dumb trip planning question

GPS

 

Get a grease pencil and write down the days route/fuel stops/lunch stop on the drivers wing window. Then all you have to do is glance over to your left when you need to check your route.
Just remember to erase and add each days route.

 

Dry erase markers work too.

 

2nd dry erasers -- low tech "heads up display"

 

Almost sounds like you are over-planning (not a bad thing, but a lot of work). I would only write down routes, exits, and fuel stop. And like was mentioned before, I wrote it with a dry eraser on my window.

 

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. If you don't ask, you don't know. How else can you gain knowledge from people who have btdt unless you ask.

 

I write my route with fuel stops.
Anything else is done on the fly as needed.
Rest stops and such are just a couple clicks away with my GPS.
My GPS also tells me when I am coming up on a weigh station.
I also have an atlas, which also shows me where weigh stations are as well as other useful information.

And I use sticky-notes.
They are easier to write and dispose of than grease (or dry eraser) on the window. I stick them to the bottom frame of my QC.
And how about when you are driving at night, when the grease on the window blends in to the dark background?

And as GBNF mentioned, don't over plan.
If you try to plan everything to the minute and to every detail you will only stress yourself to an early death. Try to allow enough extra time on each load for some leeway to relax a bit.

 

Just a thought. What if you are being stalked by a hijacker? Route directions on your window is like handing them the keys. It won't happen to me? There is roughly 6 trailers stolen every day.

What I use to do is carry a little pocket notebook and write all the load info. On the bottom or back of the page I would write the directions with my own version of shorthand. I also recorded the odometer on the same sheet.

I-40>x232>109N>I-65N>fuel x3> etc...

Walnart carries them little black/white composite notebooks in a mini pocket version. They seem to hold up the best.

As time goes on many routes you remember. Then all you have to do is plan your stops.

 

Enter in the destination. Enter in the route backwards. Every time you hit a via point, enter in the next one. I'm not concerned with weigh stations and pickle parks and break stops. When the time comes where I need to pull over for that goofy 30 minute joke, I pull over. It takes longer than 30 minutes to get in and out of a truckstop, so if there's a wide spot on the road or a ramp, I will sit on the entrance ramp.

The best way I know to manage time is to trip plan around big traffic areas, and to keep the left door shut. Do everything in your 10 hour break, and drive when you're on duty. Real simple.