Route Advice/Resources

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by trucked_up, Sep 24, 2024.

  1. trucked_up

    trucked_up Bobtail Member

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    Sep 24, 2024
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    Hey, new to long haul driving and looking for some advice figuring out multi-day routing. Are there any services or apps yall use to help plan your longer routes and rest stops? Any tips and tricks to avoid major delays would also be helpful
     
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  3. kemosabi49

    kemosabi49 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    SW Arkansas
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    GPS is ok, but to get the big picture especially on longer runs. I always would look at the U.S. map in the atlas. You can see what roads look like the best way to go. Then run the route on the GPS.
     
  4. Lav-25

    Lav-25 Medium Load Member

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    What he said . Get a paper cdl atlas , use it , works great . Gps is okay for real time , but for trip planning , atlas
     
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  5. tarmadilo

    tarmadilo Road Train Member

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    I enjoy the chess match of trip planning. You have to juggle a lot of variables: when you’re scheduled to deliver the load, whether they allow overnight parking, how far away they are and if you’ll need more than one day of driving to get there.

    Finding a place to park for a 10 hour break along the way can be tricky, depending on time of day. From 5 pm on, all of the usual places start filling up, even earlier in the more congested areas. I do a Google Maps search for rest areas in the area where I expect to be (I prefer rest areas to truck stops, unless I need a shower), but I also look for truck stops. I also keep a list in my head of any other places I’ve been able to park, like other customer locations, on street parking in relatively safe places, even the shoulders of particularly safe on ramps. I’ll make that first day a little shorter if it means getting into a parking spot.

    If the clock isn’t my friend, I will go ahead and reserve a parking spot at a nearby Pilot/Flying J, paying for it with points.

    If parking isn’t available at the receiver, I like to get as close as possible the day before.

    I never start rolling without a planned stopping place and at least one alternative (it sucks to arrive and find no place to park and not a lot of clock time to find something else).
     
  6. tarmadilo

    tarmadilo Road Train Member

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    As for the routing, you can’t beat Google Maps for the most up to date information on traffic delays, closed roads, and the fastest route. Having said that, Google Maps has no idea that you’re driving a truck, so it won’t tell you about truck restrictions and low bridges. If I’m not familiar with the route, I ALWAYS double check using Hammer, and then usually triple check with my Rand McNally Motor Carriers Atlas. I learned this lesson early, it cost me some money getting pulled over for being on a “no trucks” road. And twice having to get turned around due to low railroad bridges (both times lucking out by having convenient parking lots to turn into).
     
  7. Allow Me.

    Allow Me. Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Rancho Mirage, Ca.
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    When you get your dispatch, and normally you get a delivery date. So, calculate the mileage you will be driving, divide by 500-550 mi and make sure you can make the delivery time. Do this first, because you will have to acknowledge to your dispatcher that you can make the delivery appt. I say 500-550 mi per day but you may can do 600 or more. If the Kenworth gods are on your side.

    Next, I always was up at 4 am, got my donut and coffee and was rolling by 430 am. I liked to have 100 mi under my belt before the sun came up. And I liked to shut down by 4 pm. But that's just me and my preference. Plan your driving if possible thru large cities NOT during rush hour. A shower feels good at the end of the day, but, you may be waiting in the shower line. Normally not a problem at 4 am since most drivers asleep. Same with fueling, trucks lined up in the PM but not in the early AM. Saving a half hour here and there is to your benefit. Keep munchies in your truck because you will get stuck occasionally at a customer and will be hungry. Aaaahhh, those spaghettios will sure taste good ! !

    You'll figure out the rest as you go......
     
  8. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    I always used my truck GPS, not Google Maps or car GPS or some phone app, to pick a route legal and wise for trucks. Then divide the total miles of the trip by 100. This is the rule-of-thumb that it takes 2 hours to drive 100 miles. Your truck may briefly reach 70 or 75 mph, over the course of a day you will not maintain that speed long enough to substantially beat 50 mph average for the day.

    For example a 1,200 mile trip / 100 = 12. 12 hundred miles / 50 mph = 24. That tells me there will be 24 hours of CDL driving to complete the trip. That's 2 days or two10 hours breaks required.
    Each day requires at least one 30 min break, so 1 hour for both of them for the trip.
    In my example 24 hours (trip) + 20 hours (two10 hour breaks) + 1 hour (30 min breaks X 2). I recommend planning 1 hour per day for each 30 minute break so you have a little more time cushion.
    24 hour + 20 hour +1 hour = 45 hours of human time.

    I would tell my dispatcher "It looks like I can be There in about 46-47 hours from Now IF EVERYTHING GOES RIGHT on your end, at the shipper, and the receiver, and traffic." (assuming I started the trip with a fresh 70 hour clock).

    Typically I had an appointment time at the end of that trip, so the above calculations would tell me how much time is required to get from Here to There, but it doesn't tell me what time I will get there. Once I have my trip total time, I would work backwards from the appointment time to know what time I have to leave Here to arrive There on-time, with no problems.

    I used an app on my phone (android) that is a Time Calculator, a calculator that works in Hours, Minutes, and Seconds. I think it is called Hour Minutes Time Calculator. You can use a normal calculator if you just enter time as a decimal to the nearest 15 minutes. For example, 1 hour & 45 minutes is 1.75. 2 hours & 30 minutes is 2.5 etc. I strongly recommend you use military time with the 24 hour clock and do all calculations on the same time zone as your ELD. Only at the end do you convert to the local time of the shipper/receiver.
     
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  9. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    To work backwards I would find the nearest/safest/available parking location near the customer. Subtract driving time from Parking to Customer. Subtract 10 hour break + Driving time from Parking to Customer to arrive at Get Parked time. That tells me when I have to be parked for the night to be on-time for appointment. Then subtract trip driving, 10 hour breaks, 30 minute breaks, etc. Once you begin the trip you just keep recalculating to monitor you are on-schedule or ahead of schedule. The GPS is good for that if you set your average speed at 50 mph in it.

    These are things you see when you ride with your trainer at the start of your first job, if your trainer knows them. MANY trainers are just some other dude a few weeks ahead of you out of CDL school.
     
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