How do I ETA like a missile?

A few thoughts ...

We use the standard of 44 mph to figure out drive time for loads, this is lower for what we used to use, 47 mph.

Those trucks that are under dispatch, the drivers tell the dispatcher to figure it out themselves, don't ask the driver to do the dispatchers job.

Most load get a delivery time and if the driver calculates something beyond that, they tell the broker/agent/dispatcher there is a problem.

It takes about 15 minutes to plan out the load most of the time.

There isn't, even with rescue loads, a need to rush. The exception is 'just in time' loads where there still is plenty of time now a days.

 

Use 10mph less than your normal average driving speed as a planning factor, add an hour for cities, as two hours for cities during rush hour, add two hours if you have to get through west Virginia or any other ridiculous roller coaster territory, add an hour for pending bad weather, shoot to be there an hour early despite appointment time. That accumulates like 6 hours of buffer time, by the time you get within a couple hundred miles of delivery and none of that stuff happened you can just hang out, zero stress. You can't screw it up. It's not exciting though, that's one downside to planning ahead, super consistent, super boring.

 

Just don't drive it like a missile. Please.

 

Yup, same here I just figure mid 40 mph works like a charm, But when I run otr I adjust so I start everyday about midnight, gets you parked early, less traffic. But then I get along better without the people.