• Check all the fluids in your car, and change em / top em up if it’s been a while.
• Pack an emergency car kit. I’m sure there are loads of recommendations online, but I usually have:
  • Flashlight
  • Battery bank + charging cable for phone
  • Spare tire and wrenches (if you’ve got a charged phone, you could instead call for a tow if needed)
  • Blanket (it can get surprisingly cold at night, even in the summer)
  • Spare oil / coolant (water works as well for coolant in a pinch)
• For misc stuff I like to bring on trips:
  • A pack of water. If there’s long stretches with no towns, water is always nice
  • Sunglasses
  • If you’re going to play stuff off your phone, I’d recommend downloading music and a variety of podcasts to go. Don’t just download 10 episodes from the same channel; mix it up. And mix up the genre too. I usually will have a mix of world news, tech news, stories, and self improvement stuff
  • Snacks & other drinks

I don’t think taller trucks make you less exhausted. It boils down to how comfy the seats are. And cars and smaller SUVs typically have more comfy seats, unless you have a newer truck that boasts a car-like ride and comfort.

As for tips: Check out some videos on how to properly adjust your driving position. Get something for lumbar support if your car doesn’t have it. And take breaks, don’t force yourself to drive all the way in one go.

Every few hours or so, refresh the air in the cabin by opening a window for a few seconds.

Plan some rest stops in advance, about every two hours. A few minutes of looking at the scenery and fresh air can help a lot with alertness. Even better if it’s quiet enough for a power nap.

Audio books

Don’t think too hard about how much further you have left to go; road hypnosis is your friend. I’ll often finish up several hours of a long drive without even really noticing it, so long as I’m not constantly checking the ETA. If you’re not driving in the middle of the day, getting tired can be an issue - I like to make sure I get a lot of sleep before a long drive, and sometimes even change my sleep schedule for a couple days beforehand if I’m going to be driving while I’d usually be asleep. If I’m really worried, I might buy an energy drink or two, but I usually only do that for 10+ hour drives.

It’s not really the same because I was working but I used to spend 5-6 hours delivering food in the countryside almost daily a few years ago. My car is from the same year but I don’t even have an aux chord let alone Bluetooth calling.

Basically just make sure you’ve got decent music and you’re golden. If you’re worried about the phone not charging well just get a 12v cigarette lighter plug off Amazon, there’s usb c versions out there now too if you need usb c to usb c.

Sunglasses. Don’t forget sunglasses

Fatigue is real and it sneaks up on you. Don’t be afraid to pull off the road and close your eyes for 20 minutes. You don’t even have to sleep, just resting for a few minutes is super helpful.

Similarly, use your car’s automatic features when possible if they reduce fatigue. In your case, that probably means using cruise control. I’ve found that if I don’t have to actively manage my speed, I get less tired.

Assuming you’re in a tight hand drive country: Keep right except to pass!

Try to get a really early start so you aren’t spending the last few hours driving in darkness. If you haven’t listened to the “Shit town” podcast, it got me through a long drive once. This was on a 2012 car with no smartphone features besides basic bluetooth, but there was a pairing procedure that got audio to at least play (it was really wonky to setup, I had to look it up).

Edit: Big Caveat to my advice on the starting early, be careful if your trip ends inside a huge metro area on a weekday, as bad timing can land you straight into some horrendous rush-hour traffic.

Embrace the analogue radio.

Do take rest stops - you won’t realise you’re tired until it’s too late.

• Bring lots of audio entertainment pre-loaded on your phone or burnt to a CD (don’t rely on internet). Podcast, audiobook, w/e. Boredom is the mind killer.
• Bring snacks that don’t leave your hands dirty.
• Bring a sandwich, it’s much cheaper than buying one.
• Bring a refrigerated and a frozen water bottle. The latter will still be cold for the second half of the trip.
• When you stop to pee/get gas, make sure you walk around for a few minutes. Your legs get tired just sitting.
• Both Google and Apple maps supports pre-downloading maps. This is very helpful if you need to set a route and you don’t have service where you happen to be.

Look for a stereo plug aux-in port on the car’s stereo. You can get a Bluetooth receiver that will plug into that if there’s no usb input built into the car. This will let you listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc from your phone using your car speakers.

This also works with turn by turn navigation prompts that come from the phone.

Just remember to keep your phone plugged into a charger on your trip so that using it this way doesn’t drain the battery.

USB 2.0 will do 480Mbps. Most audio streaming services are no more than 320Kbps. USB 2.0 is plenty fast. But USB audio is probably only there for iPods and iPhones, android devices don’t typically work with them. There should also be an aux port. If your phone doesn’t have one you can buy an adapter for less than $10 typically.

The tiredness is probably more due to the truck being more comfortable. A well adjusted seat with good lumbar support (and good posture) will do wonders. I’ve driven 4+ hours without stopping numerous times. As long as my ass is comfy I’m good.