Need Help Planning a Trip

That's a simple problem.

Raise enough hell the other person either pulls their head out of their ###, or gets fired.

You can't plan anything without 100% cooperation from everyone.

You've done all you could.

 

Well at least it seems you have found the problem, usually the first step in fixing it,Lol........Is there any way to get the contact info for who ever else is going to be involved in the trip? That way you could personally make contact with the other driver or who ever and not have to rely on second hand info. It sounds like you take your job serious and plan accordingly but are dealing with others that does not share the same work ethic and common sense. Even if you had the attitude of I do my job and planning I'm not taking on anymore responsibility just because someone else don't want to do their job right you are still the one who it is costing time and money. I know with my company they do not always communicate well, right before christmas there was a swap set up to get me home they asked my eta to swap I said 08:30 when I got there at 08:30 the other driver had gotten there the night before as he was instructed to do and was mad at me for not being there the night before. I clearly communicated my time to them but they did not pass that info along. Another bit they missed was when I found out I was meeting in knoxville I shut down in birmingham so the time would work out right and the driver that I was meeting in knoxville came right through birmingham the same time I was shutdown there on his way to meet me. Had we known that neither of us would've went to knoxville we would've swaped there and both of us could've got home earlier.

Sorry didn't mean to go on my own story, just trying to say communication is always best. From then on any load I am set up on that involves another driver I ask for the other drivers # or I ask them to send him a msg with my# if they do not want to give me his.

 

Honestly, I don't know that there is an answer to this. I have yet to see a trucking company that did not have these SNAFUs on a pretty constant basis. There are often so many people involved that messages just get screwed up.

Then you also have the smaller companies, where you have two drivers trying to meet. Both in contact with the same dispatcher. Said dispatcher gives driver A time and location to meet, then turns around and gives driver B a totally different time and location. He just got mixed up.

When you have men, (or women,) and you have trucks, you are just going to have to learn to deal with a certain amount of screw ups. Yeah, it is frustrating. Yes, it costs time and money, both for the drivers and for the company.

If you can come up with a fool proof way of correcting this situation, you must be a genius!

 

Hay Sportster2000. Just a ?. I'm new at this but you mention that the other driver is the first seat or in charge if that is true Why are you doing the trip plan if you don't have 100% control. Maybe I missed something been new and all. But I have never planed anything that I don't have 100% of the control. I don't understand.

 

I don't see why the company is putting the responsibility on you . They know the problem . Someone in a supervisory position should be making the other person does their part . If I do what is required of me and am delayed for reasons beyond my control I notify dispatch the load will be late and that's it . I don't worry about it . I can't do the impossible .

 

Route it, then leave.

Of course, most companies send routing and fuel stops. I just plan my rest stops. And the rest takes care of itself.

There's not a whole lot of thinking that goes into the process, at my age. I can basically plan a route/trip, without ever opening a map. Unless it's someplace I haven't been before. Or, it's a location that has access through 2 or more major corridors. Then it's a matter of finding the quickest route. Not always the shortest.

I just do the pre-trip and leave.

 

My carrier just started assigned routing and fuel stops . . They think the shortest route is the most economical on fuel . I'd like some opinions .
There are 2 routes from shipper to consignee . One is 300 miles on mostly secondary highways through congested areas . The other is 330 miles using mostly interstate . Both take within a few minutes of 6 hours . Which gives better mpg ? Which has less risk of accident ? Which causes less wear on brakes and drivetrain (and driver ) ? Is that the one the company chooses ?
Now fuel stops . The ones with the lowest price fuel - period . I have a run where I drive 150 miles to the shipper then it's 550 miles to the consignee . I usually drive to a truckstop close to the shipper the night before loading . That is when I want to fuel because I have plenty of time . The next day I don't know what delays I may have and I don't want to burn time fueling . But gee , the place I spend the night has fuel that costs two cents a gallon more than the cheapest fuel enroute . Also if I fuel at a Pilot during the day I have a shower credit if I stop at a Pilot at night . If I stop at some Ambest stop I get a useless shower credit because I'm not going to shower in the middle of the day . So am I supposed to pay $10 out of my pocket for a shower to save the carrier $3.00 on 150 gallons of fuel ?

 

My opinion. That it's a rumour started by a brain dead college grad, who never drove anything in his entire life.

I consistantly watch my MPG drop from 7 mpg to 5.8 and lower, negotiating from red light to red light.

300 miles at 7 mpg = 42.8 gallons of fuel

270 miles at 5.8 mpg = 46.5 gallons and 45 minutes or more extra time