What does running hard mean to you?

I have never honestly tried running hard.


I suppose that it is possible to do,


but I have no intrest in trying it...........




Good Day.

 

So true. I agree with this 100%.

 

Most of my appointment times are pretty strict. So getting there early usually means sitting in some yard lot or crappy truck stop. I would rather spend my extra time in a hotel or at least a decent truck stop preferrably in an area with good data coverage. But I'm never late and get plenty of miles.

As others have said, it is all very situational depending on who you work for, experience, personal situation, etc.

But I'm surprised there haven't been more "good ole day" responses. I've done my time running paper logs with 1000 mile days, etc. I really do prefer my health and sanity over that though.

 

Just means keeping the left door shut and ride.

 

I've heard if you run hard for more than 8 hours you should consult your physician .

 

Well I'm at my reciever doing my 10 while I get unloaded. I've done 1550 miles in 3 days. Not really running hard but it's decent. Before elogs, i knew I was running hard when.I would pull over for a cpl hour nap and when I woke up, took me about 15 mins to figure out where I was, where I came from and where I was going.... That's when your running hard.. it doesn't have to be x amount of miles daily persay

 

to me running hard means maximizing your legal driving hours. Example, if you have a 65mph truck, and the speed limit it 65+ 95% of your day your log page should average 61-64mph...any less and your wasting hours.

I also run my 11 out as fast as possible, meaning NO stopping unless I HAVE to, the sooner you get your 11 over the sooner you can start and finish your 10 and the sooner your back on the road. People that stop every 2-3 hours to "stretch" or whatever are wasteing time. If your pulling a flat, in n out, dont go to a stupid truck stop to check your load! find a easy in n out rest area or a ramp with a wide shoulder, stop, check and get going! What i would do is stop 3 times in 11 hours for load checks and flag the 1st n 3rd one, but LOG a 15 min break for the 2nd, so that my speed/miles/hours all worked out, if you stop and take a 15 min break everytime you stop to do a load check your just wasteing time, but if you just flag them your wasteing your 11..so i split the differance lol.

It also means keeping in contact with dispatch, let them know when/where you will be MT, and how many hours you'll have when MT. CALL YOUR OWN CUSTOMERS! dont wait for a 11am delivery time! call them some beaches the day before or that morning and see how early you can get in and unloaded.

DONT WASTE HOURS! is the biggest thing...call this what you want legal/illegal whatever...its life, and how you make money GOOD money: lets say you deliver in Rock hill, SC at 8am....you get there at 6pm the night before, and the receiver is 5 miles from the Pilot.....Park at the pilot, eat/shower whatever, in the morning be AT the customer at 730am, but DO NOT LOG IT, have your log all setup, just dont put in a comment or any lines (so if you get pulled over IF YOUR AN IDIOT you can do it before he waddles to your door) go unload, and if you dont have another load go back to the truck stop n wait. WHEN you get a load, log the trip n unload time then go get reloaded, that way you dont waste your 14 waiting for a load...


Choose routeing wisely, keep weather and traffic in mind.




just a tip for some reason alot of driver just cant seem to figure out on there own: If and when you choose the break the law (AND YOU WILL) dont draw attention to yourself...Example: you run out of hours 15 min from the truck stop and you know your good miles/hours wise dont be stupid and be speeding that last 15 min! slow down and DONT get yourself pulled over! If you dont get caught no one will ever know....duh! Some people seem to think they need to rush to get off the road, then they get pulled over and get a ticket for speeding AND a log violation...then come here and whine about it lol


And like someone else said....do whatever you have to do ON your 10 and get the hello out of the truck stop!


Also if your company doesnt tell you where n when to fuel, fuel during your pre-trip and you can log it as 15 min, rather then doing it as 2 seperate times for 15 min each thus wasteing hours...



Good Luck!





American Trucker

 

Running hard is going from point A to point B as fast and as safe as you can until you are tired and need to rest. Get your rest, fuel up and shower and haul ### again.
You know the dynamics of your body the government and some trucking co's just want to tell you how you can run. Some people can't handle as much as others and that's mainly to do with their physical and mental condition. That's why some companies have to govern their trucks at 63 mph. It's not about fuel savings trust me, it's insurance co's telling those trucking companies what to do because of a lot of claims. Insurance costs will eat you up more than fuel. Have you ever heard of an insurance "surcharge"? E-logs, Black Boxes, and a bunch of ridiculous rules brought to you by Big Brother Babysitter.
Then you have the "other" companies that hire the ones who can and want to run hard (safely) and make money so they can go home to rest and play. Those companies aren't begging for drivers with gimmicks, sign on bonuses, Buy Here Pay Here Leach Operator Plans, etc. They still have paper logs and don't have governed trucks, or brainwashed drivers.
Once again your physical and mental condition determines what you can handle. Stay in shape, eat right, and focus on driving safely and not what's on the YouTube or the Buffet at the next 20 Truck Stops and keep that left door closed. Take advantage of your breaks and on duty time "creatively" unless you have e-logs.
Get your time in the seat and look around, keep your nose clean, stay fit where you can handle the work and you'll be alright. Always remember one thing trucking companies are in business to make themselves money and your pay is just the industry average. Now you know why some of us choose to run hard, it's all about the money and what you take home to enjoy it.

 

Running hard..... 20 years ago....4000 miles a week, anyway I could get them. Just so long as I was home on weekends.

5 years ago = 750 miles per day, and then some. Out for weeks on end.

Today.... 400 miles a day average. Home every 2 weeks for 7 days.

 

A week of hard running to me issss.... One box of Cottonell flushable wipes, one can of Lysol, with a 22 Oz bottle of baby powder. Three rolls of paper towels for windows. One shower, maybe two, about 21 cups of coffee and the Q keeps quiet wile i'm doing my thing. A short fuel line during my 3 and one half times filling up in my seven day week. Good weather would be a plus along the way. Some band aids might be needed if we have a co driver for that one fight you know is going to happen along the way at one point or another, and that's it for my 4100 miles. I would not want to do it every week if going solo, 3800 miles a week I might last longer ! Oh yes, we must not forget clean shorts and socks, I think thats it.