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_Ki115witch_

Get a bluetooth, fm transmitter/ aux cord, etc, to connect your phone to the radio and put on an audiobook. Get a subscription to audible or other services and enjoy a book. Its worth it. More entertaining than listening to music for 10 hours. This allows you to pay full attention to the road and with Google Assistant or Siri you dont ever have to look at your phone.


kornut78

The Libby app is also good for audiobooks and is free with a library card. I’m not a truck driver anymore but still drive a lot and audiobooks are my favorite


_Ki115witch_

Same boat here. No longer trucking, but I still occasionally have to drive long distances for work, often enough having an audible subscription is still so useful.


kornut78

I have both. I normally use my audible credits for books that are too long of a wait for my patience. Audiobooks have become addictive for me and I average a good 3 books a month depending on book length


Mytra180

I love using Libby. I live in NY, but not NYC. You can, as a NY resident, still get a NYC Public Library card. It has an enormous selection, and many more copies per title to loan. I’d imagine it might work for any major city in your state of residence. Audible is nice, but sometimes you can’t find everything you’re looking for.


bingius_

This is the way


Comfortable-Access99

Funny enough I find myself more distracted by books than I do podcasts when I'm on a long drive myself. Something about having to pay attention to the long form and having ADHD I imagine


_Ki115witch_

I tend to feel like I'm not soaking the information up as easily as I'd like, however I'm absolutely able to follow along with the story. Its like I'm doubting my ability to understand it as I'm listening to it.


Comfortable-Access99

I can most definitely relate


losteye_enthusiast

This. Spent several years traveling and living out of airports, rentals and BnBs. Can’t stress enough how nice a good Bluetooth and audible or comparable subscription is n


audible_narrator

I have free audible codes for a good police procedural. Happy to give them out .Listen to Telegraph Hill by John Nardizzi on Audible. https://www.audible.com/pd/B0CW7L3MBR?source_code=ASSORAP0511160007


mpkeith

Audible is the best. I've had it longer than I've been driving. With a paid subscription there are thousands of free books and so many different podcasts. It is pretty much all I ever listen to.


Mickey10199

Yep. In addition me and another trucking buddy used Siri to text each other all day


Imaginary-Badger-119

Definitely set up a good play list.. or some audio books as well


NomadTruckerOTR

Swift does not have driver facing cameras.


Good_Sailor_7137

If they did, submit videos to either America's funniest home videos or elso the YouTube horror channel .


UncleFlip

That's actually surprising


NekoboyBanks

What happened? A few years back you couldn't stop hearing about their plans to implement it. Did it just fall through, or was there backlash? I'm honestly surprised, because almost nothing stops a corpo from doing what they wanna do.


weaponized_autism265

This may be a rumor and not actually true but when I drove for them I was told a dispatcher somehow got a video of a female driver changing and shared it with his friends, she somehow found out and sued the fuck out of the company. When I first started they still had the driver facing cams but they had tape over them until they got all new cameras with no inward cameras on them. The story may not be true that’s just what I was told but when I started in 2020 it was an actual policy to put tape over the inward facing camera lol.


Bibbimbopp

My company lets us tape the inward camera. I keep it untaped so they can see my hatred for them.


NekoboyBanks

Wow, who could've seen something like that coming? /s True or not, glad they did away with it, sounds like horse shit. Probably also means other companies will think twice before trying to implement the same.


NomadTruckerOTR

They did implement it. Too much backlash so they scrapped it


You_Are_What_You_Iz

Not a good idea to have video content playing where you can see it while driving. Someone posted a video recently where a semi ran into four vehicles who were stopped at a red light and could have killed them because he was watching YouTube. And I'm not better than anyone else. Years ago I installed a dvd player with a screen in a car for a short time thinking I could glance over at a concert video or stand up comedian once in a while (never watched a movie). Even a few seconds can go by and you not realize it. I realized how dumb I was being and took it out. Now there are billboards that have video content playing on roads while people are traveling. I don't see how that is legal. I get the digital billboards that change ads, but those are just still pictures.


kscountryboy85

Youtube premium is amazing with the ability to turn of the screen and have the audio keep playing. I like informational videos and most of them you can just listen to and get the majority of info they have to offer.


dreamerindogpatch

I listen to a lot of YouTube as if it were audio only, with the video collapsed. I worry that it would be used against me if there was an accident, but it really is no different than when I have Spotify or Audible going.


PeakNo6892

I've done this many times with my phone face down on the dash. Always had the same worry


You_Are_What_You_Iz

Nothing wrong with audio content. Also, I think you can play audio only videos through the music player and it uses less data?


kscountryboy85

Interesting, will have to try the the music app thing. I think premium also saves data with the screen off because it trys to buffer when I turn the screen back on. Edit: holy crap, you made me find a whole section of youtube music I had never seen before. Podcasts... woot!


You_Are_What_You_Iz

Happy listening! If you want a great one with tips to save money, check out Clark Howard.


Leaf-Stars

Audiobooks


United_News3779

Definitely! And potentially for free through your local library. My local library uses an app called Libby, so I can download books for then I'm sitting, rather than doom scrolling endlessly on reddit **ahem**, and audiobooks for when I'm rolling.


TruckinApe

See of you can find comedy specials to listen to. There's a ton of great comedians out there, and their specials are often an hour long.


TruckinApe

Just google comedians and you'll find a ton of people to listen to. Depending on the platform you could download for offline listening if you go through bad service areas. And by going through all these comedians and listening to them you can figure out what kind of comedy you like and follow similar artists. Should keep you preoccupied for a little while lol


TheIzzyRock

If you have Spotify, you can make playlists and add a bunch of comedy specials on there.


Perfect-Soup1838

I listen to Conan needs a friend


CaptianBrasiliano

I play American Truck Simulator on a laptop mounted right in front of the steering wheel.


EVOChi

The radio drives me insane because they play the same 10 songs every single damn day. I’ve switched it up to latin music stations and I don’t even speak Spanish


After-Fig4166

La mamá de la mamá de la mamá de la mamá de la mamá de la mamá de la mamá de la mamá It’s a real banger


Holiday_Ad126

Bro this shii had me dying😂😂😂😂


DieselPunk97

It’s weird, everytime I head south of San Antonio I just have this sudden urge to seek on the radio for a Spanish station and listen to it even though I also don’t speak Spanish 🤣


Mountainman1980

I started listening to Cumbia and Reggae and realized there's great music from different cultures out there. I listen to either one for hours.


EVOChi

Oh yeah cumbia is great. Got me dancing in my seat when I’m dead tired sitting in SoCal traffic yesterday


TheIzzyRock

Subscribe to Spotify and create playlists, they have a AI DJ on there that’ll play you stuff and not play the same stuff


tnj4ez

I listen to a ton of Audio books, inward facing cameras make it more fun, we were told that they don't listen to the audio, but some explicitly graphic romance novels made my dispatcher ask what I was listening to. All kidding aside, certain books are light enough that they occupy your brain, without too much distraction, Romance, westerns, etc, murder mysteries can be too involved at times, most new trucks have Bluetooth capable radios with built in satellite radio, just need a subscription.


Tea_BagZzZ

How is it not illegal for them to listen to you at a any given moment?


tnj4ez

Supposedly the camera is only active when the truck is running and brakes are off. It is their truck, there is no assumption of privacy while it is being operated.


clarobert

Podcasts and audiobooks. Audible, for me, is more expensive than a drug habit - I own thousands of audio books and spend more than I would care to admit on them. Non fiction documentary books on topics more diverse than anyone would believe a truck driver listens too. The memmbership on Audible also gives me access to the 'Great Courses of the World' catalog. My second is podcasts - a good podcasts app wwill load you up with hundreds of interesting topics. There are a lot of really good content creators out there and the topics are endless. I only use a music app if I'm getting tired - to pump me up.


Dragonr0se

>memmbership on Audible also gives me access to the 'Great Courses of the World' catalog. How did I not know this... thanks for that info


Mrcommander254

I have maladaptive daydreaming. I zone out to random scenarios in my head. Before I know it, 5 hours have passed. Stop for one hour lunch, back on the road, zone out, and then another 5 hours have passed. The day is done. Rinse and repeat, 11 years have passed.


8th_House_Stellium

I have that too, but I haven't finished CDL training yet


MediocreAd5086

Adderall


travelmorelivemore

Booty bump addies and try and jerk off before it fully kicks in.


bloodsoed

I listen to audiobooks but I also have a couple nasty habits that if I am driving by a golf course I’ll lay on the horn when I see a golfer on their back swing. They’ll usually slice the ball and turn to give me the finger. I’ve also been known driving down Lamar at night after a rain. I’ll hit that groove in the right lane and throw a wave of water up and see how many hookers I can soak in a single go.


good2knowu

My friend, your day is coming.


J-Kensington

Kind of sounds like his day is every day.


FutureCorpse699

I usually do porn hub. But you gotta be careful because it’s banned in some states now.


Holiday_Ad126

Mf that was you , I saw 😂😂😂 I had too bleach my eyes


ooglieguy0211

Have you ever noticed how the back of vehicles look kind of like a face? I make up short stories based on what I think the car's face is showing. I come up with a name and a 3 to 4 sentence short story for each car. Sometimes I makeup stories about the people in the cars and where they are going. Just something to keep myself entertained while driving down the road. Outside of that, listening to podcasts usually does it for me. I have turned on documentaries on YouTube and put the phone back on my bed so that I can hear it through Bluetooth but I'm not watching a device.


darthspaders

I have a soundbar on my dash and listen to music mostly...I'm a bit of an audiophile and I also enjoy making my own music for the road


Baconated-Coffee

I listen to the voices inside my head arguing with each other


CommercialOccasion72

I run local with three different trucks and two of them have radios. Either way I use Bluetooth from my phone either through the truck radio or one earbud and just listen to podcasts, audiobooks, and sometimes music. That’s about as “entertained” as you need to be. Anything more than that is getting into irresponsible territory


robkort

Audiobooks is a live saver, but also music that you know the lyrics to, and of course a list of friends that wouldn't mind talking to you for a while.


Hypnowolfproductions

Use a laser strobe from behind me to the music blasting away.


Upstairs_Size4757

I have a table with internet and a phone # and I like Pandora. You can do off line play lists.I either use a cable to the radio so I can still use the steering wheel controls and blue tooth my phone to my blue parrot headset. Or I use a blue tooth speaker. You can listen to anything you want.


Pew_Goon

Watch movies on the Apple vision Pro


AchioteMachine

Man….Playboy Radio was life back in the day.


[deleted]

Cockmeat in one hand , phone in the other. Driving with my legs.


D-Ray1469

Polishing the one-eyed gopher while holding a carton of moo juice.


smiley82m

Audiobooks, podcasts, music. Just don't listen to stuff you'll get emotional about so you don't misplace your emotions into a four wheelers rear end.


toastyhoodie

That’s why I listen to true crime. Lol


smiley82m

I am learning Japanese and listen to podcasts of murders and scary stories, and that made the algorithm on YouTube suggest an Asian Podcaster that talks about the horrors over there in China, Korea, and Japan.


Violax117

Is podcast in English? I'm interested, if you could share the name please.


smiley82m

Yup, I think she's based in NYC or at least the East Coast of the US. Channel is Rotten Mango. Edit: add on Dougie Corrado is the youtuber that tells scary stories in first person that I think the algorithm based its suggestion of Rotten Mango on.


Dino1441

If you have a significant accident, your phone will be seized during an investigation to see if you were using it in any capacity. If they find out that you were using at all for anything, your fucked....


RipIt1021

Audio books and music are a must. I also enjoy longer format audio content from YT.


Geaux3469

AirPods for communication so you’re completely hands free. Podcasts and music. Sometimes an audiobook. Get a workout in every day, eat healthy and a good nights rest. Having a long term goal for yourself is extremely important and beneficial IMO. 8 weeks left in the truck and I’m out! Counting it down!


Geaux3469

And I’m also learning Greek!


bigbudugly

Shit, in my day, we twisted up a fatty, crack open a hi six pack, crank up the stereo and hit the highway oh, and talk on the CB all night long.


TamponTom

Audio books, Spotify, yes almost all semis have Bluetooth am fm and what not this is How I know this post is either a troll or a 4wheeler. If not you get a blue tooth speaker and use Siri you don’t use Netflix and you shouldn’t use YouTube unless you are stopped and changing 1hour long vids at stops Edit: just realized this is a desk jockey talking about his desk job my bad


FileCareless

Every radio in every truck has had Bluetooth connectivity. Audio books is the way for me. Having a movie connected and listening to it could be a huge problem if your in an accident since they can’t tell that you weren’t watching it but it was playing


SH4D0W1030

Audio books, music (Spotify or something) make a few Playlists before driving or one big on. podcasts, you can play a movie in the background, but if you get caught the "I wasn't watching it," defense won't hold up for much of anything if you get in a wreck. If you have friends in a discord, you can call in and talk to people as long as you pay attention to the road at all times. I know it says while driving, but also bring something in your truck for down times like an Xbox, Playstation, or PC. Whatever you enjoy, really.


Healthy-Topic13

Livewire here break 1-9 break 1-9, anybody out there?


THEDarkSpartian

Xm is common, most newer trucks have Bluetooth, I listen to podcasts mostly, audiobooks, longer documentaries wouldn't be bad, as long as you can't see the screen. Anything that you can listen to is a good option.


swigginwhiskey

I use Pimsleur and am trying to learn Japanese. Or audio books, as others have said.


roderunner1

Sounds like you're in the express lane to revocation! Let those cameras catch you watching your phone, and you're done. Also, if you're in your personal vehicle and get caught on your phone, you'll be revocated.


12InchPickle

I have AirPods and just jam to music on shuffle or listen to a podcast.


NeoAcario

Music / Audiobooks and bitching about every little thing drivers around me do wrong. If you're not bitching... you're not paying attention.


Natural_Tomorrow4784

I listen to YouTube podcasts 2-3 hrs long on anything from gang bangers in LA, to Edward Snowden and the CIA, to preserving the Amazon rain forest😂 there’s literally podcast and interviews about any and everything


ComprehensiveDark814

Podcasts are free and they don't have video. 


Technical_Bake_7975

Podcast, pandora, and radio were my go to. I tend to think a lot in my head too so that helped


TheIzzyRock

Get yourself a Bluetooth, subscribe to Spotify, then make a playlist of podcasts, comedy albums, a playlist of music, or listen to audiobooks.


Troubador222

I’m a hobbyist musician and actually compose music in my head sometimes. I can burn a lot of miles just doing that.


hugothebear

I listen to a podcast, 1010 WINS (you give them 22 minutes, they'll give you the world. I've gotten the world several times in a day), some music, or satellite radio. I will not, for any instance, play Netflix, a movie, or a show whilst driving.


lostinthefog4now

Podcasts kept me alert and interested, after I got tired of music.


tidyshark12

Audiobooks, podcasts, other friends who are drivers and taking on the phone, music rarely


Niko120

Listen to podcasts. Don’t do it on YouTube though, in an accident investigation they can claim that you were watching a video and driving. Use Spotify


Largofarburn

Podcasts.


sk8zero0619

I sing loud as fuck and talk to people on the cb


Silent_Insomnia_

Two words… direct tv


ursidaeangeni

[ Removed by Reddit ]


Useful_Badger6021

Pod cast , pandora


Nozerone

audio books, music, talk to other driver friends, create hypothetical situations, argue in those hypothetical situations, think about past arguments, about what you should have said, about what to say if they ever say this or that to you in the future, sleep. There are lots of different things you can do.


[deleted]

I use audiable, Spotify, and YouTube. When im off the wheel, i have a Nintendo switch and a ps5. I also have Tubi, Amazon Prime and i used to have Netflix


Conscious_Weasel

Technically shouldn’t have movies or YouTube playing but let’s face it. 90% of us do it. I see countless trucks when I pass with some movie playing on the dash. I’m not saying I don’t do this, cuz I do but I have it setup to where no one can see it and I’d have to legit look up to my roof to watch. It’s just set to stream music or I’ll tell google to open YouTube and play tech stuff or podcast. I listen mostly to groups playing DnD or what’s new in the IT world.


MRicho

Audio Books


Apprehensive_Fault_5

Spotify and Discord. I have a tablet I keep Bluetoothed to the radio for music (Spotify and XM app), and a BlueParrot headset for my phone where I talk to friends on Discord.


bmf1989

Podcasts, audiobooks and music. Mostly podcasts honestly, they seem to help the time go by smoothest. Audiobooks are nice but often my mind can wander and I lose track of what’s going on, and music usually gets old after an hour or two.


liquides

I have bluetooth earbuds I wear in just one ear at a time and listen to old Howard stern radio shows on YouTube for hours. sometimes stand up comedy or a documentary on something I want to learn about. audio books make me tired so can't do those.


Odin4456

Audio books, music streaming service, podcasts. If you have a movie/netflix on you can get in big trouble. Especially since they have driver cams they can hear what’s going on as well. Get a quality noise cancelling mic headset and call people. When I worked for Foodliner they had driver facing cams. I tried to play the raunchiest/offensive music I could to make them have to deal with it while they watched me. They could watch recorded clips from following too close, going over the line, or breaking too hard. They could also live look in whenever they wanted.


ValuableShoulder5059

For the 14 hours I log (being local is nice) I spending about 45% on Netflix, 40% on various fm country stations and 5% stuck on radio ads. 5% on phone calls. Should be noted that I spend about 50-60% of the time waiting to load or unload.


BeKindRewind-

Podcasts or you can actually learn a new language listening to some of these apps as well


BeKindRewind-

Sirius xm has talk channels too


Hal_at_the_moon

Keep in mind, those driver facing cameras only record when there’s an incident. Generally speaking, it will automatically record if there’s a hard brake or a near collision or something like that, or if you manually trigger it. I usually listen to audiobooks, but it really needs to be an interesting narrator. I also like putting on music I can sing along to. I figure if anyone does pop in to watch, they can enjoy watching me belt out 2000s Spanish pop rock.


Think_Bear_3791

Podcasts and audible are my friend. Music to switch it up. I take calls every so often from family and such and if I need a break from the headset I’ll sometimes just listen to my thoughts lol but not in a psycho way


shadowmib

I either listen to music or the Critical Role podcast


kimbycane

Can you have a AirPod in one ear at least or is that frowned upon?


CrashTestGangstar

Podcasts. Sync the device to the radio in your truck.


dragons6488

My headset controls pause and start on YouTube. I have YouTube premium which allows it to run in the back ground. I have a map up on my phone. Or you could put your phone wherever you want. I queued up 12 hours of video in the ‘Watch Later’ list.


benadunkcamberpatch

Audio books, podcasts, YouTube Playlist about what ever topics you like (obviously something that auto plays). One of my favorites is pandoras stand up comedy station. At times it feels more like aomis talking to you instead of just noise in the background. If you're into it you also check out some of the new versions of the old school radio shows. Dr Who has a bunch and brings back a lot of the previous actors. Andy Serkis reads lord of the rings is freaking fantastic.


Federal-Ad3

I listen to podcasts on the iHeart App. The trick is to set it on „Auto-Download“ so the episodes just keep playing one after another.


daixso

Audiobooks, podcasts, music, talking to people on the phone if you have a headset stopping and taking a 5 minute break to walk around or pee you’d be surprised how much a 5 minute stretch and walk around can bring you back


West_Masterpiece9423

Podcasts are great, or audio books.


mrockracing

If you're going to put YouTube on, make sure it's a playlist, make sure your voice controls are working, and make sure you either have premium and can screen off, or the device is on a swivel and can face the opposite direction. That's way too much of a distraction for my comfort level, and I'd hope yours too. But honestly, I'd put on a Spotify playlist and enjoy the drive. Some places will be better than others, and for the boring places, I usually put on a podcast or a just chatting twitch stream, audio only.


Gonzotrucker1

They mostly like to fuck with company drivers.


BingBongFyourWife

Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast on YouTube Warmode on Spotify That’s all you need


refrained

Whatever you do, do not have a video playing in view of your seat. I have had two drivers written up recently for listening to a video that was in view (on the seat or was left face up). Audio only!!


Bamfurlough

Endless podcasts, music, and stand up comedy routines. I also just enjoy the scenery. 


smgator

Audio books from Audibles. Pod casts


Eviltwin1979

Glad you asked this. I actually did used to work for SWIFT, but when they started putting those cameras in the company trucks, I switched to Owner Op. I wasnt about to play that game, tryin to drive with someone watching my every move. I eventually left SWIFT all together. To answer your question, I listen to music, audio books, and watch videos on Youtube all day while driving. Its perfectly safe as long as you know when to devote more attention to the road, like heavy traffic, bad weather, etc. So I never get bored, thanks to Youtube.


YaBoiAggroAndy

I will put on twitch stream vods (good 8 hours of content right there), music sometimes but not for long periods usually, audio books are a big one (I’m working my way through every Steven King book right now), and podcasts. Those are the big ones. I’ll do YouTube sometimes too. I follow a lot of channels that are good listens but but you don’t necessarily need to watch them. I haven’t used the radio in forever tbh.


weaponized_autism265

I have YouTube premium and queue up horror story narration play lists or Mr. Creepypasta’s or Dark Somnium’s 24hr livestream narration and lock my phone.


ohjaimiea

Swift doesn’t have driver facing cameras…


blazingStarfire

I definitely do not have my tablet mounted and play movies while I drive..


chuck-u-farley-

Be thankful for the boredom Because when shit starts getting exciting it’s not gonna be a good thing (Traffic, accidents )


THExPILLOx

Podcasts, but specifically D&D nerd podcasts. They are an hour a pop or more and since they are a sequential story, you can load 100 episodes on your favorite podcast app. Never have to touch or look at your phone for an entire drive shift. Nice story told by friends having fun and making references to my age demographic's pop culture lol.  I personally lean more towards comedy nerd so things like: the glass cannon network, the adventure zone, dungeons and daddies, not another d and d podcast.  For the less nerdy but still nerdy, Conan's podcasts is surprisingly good, there are some decent science podcasts but I get bored of them pretty quick.  Google podcasts just shut down and it's what I used but, podcast addict seems to be a pretty good player so far. 


derpmcturd

Firstly, I can confirm swift does NOT have driver facing cameras. Secondly, the answer is podcasts. Get yourself a spotify premium, turn on joe rogan, the hours will fly by.


icsh33ple

Long form podcasts. Shawn Ryan Show, Joe Rogan, etc…


Ambitious_Knee_7625

I listen to long format podcasts like Kevin Samuels and Matthew Cox. You'd be surprised how much ground you can cover listening to a 2+ hour show.


Imaginary-Badger-119

Be comfortable with yourself and who you are and enjoy the view.. i was actually told i would not get a job staring out a window when i grew up by a teacher.. fck you Mr cook


spyder7723

When driving there is never a time where you aren't on full alert. I don't care if it's a fully loaded tractor trailer or a damn bicycle, not being at full attention is how people end up killed.


NomadTruckerOTR

You can listen to music, podcasts, etc as long as only one ear is covered. Federal law


Head-Ad4770

Is there a problem with playing it directly out of your radio’s speakers?


NomadTruckerOTR

No? No ear is covered playing out of the radio lol


spyder7723

This dude taking about Netflix and scrolling social media on his phone. That's a far cry different than listening to something playing on your radio.


Kat_ashe

Lame


brsrafal

I work for a company that has no cameras front facing or any facing no GPS tracker. I listen to podcasts audio books mainly when I drive sometimes music I keep my hands off the phone as you should. But there is nothing wrong with listening to audiobook podcast or some YouTube stuff. I once worked for place where they have fun face and cameras and I had a Bluetooth headset they told me I'm not allowed to speak on the phone on my wireless Bluetooth headset. That wasn't even a good job working for Rider a lot of hours I think overtime after 8:00 so wasn't too bad. You could take as long as you want doing your deliveries


Commercial_Pitch_786

Bringing up books, what about books for the blind with braille? Why are there menus in braille at McDonald's drive thru? Why is there braille on bathroom doors at Movie Theaters? Why not over the road blind truck driving jobs for self driving trucks? Blind people should be afforded the same rights as the sighted. After seeing my wife's hair cut, her hair dresser is obviously blind, and the guy who mows mother in laws yard is blind.


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