Cool Gifts 2018

Yeah, it’s already that time. The holiday season really creeps up on us, doesn’t it? If you haven’t already begun shopping for gifts, don’t worry. Staff Writer Tyson Fisher searched high and low for ideal gifts for the professional driver in your life. Drivers? See something you like? Circle it and “accidentally” leave this magazine laying on the kitchen table with this page open.

Tablet mounts specifically for trucks

I discovered this company at the Mid-America Trucking Show earlier this year and tucked the business card in my drawer specifically for Cool Gifts. With everyone needing ELDs now and the increasing use of digitizing documents, tablets are becoming more popular. However, they don’t mount well like smartphones. Arkon Mounts built a solution. Many solutions, in fact. The company has made various tablet mounts specifically for fleets. Some of the cooler mounts include one that fits in the cup holder and another which attaches to the seat rail. View all the options at Arkon.com.

Dangerous chocolate

Do you like chocolate? How about guns? Well, we have a treat for you. ChocolateWeapons.com makes – you guessed it – chocolate guns. For $30, you can get a full-sized, solid milk chocolate 1911 .45 ACP gun packaged in a real, padded gun case. The company also makes chocolate ammo and grenades. Perfect for the gun enthusiast with a sweet tooth.

Hydrate your pet on the go

Your dog, cat, macaw or some other critter companion is getting thirsty. You can’t exactly fill a bowl of water in the truck. It would get pretty wet in the sleeper. Since every human now has their own personal water bottle, why not get one for your pet? HighWave’s AutoDogMug is a water bottle designed for the mobile pet. Put water in the bottle, squeeze it and the bowl on top fills with water. Whatever your pet doesn’t drink goes back into bottle. Quick hydration and no mess. Find them at HighWave.com.

Grow veggies in your kitchen or truck

Eating healthy is more difficult while living life in the center lane, especially when it comes to fresh vegetables. If only you could have a garden in your truck. You can! AeroGardens are indoor devices that allow you to grow herbs and veggies year-round. Designed to fit on countertops, it’s feasible to fit one in a larger sleeper. There are various models ranging in size and capabilities. Some models connect to an app via WiFi to give you smartphone alerts when the plants needs water or food. Head over to Aerogarden.com to see the product line.

Keep eyes and ears on your home while on the road

One common worry truckers have while on the job is what’s going on inside their home. The Zmodo EZCam can reduce some of that stress. With 720 HD wireless cameras with 115-degree viewing angle, night vision and two-way audio, truckers will always know how their property is doing while away. EZCams come in a one-pack, two-pack and four-pack. Cloud recording is also available as an option. A mobile app alerts you when motion is detected and gives you the ability to set the defined field of view for motion detection. Take a look at Zmodo.com.

For the mobile guitarist

It’s difficult to practice the guitar and keep your fingers strong when out on the road. After all, a guitar takes up much needed space in your truck. Shredneck has two products for the traveling guitarists. Its signature product, the Shredneck, is a practice and warm-up tool designed for when a guitar is not available. The Shredneck comes in what seems like an infinite amount of models. Shredneck also makes travel guitars and basses. These are playable instruments that are full scale length but with a smaller body style, making them more compact and easier to store while traveling. Visit Shredneck.com to see all the available styles.

Stocking stuffer for the trucker

Everyone needs socks while on the job. Everyone needs trucks, too. Therefore, it’s only logical to conclude that everyone needs truck socks. Ranging in shoe sizes 6-12, these black or gray socks sport semi-trucks in various colors. They’re a simple, practical and perfect stocking stuffer for the trucker and truck lovers. Pick up a pair at JohnsCrazySocks.com.

A fun solution to the parking problem?

We all know how bad truck parking is across the nation. Adding insult to injury are the bad apples who park like an idiot or the four-wheelers in the wrong spot. Here’s a fun way to let them know they’re part of the problem: bad parking revenge cards. The mischievous folks at Witty Yeti have several “bad parking revenge,” cards including a 50-pack of cards. Phrases include “I can tell by the way you park your car that no one likes you” and “The lines aren’t just a suggestion, idiot.” Check them out (and other prank gifts) at WittyYeti.com.

Digitize your written notes

Trucking, like most businesses, involves a lot of paperwork, note keeping and documentation. A lot of us still write stuff down in a notebook. However, going through paper is not environmentally friendly and is hard to send via email. Now there’s a device that combines the written word with the digital world: Elfinbook. I’ll be honest, I just found out about this and my mind is blown. Essentially, you can write on this smart notebook and then send the notes or drawings to your phone as a PDF or JPEG file. When you’re done, you can wipe away the special ink and start on a literal clean slate. Amazing. Don’t believe me? See for yourself at Elfinbook.co.

Toiletry organizer for the traveler

Hygiene is important, especially when you’re frequently meeting customers. Sure, you can throw your razor, toothpaste and toothbrush in a bag, if you like mold and rust. Instead, consider Tooletries’ silicone toiletry organizer. This organizer grips onto any shiny surface without suction cups or adhesives. Hang it in the sleeper or in the truck stop shower. When you get home, slap it on the bathroom mirror and simply pick it up and slap it back on the sleeper when it’s time to hit the road again. Get one for $20 at Tooletries.com.

For the bookworms

Do you have book -lovers on your Christmas list? From your earliest reader to intergenerational rock-and-roll, we’ve got you covered.

“Lil’ Red Pepper” is a great choice for the youngest trucking enthusiast. Having small kids of his own, OOIDA member Bruce Wold found there to be a lack of children’s books about big rigs. So he wrote one. Wold’s story is beautifully illustrated with Lupi McGinty’s colorful oil-paint depictions of Lil’ Red Pepper’s first day at Cherry Grove Quarry. The book, distributed by Beaver’s Pond Press, explores feelings some might have on a “first day” of anything new, woven nicely into to an interesting tale about trucking that’s perfect for little ones on your list. (Available at Barnes and Noble, $15.95)

“#WHOSTRUCKISTHAT” chronicles the first 100 “rolling CB interviews” conducted and filmed by Christopher E. Fiffie, owner and originator of Big Rig Videos. Stephanie Haas from Diesel Freak Photography collaborated with Fiffie on this slick large-format coffee-table edition that’s absolutely packed full of big iron eye-candy. The experience is expanded by embedded QRC codes that lead your smartphone directly to the corresponding rolling CB interview on Big Rig Video’s YouTube Channel. It’s next-level interaction any trucking enthusiast would love.

(Available at BigRigVideos.com, $85.00)

“Rock-and-Roll Woman: The 50 Fiercest Female Rockers” is a gorgeous, fun, fact-filled book about the women who helped shape rock-n-roll as it is today. Any music lover, trucker or not, would be thrilled to find this under the tree. Written by award-winning radio personality, author, musician, photographer, and DJ Meredith Ochs. Ochs is best known in the trucking industry for her work on Sirius XM’s “Freewheelin.’” Her writing career began long before “Freewheelin,’ most notably as the first female editor of Guitar Magazine. A thoughtful layout with excellent factoids makes this an easy book to share with music lovers of all genre and generation.

(Distributed by Sterling Publishing Co., Available on Amazon, $27.95) LL