Trip Plan Questions

Based on the trip, I assume you're out for more than a week at a time, so managing your 70 hours is a crucial factor. I have a few friends that are out 11 to 16 days at a time, one has never taken a 34 hour reset in 3 years of driving while the other, with 6 mos. experience, commonly has to. Using up 10-14 hours a day can, and will factor quickly. Keep in mind, that any hours you don't use in a rolling seven day period carries over to day 8.

Eight to ten hours a day will get you there in plenty of time, and won't raise hell with your 70 hours. We also have to be thinking about the next load assignment.

I'm a 7 day driver, so managing my 70 hours is somewhat different. I'm doing 2700-3300 miles/week, with 3 or 4 load assignments ranging from 300 to 1500 miles, and typically end my week with 1-10 of my 70 hours unused. If I ever run out of hours, it would be due to poor time management.

I'm still very much a rookie myself, but I've learned that using my head gets me further than using my right foot. Good for you for being a thinking person.

Best wishes!

 

Provided...I have a full 70, and a full 11 to drive at the start and the pick-up is right down the road.

I'm gonna take a re-set of my 34, after I get to the reciever...after chewing my dispatchers ### out for improper load planning/deliver appointments.

Maximum driving time per 24 hr day = 13 hrs. times 64 mph average = 800 miles plus per day. Equals trip done in just over 60 hours with fuel/pretrip times, allowing for meal breaks too....OH, and I will be ready for the next load at that 60 hr mark...well rested, cuz I just come out of my 10 break.

Proper trip planning.... work first...goof off later. IE after you deliver. 400 miles a day equals a factory job...and my bed at home every night.

 

in flattbedding most places i go arent even open let alone loading/unloading on the weekends....so i get loaded on a monday an hual butt across country, maintaning the legal speed limit until my 11 hours are over for the day,sleep and do it again, always hopin that they will have a load on friday for me
havent yet so i "get" to reset every weekned in a new truckstop, so planning for 8 days worth of hours hasnt happened yet
but fuel, food and latrine stops do, and i plan my days driving around those i.e fuel in the morning and log it with my pretrip and make two short stops in the day....
also...you can only legaly log 825 miles per 11 hours drive time...

 

Plan your driving at 10 hours a shift. Why? It allows you lee way at the end of the day for finding parking.

So, keeping in mind 10 hours of driving per shift:

2,000 miles at 55 mph=36 1/3 DRIVING hours. That is at least 550 miles a shift. Round it up to 37. Why 55? Because of load weight, traffic, road conditions, construction, unforseen accidents, terrain, etc.

Have to take a 10 hour break after every segment of driving so that equals 3 10 hour breaks, for a total TRIP time of 67 hours.

Plan to take on fuel at the end of every driving shift. Why? That way when you wake up after your break you are ready to go, and you can do your post trip while you are fueling and if you find any problems you can make arrangements to have the problem resolved.

This is VERY conservative planning but if you are new to driving allow yourself this extra time. It is always better to overestimate how long a trip will take, and have your appointment moved up, then it is to underetimate or time it to the dot and be late and end up waiting extra time at the customer because you weren't there when you said you would be.

So if you leave your shipper at 0800 on Monday plan on arriving at your destination no later than 0300 on Thursday. Adjust for the time zone you are delivering to.

I pull flatbed and never have to adjust my appointments back because my conservative estimation already includes load securement time at the shipper, load checks throughout the trip, and breakdown time at the destination. Usually I have to move it up because my actual arrival is earlier.

While over the road I pull in 2900-3200 miles a week with sitting time on Sunday, and that is using the above 55mph and 10 hour driving shift. Why? Because at the end of the day I recalculate based on my current position and update my eta. Proper communication with your dispatcher keeps you moving and preassigned to loads.

 

For most people. (Large Unit drivers excluded)

Plan at 50 mph..execute at the maximim you can legally get away with. I was taught this way, it's worked for me for over 20 years.

2000 miles = 40 hrs driving
40 hrs driving requires three 10 hour breaks
Total "planned" trip time = 70 hours

Of course, your pretrip and fueling will wash using this plan...cuz you don't actually drive 50 mph. Your total "on duty/driving" time should come in around 30 hours +/- depending on how fast you actually can go.

Naturally, you will get there much sooner if you don't have a breakdown and you don't spend your time goofing off. An actual driving "shift" is about 12 hrs when you pretrip, fuel, and eat. But, the faster than 50 mph brings the time frame back into norm.

As an experienced driver, I have the advantage of knowing where most/all the fuel stops are that I will be using along certian routes. But when I am on a route that I don't normally run. I simply look for truckstops 600-700 miles from my starting point, and aim for them. If I'm out in the western states (70 mph plus) I shoot for 700-800 miles.

Whatever the speed limit, I try to get at least 650 miles per driving shift, in most cases I actually want 720. Of course that's impossible coming down the full length of CA. But it's something we all deal with....on paper or in actual miles. And, I have some trips I cover less miles. But, that's the nature of the beast.

Total miles driven in a 24 hr period... I'm going to be in El Paso, TX at about 4 the next morning, if I leave Orange, TX at 6 this morning Easily and legally.

 

Hmm,825 miles you log in 11 hrs,gee thats good,75 miles per hour average ,are you on the autobon in england,I plan on 12 hrs a day,qtr for pretrip,qtr for fueling,flag safety cks every 4 hrs approx,run maine to mn,wi etc,I plan around rush hour traffic in chicago,quit early on my 11 to make it work out for me,I run a mininum of 400 miles when unloading or loading,then run my 11 right off as fast as I can,on the last day can coast and relax,if I have any delays I will still be on time.I get within earshot then stop and relax and play.Load always comes first as to when I leave home,everything is preplanned at home as soon as I know where I am going. I fuel anytime it gets to half or below,preferably when I eat and shower so I save time. I use rest areas to safety ck and rest rooms there,saves time for getting home on my 70, then get restart after 34 and do it all over again. When you preplan you will get fewer surprises and problems down the road. I use goggle and mapquest at home and on the road,and pc miler,run the trip tolls,no tolls,fastest,longest etc.,just to keep in the know. It's fun to preplan when you train yourself to do it. I log 2.5 miles less than the speed limit,sometimes drive 5 over the limit and keep my average that way, Works for me.