The holidays are a time for travel, yet also a key season when we want everyone to stay safe on the roads. For some time now, I have been telling friends and family about several items that I count on when I hit the road. 

Over the weekend, I realized most of these items are related to safety, and I thought I would take time to share these as possible gift suggestions for the truck owner.

Each of these seven items can have a positive impact on safety, which I will point out as we navigate through this list. My top two go hand in hand.

1. Heavy-Duty Air Compressor

If you own or drive a truck of any size, you need the ability to air up your tires, wherever and whenever. And you need something more substantial than rechargeable inflators or air compressors. 

Let’s say there is a temperature drop, you drive a dually, and you are hauling a cargo trailer. That could leave you with eight to 10 tires to air up. You need the right tool to handle that.

Look at the ones that draw enough power that you must connect directly to the vehicle’s battery, or in some cases, a 7-way plug. For all our vehicles, trailers, and our motorhome, I count on a Viair 400P that features 2.30 CPM, a 33% duty cycle, a maximum working pressure of 150 PSI, and a 25-foot hose.

To put that into perspective, we were on a trip in our 18,000-pound motorhome and, with a temperature drop, when it was time to head home, all six tires were running six to seven pounds low. I needed to get them all back up to 82 psi. And these are good-sized truck tires, 245/70R19.5.

With my portable compressor, I was able to add six or seven psi in just a little over a minute, per tire, and that was with my letting off the airflow three or four times to check the pressure.

Proper tire inflation is important for safety.

2. Tire Pressure Monitoring System 

Most modern light-duty trucks will have integrated tire pressure monitoring. But, take the case of my son’s one-ton dually chassis cab; he does not have built-in TPMS. 

Or, maybe your daily driver is a ½ ton pickup with TPMS as standard. But that does not alert you to tire pressure problems on the boat trailer, cargo trailer, or camper your family tows.

Almost any truck owner can always find a way to use an aftermarket TPMS. There are various price points, but I suggest sticking with the quality ones that may cost anywhere from $150 to $400. With mine, I can read up to 10 tires – six on the main vehicle and another four on a trailer.

Driver alerts for pressure and temperature can help you get safely off the road to investigate the issue, hopefully preventing a blowout.

3. Rechargeable Work Light

Ample lighting can help with safety. Although I am not mentioning specific products for most of these suggestions, I will on this one. I have relied on Streamlight as a brand for years, and the company produces quality products that first responders rely on.

Once you have a good, hands-free, high-lumen spotlight/floodlight, you will find hundreds of uses – checking tire pressures in the dark, looking for hydraulic leaks underneath a vehicle, or even lighting up your home during a power outage following a hurricane. And, make sure the light has the ability to be mounted, clamped, or attached nearly anywhere.

My Streamlight Beartrap 360 got me through all of those situations, and many more. 

It is a rechargeable work light with a 360-degree horizontally rotating and a 270-degree vertically pivoting body. The design allows you to put up to 2,000 lumens wherever hands-free lighting is needed.

I have yet to use it for this, but when the day comes, and I am broken down on the side of the road, this will either illuminate for repairs or illuminate the vehicle to make it more visible to passing traffic.

4. High-Visibility Safety Vest

When I was still in local media, I hated when first responders made me wear an ANSI 2 reflective safety vest while out on the interstate taking photos. But as I got older, wiser, and slower in crossing traffic lanes, I never left home or the office without one.

Reflective safety vests are vitally important and worth gifting to any truck owner. Even if they are a commercial driver with one in their work truck, do they have one for their personal vehicle as well?

Again, let’s keep them safe with a small, inexpensive, yet invaluable gift.

5. Extra Wheel Chocks

You can never have enough wheel chocks, but make sure to pick the hard rubber ones that will last, not the frail plastic ones that break. Whether for single wheels or duals, wheel chocks are relatively inexpensive.

Next time there is a tire to change, mechanical work to be done, or another task, wheel chocks improve safety by preventing the vehicle from rolling. Plus, again, if you're a pickup truck owner who tows trailers, they can be handy when it is time to unhitch and leave a trailer parked.

6. Anti-Fog Glass Treatment

One simple way to keep the truck owner in your life safer is to ensure they can clearly see while driving, regardless of temperature or conditions. My wife and I drove 1,493 miles on vacation back in October, including a long day on the road that ended in rain and a dark interstate. It was hard to see, so we cut the travel day short for safety.

A day or two later, I bought supplies to both clean the outside of the windshield and apply an anti-fog agent on the inside. My wife applied the anti-fog agent, and I cleaned the exterior glass.

Again, we were faced with a long day that transitioned into darkness and rain. That anti-fog treatment helped substantially, and I am now a believer.

This is something super inexpensive that can improve a driver’s visibility, and I think in many ways eases the cognitive workload while driving in bad weather.

7. Secure Phone Mount

This is so simple and cheap. A phone mount. 

Maybe your gift recipient already has one, if so, then find them a better quality one. I really prefer one that mounts my phone horizontally and adheres to the dash for running navigation, apps, music, or whatever.

By now, everyone knows not to hold a phone while driving, so help ensure your truck owner stays hands-free by keeping their phone secured.