Allow me to throw my 2 cents in here.
You will have little to no cell coverage between Indio and Blythe, and almost none till you get near Phoenix.
Along I-10 in Ca you will have emergency call boxes every mile, they are yellow boxes mounted on telephone poles, and connect directly to the CHP.
In Az, you wont have cell coverage much outside of the cities, and what you will have will be spotty (that goes for every cell carrier).
A good CB radio, one that can reach at least 4-5 miles, is almost a requirement for driving across the desert.
As for the claim that drivers dont have them or use them, that isnt totally correct.
Drivers still have them in their trucks, and still use them, but with cd's and other forms of music, they just dont talk on them as much.
Dont count on the highway patrol in either Az or NM monitoring them though, they usually dont.
To avoid paying to much for a radio, I would suggest you stop at radio shack and get one.
You can get one there for as little as $27, of course you will need to get the antenna also.
I would suggest you get the TRC521, because it also has a weather alert on it that is tuned into the NOAA system.
That radio is only $40, but you can only get it in-store.
http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2032070&pg=2
Once you get to Az, about 15 miles into Az is the town of Quartzite.
You can stop there and eat, gas, and relax.
There are some pretty neat shops there, because it is a major stop for rock collectors.
About 50 miles outside of Phoenix is a pretty good truckstop, and it has pretty good food.
The only place you might, and I stress MIGHT, have any trouble at all is a place called Texas Canyon.
It is a pretty good hill, with a rest stop on the top of the hill.
As long as you make sure the truck has gas, and as long as you use your head, you should have no problem.
Butrfly,
If you want, e-mail me at the address on my profile and I will give you my phone #, that way if you have any questions along the way you can call me.
