Drive a truck, van, or lorry for a living? Spend long hours on the roads of the UK and beyond? Overly familiar with motorway service stations and takeaway tea? Then this is the list for you.
We’ve put our heads together to come up with the top 10 must-have lorry, truck, and van accessories and gadgets that we hope will make your journeys quicker, easier, safer, more comfortable, and more entertaining.
1. Sat nav
Getting from A to B quickly, efficiently, and safely is a must for any driver but particularly for drivers of trucks and heavy goods vehicles. A great sat nav is a must-have lorry, truck, and van gadget, particularly when it’s one that’s been specifically designed for HGVs – like the TomTom GO Expert Plus Truck Sat Nav 7″.
With this HGV sat nav, you can find a route that’s specifically tailored to your truck, van, or lorry and that contains appropriate fuel stations, parking spots, and service centres along the way. It also comes with lifetime map updates over wi-fi, stopped traffic alerts and real-time TomTom Traffic to make sure your journey is as smooth as possible.
There’s also the option to avoid low emission zones by selecting the ‘avoid LEZ’ feature, so you no longer have to be caught out again! The range of smart features, make it the perfect sat nav for professional drivers.
Another great option, particularly for long-haul lorry drivers, is the Garmin Dezl LGV1000 10” Truck Sat Nav. With a huge 10” touchscreen that can be used in portrait or landscape mode, this truck sat nav has been designed to make navigation as easy and convenient as possible.
You can get custom truck routing based on the size and weight of your vehicle, alerts for upcoming road-related restrictions, information about truck-related amenities, and information about potential loading zones or storage lots when you approach your destination.
There are also other sat nav models available from both TomTom and Garmin in these ranges, so make sure to check them out to find your ideal road navigation partner.
2. Dash cam
A sat nav will get you where you need to go and a dash cam will help to protect you along the way. And you can’t get much better than the award-winning Nextbase 622GW Dash Cam. This neat little camera offers stunning 4k recordings at 30fps and boasts a range of features. These include the unique Extreme Weather Mode, which provides a clearer image in misty conditions (crucial for driving in winter or at night), Super Slow Motion, Amazon Alexa, and what3words, which provides your location within three square metres (without the need for a data connection).
3. Stereo
Treat your van, truck, or lorry to a Pioneer SPH-DA160DAB Car Stereo and get those tunes playing, especially for those longer journeys. Not only does this top-quality stereo offer FM radio, digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity, and more, but you can also hook it up to your mobile phone thanks to its built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto features. The modular structure of the stereo, along with its ‘floating’ or ‘tablet style’ design, also means it can be fitted into a wide variety of vehicles.
The stereo also features a handy rear camera input, so you have the ability to add a reverse camera to assist with parking or rear visibility.
4. Mounts and chargers
If you’re anything like us, then your phone joins you on all of your journeys. If you want to connect it to your other electronic goodies or use its functions, then it’ll need somewhere safe to sit. The Halfords Wireless Charging Vent Mount does as its name suggests: attaches to your vent while charging your phone wirelessly. It’s a great holder-and-charger combo that reliably and securely holds your mobile while providing 360-degree viewing.
If it’s just the holder you need (or if you don’t have any usable vents to hand), then we’d suggest the Scosche Magic Dash Mount. This mount uses magnets to safely secure your mobile to your dashboard and can be easily installed/removed.
5. Travel mug and coolbox
If you’re making a long journey, or even if you’re just out and about for the day, it’s not always easy to find somewhere to grab a snack or a much-needed cuppa. Our solution? Add a Halfords Stainless Steel Vacuum Flask and Halfords 40 Litre Mains and 12V & 24V Electric Coolbox to your van, truck, or lorry and take your own supplies with you.
The travel mug is suitable for both cold and hot liquids, while the coolbox keeps your food and drink supplies cool even on hot days. It can be powered from a 24V in-truck auxiliary power socket and has a handy combination of wheels and a pull-out handle to make transportation easy.
6. Lumber cushion
Sitting in the same position for a long time can take an inevitable toll on your back. To help alleviate any discomfort, we’d recommend investing in lumbar support such as the Halfords Gel and Memory Foam Lumbar Cushion. The cushion attaches neatly around the back of the driver’s seat and the contoured design provides your lower back with additional support.
7. Long-life bulbs
Your headlights get a lot of use when you’re on the road for long periods of time, especially at night or during the winter. The Ring Pro H7 477 Triple Life Car Headlight Bulb Twin Pack gives you bulbs that’ll last three times longer than standard bulbs and provide excellent illumination thanks to their precise beam patterns. They’re E-marked, road legal, and are suitable for 12V vehicles. Just remember to double-check that they’re compatible with your particular make and model van before you buy by using our online vehicle registration number checker.
8. Cleaning products
The more you travel, the dirtier your vehicle is going to get. If you’re spending long hours behind the wheel, you want to make sure your interior is as clean as possible.
The Turtle Wax Dash & Glass Interior Cleaner ensures your windows and dashboard are sparkling clean. This neat two-in-one solution cleans both plastics and glass, and is safe to use on all interior hard surfaces. Stick a bottle in your vehicle – you won’t regret it!
Cleaning your van, truck or lorry can seem like a real chore, but the Armor All Leather Wipes are quick and easy way to keep leather interiors in pristine condition.
For fabric, upholstery and carpets the Armor All Carpet & Seat Wipes are an excellent option, easily removing dust and grime – a perfect cleaning solution after a long day of driving.
When you need to clean the windows on the go, the Armor All Glass Wipes are a handy choice, leaving the windows clean and streak-free in an instant.
9. Lock (vans only)
Keep your vehicle, goods and tools safe with a Stoplock Van Lock HG199, a Disklock Steering Lock or a combination of both. The Stoplock Van Lock attaches to the rear or side door of vans and is a powerful defence against attack. It includes a chrome-plated hardened steel padlock and tamper-proof fittings, and is manufactured from powder-coated zinc-plated steel for maximum corrosion resistance.
The award-winning Disklock Steering Lock is extremely difficult to remove without the key. Made from reinforced steel, the lock covers the whole steering wheel and is a highly visible deterrent for would-be thieves. It spins on attack, which means that it won’t damage your vehicle’s in-built steering lock, and has a Gold Sold Secure rating.
10. Tyre inflator (vans only)
Having under-inflated tyres is one of the leading causes of tyre failure and can also result in more frequent trips to the fuel pump – an added expense most of us could do without. The Michelin 240V Superfast 4X4/SUV Tyre Inflator solves this issue by providing fast, accurate inflation. It’s simple to set up, easy to use and can inflate a 13” tyre in just 90 seconds. That powerful inflation makes it ideal for larger vehicles such as 4x4s, SUVs and vans.
Introducing the Halfords Motoring Club
Keep you van or truck moving, stay safe and keep saving by joining the Halfords Motoring Club today and getting access to a range of amazing benefits and discounts.
It’s free to join and you’ll receive money off your MOT, a free car health check and a welcome voucher that can be spent on any Halfords product or service.
Or choose our Premium membership for a small monthly fee (or a one-off payment) to unlock exclusive member pricing on all motoring products and services online and across our stores, garages and Halfords Mobile Experts, as well as a variety of other benefits that will help you to keep moving for less.
With so much to enjoy, this is too good an opportunity to miss!
Join the Halfords Motoring Club today at www.halfords.com/motoring-club.
We hope that these products help to brighten up your journeys in the months to come! There are loads more lorry, van and truck accessories we could have featured on this list but you can find our full range on Halfords.com.
With the uncertainty of the energy price cap and cost of living crisis, we know that you’ll be keen to save money as and when you can. Here at Halfords, we’re committed to driving down prices and offering you the best value possible to keep you safe, happy, and secure. We’ve pledged to never be beaten on price on 1000s of motoring essentials – read more here.
Remember: if you want top products to improve your journeys, you want Halfords.