 2 good coffee thermoses. Some truck stops offer fill your thermos up for a nominal fee.

You can carry a Coleman 2 burner kerosene campstove. Don't use the propane models as the propane is not allowed on big trucks in the cabs and you could get a big fine for it. And only use the campstove at a rest area on a picnic table for safety sake or on the direct ground and not inside the cab.

I lived on a big truck for over a year. If you have any more questions, just ask.

Wow I want to take the time to thank you for your input. I have ideas now to make a more comfortable otr life.THankyou

You are quite welcome.

I forgot to mention that you can have a good supply of a varuety of canned foods along with you that you buy at home locally vs you stop at truck stops and buy the canned stuff at a fortune per can. The ready to eat soups are good choices but don't eat too many due to the high fat content. And corned beef hash was one of my favorites cooked in the heater pouches.

You don't want to waste time and money eating at truck stops either as you will become very fat very quickly. Steer clear of the buffets as well as the food has been left out for who knows how long and sneezed, coughed over during the winter months. Tempting but don't.

You also need to carry Vitamin D pills, Vitamin C pills and take every day.

Also, some drivers take along a small bicycle with them for exercise when they stop for the night. They chain it behind the cab area.

Also, if you read books you may want toinvest in an MP3 player and download a good supply of audio books for your trip. Books take up a lot of room and can become flying missles in an accident.

And speaking of accidents, be sure to securely strap in your TV, as it will walk all over the place.

And if you decide to take along jugs of fresh water with you, be aware that the bottoms of normal store bought water jugs will leak from teeny tiny pin holes in the bottom caused by the constant vibration of the engine. Best to use some heavy weight plastic gallon jugs instead of the original flimsy plastic jugs. If you are stopped at a pull out with no water available you will be more than grateful for your own water to drink or wash up in.

Not every place you will stop at will be a truck stop, either. I've been in some dandy areas in the middle of nowhere Texas at a pull out on a two lane road at 2AM stopped to get some shut eye and then go on. Had I not had my own supplies I would have been out of luck.

You will also learn where the big trucks can and cannot stop in parking lots at say big supermarket stores. Some places will run you off and others don't care. If you don't see other trucks parked, chances are they will run you off. Just don't stay too long inside the store. Shop quick, get back to the truck, load up your stuff and git.

Remember also that most times at shippers you won't have access to any food at all and can be there for hours on end getting loaded. Same thing at the other end waiting to get unloaded. If you don't have it with you, you can't even have a drink of water at some shippers/receivers!! Sad but true some won't even let you use the potty!

During an entire month out on the road I would stop at a known supermarket parking lot, go inside the store and stock up on the next week's goodies. Knowing I would be going through states that had outdoor grills at rest areas I would buy a steak or two and grill with my own charcoal one of the best tasting steaks I've ever had.

I forgot to mention about the CB radio. Good to have especially if you want an up to date Bear Report or know the road conditions ahead of you in bad weather. It's entertainment in itself 24/7.

I have eaten watermelon bought from roadside stands in many states. A lot of local produce in the summer is exceptionally good. Just don't bother with corn as you have no way to cook it properly. Peaches, strawberries, oranges, etc. Yum. Summer driving on two lane roads can uncover a bonanza of goodies. Just try and remember you are on the job and be sure to log yourself accordingly if you are off the truck more than 15 minutes (as you legally must log that time as such).

Just because you are on the road does not mean you can't live like a king. I did and so can you.

My answers are a labor of love. I loved living on the road and being sometimes in 5 states in one day. Wake up in one state, pick up in another, drive through 3 more and go to sleep in the 5th state.

Cobra or Galaxy are the best CB's out there. Galaxy costs more though. Be sure to get a quality antenna that unscrews so you can take it down when you go back to the yard so no one takes it off your truck.

Also one of the most important things to get is a laminated Trucker's atlas. It may cost a little more but in the end it will outlast any paper atlas and keep you informed of upcoming weigh stations and other important information. It is a must read.

Make sure your company supplies you with a set of chains to use in snowy areas where chains are mandatory to continue driving. Some companies "rent" these chains to you and will refund your rental fee at the end of the winter season when they are returned to the yard. The DOT will look for these chains during the winter during a routine DOT inspection so it's something that needs to be in the side boxes. You can fail a DOT inspection during the winter if you don't have them onboard.

Much will depend on the size of your sleeper and what it already includes. In fact, that will determine a great deal of what you might have room for. Many will already have a built-in fridge and small freezer. It also can depend on whether you are a company driver, or an owner-operator with your own authority or leasing on with a company.

While certainly not all necessities, a few things I have found that can be nice to have (went from a 72" sleeper to a 96" which makes a big difference in space and storage):

*good, quality sheets can make a difference in comfort
*as was said, it starts with a quality mattress
*camping toilet for emergencies is a nice perk if you have space
*I like having a microwave
*electric teapot
*crock-pot
*toaster
*an APU is really nice, or a generator
*electric skillet
*comfort foods and healthy snacks
*television and DVD player
*laptop (aircard picks up in most locations)
*decent driver and passenger seats
*a GPS
*a camera for personal use (you'll have one for business use as well)
*as twinkiedooter said, you'll spend some nights at rest areas (some of which are really quite good) and not so great truck stops that are just convenient for their locations, but also learn where the nicer truck stops are... some have movie theaters, nice restaurants, great restrooms and showers, shops, fitness rooms, barber/hair salon, etc. even dentists and chiropractors.
*Some drivers find having a pet along is nice company (if working for a company, it may or may not be allowed). I've seen plenty of dogs, from Yorkies to Dobermans, a few cats and a bird.
*While you can pick up items along the way, having a supply of medicines can be helpful, especially when you wake up with a pounding headache in the middle of nowhere. Keep a container or basket in a cupboard with things for stomach upset, headache, sore throat, etc.
*Wipes are nice to have as well for quick clean-ups
*Sirius radio for having a large variety of radio stations at anytime and place