Trip Planning Fundementals for Newbies

I think trip planning should be required for everyone. Cuz all that loverly technology...it breaks. And then where are you if you don't know how to do stuff the "old" way?

 

Yes, because if you heavy and full of full, you might do some detouing.


There are many companies sending the fuel routing now. Even that is not 100%. Especially if you have a hotdog fuel manger that is constantly tweeking the software. You better do your homework. If you find discrepancies, you call the fuel manager and get approval for the correct route. There is no desk jockey that can replace the knowledge of experience. Their routings know nothing of road conditions, rush hours or weather.

The trip pak directory makes a good truckstop guide as it's small. The same with a Cat Scale directory. Know where you are stopping and where you are sleeping. It makes things so much easier when you plan 100%. You don't pick small truck stops that you'll arrive at midnight. Because you know there won't be any parking. Like another thread, someone parked where they weren't suppose to because they didn't plan.

 

You have a good post other than a couple errors.

Odd number interstates run north and south. Even number runs east and west. There's a few exceptions out there, but for the most part, so do state routes.

Using 50mph to average everything is a little loose. You know the speed limits after time and can do some closer calculations. Figure your driving time and your stop times. Then plan on arriving at least 1 hour early and you'll seldom be late.

 

I'll add to this with information that I learned off this forum, and has helped me a ton...

Like you said, even number interstates run east to west, and odd numbers run north to south.

Numbers start in the west and the south. What that means is that the lowest numbers are in the west and get higher as you go east, as well as the lowest numbers being in the south and getting higher as you go north.

Same goes for mile marker numbers. They start their numbers in the south and get higher as you go north, or start in the west and get higher as you go east.

Now the three numbers based off the interstates are a little different. The even numbers run around a city or right into the heart of it. For example, coming off of I95 in Maryland you have 695 that makes a circle around Baltimore, with 295 and 895 running through the middle of it. The odd numbers are a spur that just run off of that interstate. For example, 195 and 395 are attached to I95 and run off of it.

 

I have found no matter what even in school all you hear is why do i need to learn a map when i can just use a GPS and even after the instructor said what if your in the mountains where the GPS go's out and your cell phone has no reception how are you gonna know where your going then.

I just finished a 2 week course at my school for map reading it was very frustrating and also very rewarding when on my final i got a A+ on it. I love doing it now and ill be one of the guys who doesn't rely on technology for getting me everywhere.


We are taught to knock off 4% of the trip off each time we trip plan so if a route takes or calls for 3300 miles and you do it in 2900 miles you cut off a few hours and can make a lot of money if you do it right.

 

Yeah, my fuel stops are preplanned as well. Don't get me wrong I do check the route given with my atlas. As I am new I like to write the route on a post it note along with which exit in which state I will be taking for each leg of the trip. I check my available fuel and multiply it by 5.5 (my avg mpg) and make sure I can get to my fuel stop with fuel to spare. They are pretty good on the fuel solutions. I'm told it's to make sure we are fuel compliant with the places where we get fuel discounts, pilot/flying j, t/a, and petro.

But it is beat into us that we CANNOT deviate from the route given to us for any reason unless approved by a DM. Should we route ourselves off route and get in trouble we can be terminated, will be terminated should said off route travel result in damage to the truck or trailer or load.

My thoughts of gps are this, it is a tool, not a replacement. Used correctly it can aid in the job of getting the load there on time. But common sense must dictate it's use and sadly common sense is not very common anymore. Anyway the gps discussion is a dead horse which has been beaten into a bloody pile of goo at this point. The fact is a good driver will be a good driver regardless of the tools he uses because the most important tool is the brain god gave you.

 

I have posted this in another thread but i guess i will post it again here.

If you are new to trip planning and are not sure where to start the easiest thing you can do is when you receive your freight over the Qualcom there will be a lot of information that comes with it.The information that comes with it is most of the time a Route that is suggested now if you take this route and follow it on a map book pref Randy mcnally Motor carrier Road Atlas then you can start cutting miles off by taking different routes.

Example 1) You have a shipment from Jackson MS to Wichita Falls ,TX. You will start by looking in the back of the map book for the mileage and it should be 549 miles. Now the Qualcome suggersts you take I20 to 81 to 82. Now if you look at the map it looks like a good route and you can do that in 9 hours and 15 mins. now how you figure that out is by dividing the mileage by 60 will get you your time and always round it off to the nearest 1/4. so the trip will take you 9 hours and 25 mins now you have to plan if you need to stop for fuel and etc but lets say you just fueled up so your good to go on that front. So you look at your map and see when you start following i20 to 81 that 81 to 82 is a long road and look for ways to shorten it so you see i20 to 71 to 82 right into Wichita Fall, TX and its gonna cut off 35 miles thats a good thing you just cut off a % of the trip and did it in less mileage and time.

Now you may ask yourself why would i want to do this less mileage = less pay right? no if you do it in less mileage you still will get paid for the full amount that its called for just gotta take your time when you pre plan a trip. With experience it will become natural but a good thing to do as well is keep a little notebook of all your pre planned trips then you can go back into it if you have some of the same routes and say hmm i took this road last time let me try this one now and see what one is shorter if the one you take now is shorter then write it down in the book as being a better and shorter route so next time you can take that route again.

 

Yeah I forgot that part.

North Carolina had to go and mess it up with the new I-74? corridor. It used to be US-74?. I guess they didn't want to confuse people. I-34 or or I-36 would of been better.

It would be nice if they continued I-24 on eastbound.

I was knit pickin srvmcmxc. Good post for the newbs!