Time Managment

If you are OTR, and not at home. Leave NOW!!

As a general rule, I figure my leave time/road time at 50 mph. Even if I have a 75 mph truck.

Running regionally,.....If I have a load that delivers on Monday morning at 7am in Hickory, NC, leaving from my yard (Myrtle, MS), and assuming I was given the load on Friday or Saturday. I will generally leave the yard about 9am on Sunday morning (maybe later ). Allowing for the time change too.

It's 569 miles to Hickory. At 50 mph I should be there in 11.25 hours. But I won't be doing 50 mph. So I have a chance to take a break, and fuel if needed. And still be there on time if I don't break down.

As an OTR driver, leaving from a customer, I left immediately. Regardless of the time/day. It's better to goof off on the back side of a load, than the front side. You never know what might happen in the middle. The last thing you want to do, is get a load going 500 miles, and have 48 hours to deliver, then break down 7 hours (350 miles) from the customer, with only 8 hours left to get there.

Plan at 50 mph is my goal. Expedite the load according to my location and destination.

IF I am going to the Bronx, Boston, Rhode Island, anywhere in this part of the world. I add 10 hours to the trip.....period. IE I leave 10 hours earlier than my "planned" time. This area demands a bit more time and planning. Arrival times are out the window. 7am apppointment, tells me to be there at 4am to avoid traffic. If you hit the GW bridge at 7:00am with an appointment in the Bronx at 8am, chances are you are going to be late, very late.

 

I also use the 50 mph average for delivery. However, I look at the type of road involved. If east of the Mississippi River, 2 lane roads are slower and I drop the average for them down to 45.

Sometimes on the delivery time, I will add an hour or two as a cushion. I always plan to arrive early.

 

Yup, never hurts to be a little early, of course, how early depends on the customer. Some customers will take the load when you get there, others are stricly by appointment. Only thru dealing with customers (and calling them) will you find out how they work.

Danc, great post. Every now and then, I would either pick up a load and come home (with a Monday delivery) or pick up over the weekend, also for monday delivery. On those loads, you need to figure out roughly how far they are (I would add 10% to whatever the qualcomm miles said) and figure out drive time based on 50 mph, and then plan when you need to leave the house.

Ex: Detroit, MI - Cleveland,NC (near statesville) Mileage wise, it was roughly 670 (actual hub), meaning, logging legally, I would need to do a full day's worth of driving, then take a break and deliver afterward. So I would have to plan accordingly, and so will you.

 

More time behind the wheel will get your better situated. Once I hit Nebraska I can average 67mph, with stops. Once I get into the 65mph zones its 57mph, 70 is tricky because the speed changes alot. Just figure up how much you drove, then divide by how long it took you to get there, that's your average mph.

 

TJ is right, more experience will get you set. But, at least, you weren't late for your first appointment. remember, even one minute early is better than being late.