Having a comfortable seat is vital to the health and happiness of all truck drivers. Driving any kind of truck for long periods of time can takes its toll on your back and butt.
It’s no fun driving 9 to 12 hours (or more) a day only to have your butt hurt and be soaking wet.
A lot of drivers are given trucks with a seat that is bad at these two things:
1. Keeping your butt from hurting.
2. Keeping your butt dry, especially in summer.
After all, manufacturer seats are often made with minimal support or the support is no longer any good because of all the miles on the truck.
You would think that with all the money that goes into engineering and manufacturing a tractor that someone at some point would have had the brilliant idea to actually put in the high quality seats too.
After hundreds of thousands of miles the seat support is naturally going to decrease. Also, these seats are often covered in cheap vinyl that makes your butt sweat a lot. It can cost a lot of money to replace the whole seat.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money replacing the seat don’t go away, this article will help.
Having a quality seat cushion is a good option but it’s not the only one.
In this article I’m going to share with you 14 ways that you can make your truck seat more comfortable and your butt dry.
You deserve some comfort so that you can focus on driving and making money. You don’t have to drive around with butt pain.
There are 2 cons to using a seat cushion though, go to the bottom of this article to find out what they are.
If you are interested in finding out about some more tips and tricks for truckers then I highly recommend you read these articles too:
- Sharing A Truck With A Trainer: How To Survive
- Best Road Atlas For Truckers (yes, I still use one too)
- Truck Stop Showers: What You Need To Bring With You
1. Memory Foam Seat Cushion
Memory foam seat cushions are great at reducing butt pain. They don’t get lumpy or flat and they conform to your rear end really well which makes for a much more comfortable drive. Turn your old truck seat into something that you look forward to sitting on by adding one of these. There are two really good ones that are highly recommended by truck drivers.
Xtreme Comforts Seat Cushion: You can see more about this seat cushion by clicking here (Amazon link). It’s a really comfortable memory foam cushion that has a nylon mesh cover that can be removed and machine washed or hand washed. After washing it you can also put the cover in the dryer. No more stinky seat cushion. All those farts can make these things stink after a while.
Something else that is good about this one is the non skid bottom, comes in handy if you are putting it on a vinyl seat. You don’t have to worry about it sliding around. By the way you can order the original or deluxe version of this cushion too.
ComfiLife Seat Cushion: Another good memory foam seat cushion for truck drivers. This seat cushion by ComfiLife also has the U shaped cut out to reduce pressure on your tailbone.
It also comes with a cover that can be removed and washed in a washing machine. Like the other seat cushion this one also has a non slip bottom on it to stop you from sliding around.
You can’t go wrong with either one of these, they are both high quality memory foam seat covers that are reasonable priced. Well worth the investment.
2. Air Seat Cushion
Air seat cushions are cushions that you fill up with air. Some drivers swear that they are the best but I have never tried one of them so I can’t really give you my personal experiences with them. The most popular air seat cushion is made by Airhawk, it is made specifically for truck drivers.
Airhawk Truck Seat Cushion: One of the most popular truck seat cushions that you have probably heard about is this Airhawk seat cushion for truckers (Amazon link). It’s a little wider
than many other seat cushions. The dimensions are 20 inches by 20 inches. You get a small pump with the cushion to fill it up.
It is made of interconnected air cells that allow air to transfer from one cell to the other. It’s water resistant and has a non skid bottom too.
The only con is that the price is a little high, they are usually priced over $100.00. To see what the price is today on Amazon click here.
3. Stop And Walk Around
Stopping your truck and walking around a little is a simple way to reduce butt pain. While you are at it do a few squats, pushups, and stretches too. Get back in your truck and you should feel much better.
Truckers often forget about how simple and effective walking and stretching can be. It’s such an easy way to keep yourself a little more fit and happy too. Walking is a great way to maintain a healthy weight and lose belly fat.
4. Beaded Seat Covers For Trucks
Growing up I remember seeing my high school bus driver sitting on one of these beaded seat covers (Amazon link). I never really knew what the purpose of all those wooden beads were and why it was comfortable.
Now I know because I use one and I love it. Though they work pretty good at massaging your butt and back as you drive the real benefit is the air circulation. If you are like me and your rear is prone to getting a little (or a lot) wet while driving in summer then this beaded seat cover is the way to go.
I like these because they are durable and really do make driving more comfortable by keeping your butt nice and dry. One thing to look at are the dimensions of the one you decide to buy.
I recommend this one because it’s the one I use and I love it. It has beads that are made from natural wood, not plastic.
You’ll be surprised how comfortable these things are.
5. Adjust Your Body Weight
Don’t sit in the exact same position for a long time. Adjust your weight so that it is not always centralized in one spot, lean a little to the left and right.
Also, sit with your feet flat on the floor and try getting your knees to be level or slightly lower than your hips. I’m no doctor but from the research that I have done most back professionals recommend this as the “proper” sitting position.
This is what works for a lot of truckers but you should adjust your seat to what feels good to you. Everyone is different and seat adjustment will also depend on your height, weight, and length of your legs.
6. Gel Pad Cushion
Gel pad seat cushions are another seat cushion option for truckers. One of the best ones out there is also made by ComfiLife. Some truck drivers prefer the gel pad cushions because the gel keeps their rear a little cooler.
ComfiLife Gel Pad Seat Cushion: This is a good gel pad seat cushion for a reasonable price. Click here to see what the price is today on Amazon. It has a non-slip bottom and a machine washable cover and a handle too.
There are a ton of gel pad cushions out there that you can buy, just make sure the cover is washable and looks like it’s well constructed. Check out reviews from other buyers as well.
7. Get A New Factory Seat Pad
Depending on how old the tractor is you can sometimes contact the manufacturer and get a new seat pad that is a factory replacement. Getting a new seat pad can make a big difference. It’s like having a brand new seat again.
8. Heating and Cooling Seat Cushion
Did you know that some of those heating seat cushions can cool too? They can, and they feel great. If you need to cool down your butt and reduce butt sweat during the summer then one of these is for you.
They easily plug into a 12 volt outlet and are soft too.
9. Empty Your Pockets
Don’t leave your wallet in your back pocket. Actually, don’t put anything in your back pockets. By having your pockets empty your body weight can spread out more on the seat.
I don’t know how in the world someone can drive all day with a thick wallet in their back pocket and not think about taking it out. Weird.
10. Swap Seat Bottom From Passenger Side
This method will take you some time if it is even possible on your truck. The passenger seat usually has much more bottom support because no one has been sitting on it for hundreds of thousands of miles.
Depending on your truck you might be able to remove the passenger side seat bottom and put it on the drivers seat. Not a long term fix but it will buy you some time until you can figure out if you want to do or which seat cushion you want to buy.
11. Use A Small Pillow
Not sure how well using a small pillow is going to work but in the short term it will help. At the very least it will relieve some pain long enough for you to get a proper seat cushion.
12. Adjust Your Driving Position
Make sure you setup your seat and steering wheel for comfort. This is a step that you should not skip.
—-Push the seat forward enough so that you don’t have to stretch too much to push the clutch to the floor.
—-Tilt the seat forward just a little to help with circulation.
—-Have the backrest upright so you aren’t hunched over.
—-Bring your steering wheel towards you so that you elbows are bent, not straight.
13. No Skinny Pants!
Wearing pants that are a size larger lets your “stuff” spread out more. Clothing that is too tight will be restrictive and decrease your range of motion.
14. Talk To Your Supervisor
If the pain is so bad that you can’t take it anymore you need to talk to your supervisor about it. Let them know that your seat is horrible and they need to do something about it. If you drive for a decent company that respects the work you do for them then they should pay for the seat cushion.
If you are really lucky they might be willing on getting you a completely new seat. Don’t count on it though.
A highly recommend seat is this Prime Seating 400 L.
Cons Of Using A Seat Cushion
There are only 2 cons to using a seat cushion. Seat cushions are thick. Most of them are 2 to 3 inches thick.
When you sit on them it will raise you up higher than you were without one.
Not a big deal, you can just lower your seat a little bit.
Some drivers don’t mind the extra height and are just fine with it. Other drivers can’t stand the extra height though.
Another con that truckers experience with seat cushions is that it may take you a few tries until you find the right one for you.
A gel seat cushion might work really well for someone else but won’t help you at all.
If you know someone that uses any of the cushions I listed above it is worth it to ask them is you can try sitting on theirs so you can get an idea how it feels.
Other than those 2 cons there is a lot to like about the benefits of seat cushions.
What Do Seat Cushions Help With?
Having a seat cushion can help you with posture, circulation, and comfort.
Posture: Probably the main reason you need to get a seat cushion is so that it helps reduce pressure on your tail bone. By reducing pressure on your tail bone you will be able to sit straighter for a long time. This means that your butt and your back will experience less pain.
Circulation: Seat cushions help distribute your weight evenly so that you don’t lose circulation to your legs. This is especially important to truck drivers due to the many hours of driving each day.
Comfort: The all around comfort that you will feel while sitting on a seat cushion makes having one worth the money you spend. Being uncomfortable because you don’t want to spend a few dollars is dumb. Avoid eating fast food for a few days and invest that money into a quality seat cushion.
