Pre-trip planning

DDL Drivers Daily Logs check it out on the net

 

Load miles divided by 55 mph= how long it takes to get there? I'm sure there's a little more to it than that. I'm sure a pro will fill in the rest.

 

Usually a company does it less than 55mph

 

Swift was using 50 when I was there. that worked for me when I was hauling sand. the problem is if you use that number you have to average that speed while your on the load.

 

This is a good thread covering this subject:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...6-trip-planning-fundementals-for-newbies.html

 

I like using 50 mph as a rule of thumb because it makes the math easier, can do it your head, and it leaves a little slack for small delays.

If you assume an average speed of 50 mph, you just need to double the trip mileage (in hundreds of miles) to know how many hours to drive the trip.
100 miles = 2 hours (1x2)
200 miles = 4 hours (2x2)
300 miles = 6 hours (3x2)
400 miles = 8 hours (4x2)
500 miles = 10 hours. (5x2)

Just remember if the company tells you the paid miles that's a small understatement to what you will actually drive. If you stop often, you won't average 50 mph. I've always driven "slow" trucks so it was never any question but that I had to keep the left door closed to make any dispatch.

 

Trip miles / avg. speed = driving hours. If more than 11 hours driving: driving hours / 11 = trip days.

For off-the-top-of-my-head planning I use 50 mph avg. speed and use 25 mph for multi-day trips to get a quick guesstimate of when I'll deliver.