Best way to plan routes?

Rand McNally atlas

 

Honestly this all depends on your company. Big places usally send you a route and where to fuel and how many gallons. hell they micro manage you into the ground. Now if you are rolling for yourself I start with google maps to get a rough look at the directions then i use my road atlas and wright down best options then i use my rand mcnally to input the directions into it. I also plan for every stop with a truck stop app on my phone. of course this takes a little while but i rarely end up out of time with no parking. FYI its best to plan to stop about an hour left on your clock so if your first option is full you can roll on down the road to a different place.

 

We've hauled OZ loads regularly, for 5 years. I sketch a route on Google, then I use an Atlas. Street view is invaluable. I look up 511 per state construction and weather. I use google to get around obstacles, on the fly. My husband makes wrong turns and gets lost. I navigate.

 

i look at route like this my way the right way companys way so my way is less construction no 2 lanes lights parking company way is the shortest bur time comsuming

 

Microsoft Streets and Trips.

Type start. Type end. Hit enter. Look at route and modify by dragging dropping. Enter departure time. Scroll through line by line directions to see where you will be when it's time to shutdown. Find a TS.

Submit this route on your OD permit application. Modify route as required when permit routing comes back different.

 

Can always use uship truck miles for an idea lol.

I used it a couple times. Like a free promiles or Manhattan software that the companies use.

Map is good for my alternates.
Google for live traffic as to when to take those alternates on that sticky note above head.

There's almost always a us highway or better less cluttered state rt that runs parallel to the interstates. Like rt5 instead of i65 in Alabama headed to mobile.

 

Are you speaking a new language here haha? Translate please!

 

Good question... i often wonder myself. Is there some kind of package software or app made specifically for route planning...something realistic?

 

Nothing beats the Rand McNally Atlas. Using a gps is helpful. but can get you into trouble. When I am traveling I set up a goal of a certain number of miles or to get to a certain destination. I also have an alternative. It takes time to run the miles and hours to see what works best for you. If I have a goal to get to a certain destination and have more hours or energy, I may put on more miles. When I set an objective it is usually the minimum that I want to accomplish. I have a gps on my phone that I often use to track my progress on a trip. Before the phone, I only used the Rand McNally. I hope they don't discontinue the hard copy atlas. I find it helpful to have a bigger map in which to do my planning. You don't have that option with a gps. It works for me and has for many years. If I had a preference it would be for the Rand McNally atlas rather than any sort of electronic gps. I can appreciate using a gps as a tool, but there is nothing like having an atlas. One tool that can also be helpful is PC Miler. It is designed to run practical miles for trucks. I have also used mapquest and google maps. Streets is also good. Any of them will work. PC Miler is a little pricey, but it is a good program.