If you’re a truck driver, one of the must-buy gears are work gloves. With the truck that you navigate between load stops, gloves provide essential protection drivers require. When driving, offloading, loading, or having to work on a truck that is needing repairs, having a good pair of gloves can make a difference in job performance.
Anyone who has been stopped on the side of a road, or working with shipping crates knows the dangers that come with those activities. Ensuring protection, dexterity of your hands, security and material handling capabilities need to be considered when researching work gloves.
Gloves are especially important to wear during the coronavirus pandemic, given that truckers are considered essential workers. As truck drivers are relied on to deliver medical equipment, food and other critical goods across the country, they need to be especially careful with what they’re touching.
We’ve sourced the best work gloves for truck drivers based on quality, functionality, durability, and price.
7 Best Work Gloves for Truckers
1. Ironclad – Impact Resistant Gloves
Ironclad offers some of the world’s best-selling and high-performance gloves in the market. We like these gloves because they were developed to sustain impact, and offer added protection for the back of the hands while on the job.
On the palm of the hand features foam pads to help absorb vibration while driving.
The leather reinforced palm allows for gripping and ease of working with your hands on a tough day to day tasks. Terry cloth on the back of the thumb can be used to wipe away sweat and is just one of the extra features that stand out on this glove. The adjustable hook and loop closure also helps adjust the fit to each user.
Thermoplastic knuckle protection helps protect from job site impact or abrasion protection, and that same material at the cuff provides proper positioning fast. Finally, these are fully machine washable, and air dried gloves won’t shrink or dry out with regular cleaning. For a small price tag, these gloves are a no-brainer.
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2. CLC Custom Leathercraft
These gloves are style and functionality brought together for the best work glove. The synthetic palm material allows for abrasion resistance, and also durability and extended life of the glove.
The stretch fit thumb and spandex backing enables it to stretch and fit your hand nicely. Textured fingertips allows you to use your mobile device easily without needing to take off the gloves.
Additionally, cold weather insulation makes this an all-weather option for any trucker. These come in small, medium, and large sizes for a retail price that doesn’t break the bank.
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3. Carhartt
Recognized for some of the best work gloves available, Carhartt offers versatile gloves for many trades. These insulated for multiple job sites and weather conditions, along with the fleece and knit styling for comfort, marry for an excellent work glove.
Nitrile grip and C-grip palm alleviate fatigue while allowing for the best control of worksite and load materials. The textures, breathable spandex, will enable this glove to form to the hand for ultimate comfort. The affordable price point makes these a great work tool to always keep on hand.
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4. Mechanix Wear
This company made its reputation in motorsports, with gloves made for that sport, which makes the Mechanix gloves a natural option for truck drivers.
The Mechanix work gloves feature all that technology with the synthetic leather durability for high abrasion resistance and minimizing of tearing. These gloves were lab tested to prove that the Material4X can outlast genuine leather work gloves at .8mm thickness.
This machine-washable glove fits the hand to allow the highest dexterity to do any number of tasks. Additionally, it won’t retain moisture from washing or exposure to oils and solvents. These average retail in the low to mid-twenty dollar range at many online retailers.
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5. Youngstown Glove
Touted as one of the world’s best all-purpose work gloves, the Youngstown gloves host great working features. From the modern 3D pattern that fits your hand with ultimate dexterity to the goat grain leather produced for tack grip, flexibility, and abrasion resistance, these gloves are a worker’s dream.
The double-layered leather on the palm, saddle, and knuckle adds protection and durability details to this essential looking glove. Arc rated to 23 can/sq cm it doesn’t melt when exposed to sparks or flame, and can even provide protection again shock and voltage exposure.
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6. G & F50155
Cowhide leather gloves with rubberized safety cuff for wrist protection, these are the epitome of a working glove. The stitching remains intact and adds to the overall form of the glove.
These rugged and versatile gloves can be used for a host of outdoor gardening, construction, and loading tasks for truckers. Use them on the road, or at home when off-road these gloves make a significant protective factor for any job. These can be bought in a three-pack and in various pack sizes up to a 60 pair pack.
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7. Wells Lamont
High abrasion and puncture-resistant 100% grain cowhide gloves feature an adjustable wrist for best fit. These gloves are demolition, farming, maintenance, and even construction rated and recommended. If they’re good enough for demolition and construction use, then they’re great for truck driving.
The flexible ball and tap wrist allow the user to determine how tight or loose to keep the glove, along with deterring dirt and debris from entering. The thumb is stitched into the palm separately to provide the most ergonomic flexibility of that digit to get the job done.
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Conclusion
Truck drivers will face a variety of weather conditions and work conditions in the execution of their jobs. They must have access to a good set of work gloves that can provide abrasion resistance, dexterity to the situation accurately, and protect their hands at all costs. Those hands are what drive the truck that will carry them down the route to their next job, and are the biggest asset in their career path. Research the glove options that best meet their needs, and before heading out on the road, stock up the cab of your truck with this protection.
Whether preferring natural leather or choosing other synthetic materials, the options are endless on how versatile these tools of the trade have become. From dexterity, form-fitting materials, and resistance of moistures and abrasions, gloves do so much more than simply protect the hands of the users. A small price tag that could prevent other more massive medical bills and time away from the road.
What work gloves do you use for truck driving?
Geoff is a freelance writer at TruckersTraining.com with 20+ years of experience driving trucks and buses, dispatching, supervising, and training commercial driving teams. His expertise is writing topics on the transportation and trucking industry, and information technology trends.