dumb trip planning question

You don't have to remember the whole thing, just the route to/and the next planned stop. My trips were planned with MS Streets & Trips, so my laptop sitting between the seats remembered it for me, and GPS tracked my progress.

 

Pilots, weigh in here.

As a pilot we have to trip plan. If you go down to the local airport you can buy a lap board. It straps to your leg. You put your local area map on it if you are flying but you can use it for notes. During flight we have to have planned where we will be at certain times. So we look down and see if we are over a water tower at such and such a time. If not we correct our heading to bring us back on course.

I carry my lap board with me in the truck. I started out using it just as I did in the plane. Now, I use Garmins just like I do in the Plane. Get a Dezl 760LMT Enter you final stop, then enter the stops in reverse order finally your starting point. Then go to search along the route to add fuel and rest areas. Walmarts and the like.

Let Judy Garmin (that is what I call her) do the work for you and Toto two.

 

http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/category/975

Lots of flight gear fits trucking. You can get your JET FUEL ONLY and NO STEP warning stickers there, too!

 

Some places I have been to so many times I already know I'll have enough fuel to get there and that there is a truck stop nearby. Most industrial parks have truckstops by them. So you can fuel up when you pickup a load and fuel up again when you arrive at receiver if you need fuel. Try not to fuel up before you get loaded as you may be overweight with a full tank.

 

Wth? Half of me thinks Your kidding. . The other half is afraid your serious. .

If Your company provides routing. . Follow it. . Look at your atlas and verify the route is correct.. write down your interstates. . Take your exits. . Don't bypass fuel stops..

Buy a TRUCKERS GPS! Combine that with knowing how to trip plan with an atlas! Old school know how combined with modern technology will get you where you need to be.

Do not rely solely on a GPS. . Or we will be reading about you on TTR.

Be safe.

 

I have a smart phone with gps and notes section on it works great also plays pandora through the radio speakers and the gps plays through the speakers as well so you can hear it good on your turns.

 

since i write down my mileage each time i enter a state,along with my starting mileage,my arrival mileage,fueling mileage,mileage mileage,etc.,all because i need to and desire to out of habit,i use a composition (wire bound)book. I write my directions down in this book on the same page that i write all that other pertinent info on.I keep several years worth just in case in my truck with me for reference,mainly for directions back to where i have been previously but can't remember the step by steps.

it makes recall rather easy plus i have all stored handily and compactly since i do not have qualcomm/elogs/gps /etc. to pull back up electronically. Old school trucking basically,as in hand written, but during modern times-

 

You have never been to a swift orientation have you???? .....kidding

 

I have always used a regular spiral bound notebook for load info on husbands' loads. Addresses, routes, fuel location, etc. Sometimes qualcomm's go down at the wrong time.

If you have a laptop, it is also handy to use google maps for the whole route, you may have to adjust according to route solution provided. Then leave it in sleep mode. Google maps is not always giving the exit numbers on the directions, you would have to scroll in to see them sometimes. If you know you plan on driving for about 7hrs for the day, according to the speed and terrain, you can plot approximately where you will be at by via point on the google map. Then you can pick out if you can get into a truckstop or have to use an alternate parking spot.

GPS helps a whole lot, even though they do have a mind of their own sometimes.

www.findfuelstops.com comes in handy also, even though not all places are for parking.

With the traffic nowdays it is better to be prepared at all times and maps in your head.

 

You should work on developing a "shorthand" that works for you to jot down the "last mile" directions. Develop a shorthand that is consistent for Right Turn, Stop Light, RR tracks, stop sign, stop light, caution light, T, fork bear left, etc. You will find that sometimes directions provided via a recorded message can be fast and don't repeat and you will need to be able to document the directions as accurately as possible and as fast as possible.

The enroute directions extrapolated from perusal of an atlas for the cross-country portion should be as simple as "I76 to US 22 E, to I476..." Even if you have a GPS, is good to have a "general idea" of what is supposed to happen until you begin to master common routes because road construction causes detours to occur that a GPS is not aware of and always be on the look out for detours and ALWAYS follow detour signage FIRST, if that later fails or you feel you've gone off the beam, then resort to GPS