trip planning

proper trip planning also depends on the dispatcher
when you are doing ltl picks--none preplanned --that kinda throws any planning out the window--especially when you are told"head west- ill let you know when i find something"

 

yeah that about sums it up. I think one of the main parts of trip planning that gets LOST now a days is reading the map. Directions come from a quallcom or a gps and those are not 100 % accurate. Read the map understand the distance and break it apart by speed...ie.....60 miles an hour for 10 hours is 600 miles...yet that doesn't take traffic delays into account...so there is no way anyone can post a video or instructions for trip planning.....you LEARN how to do it and yes you will screw up a few times....you're human aren't you

 

Don't ya just love that

 

I usually know the exact truck stop or shipper/receiver where I plan on shutting down for the night, and I always have a backup plan in case my first pick is full. In eleven years I can count on one hand how many times I have parked on a ramp on the interstate, or on the ramp in a rest area. In most states this is illegal and VERY unsafe. After a few years out here you will know which truck stops fill up quickly and the ones where you can find a spot later in the night.

 

A trick I learned was to take a logbook page with lines 1 - 4 and think of each line as a day.Most of your loads will be 4 days or less anyway, and if longer, use another logbook page.

Anyway, using line 1 as day 1, figure out when you will be starting your day and make a little dot at that time. Count over 14 then count 10 then 14 then 10-- you get the idea. This is called Worst Case Scenario. If you're in a hurry you try to get to that 10 hour break before your 14 is done (of course driving as close to 11 as possible).

This is a quick way to see if you can go the amount of miles they want you to in the amount of time they want you to. After a while though, you look at the date of pickup and the date of delivery and quickly calculate how many hours you have left on your 70 and approximate 500 miles day (even though you could do 600, give yourself some cushion) all in your head whether you have a chance to make it on time.

 

It doesn't take into consideration stopping at a lot of truck stops along the way because your one can of soda is either empty or warm and you need to stop and get another and you've been really trying to find that one movie you saw at a truck stop somewhere but couldn't get it then because you didn't have the money for it but now you do and DARN IT you're going to find it no matter what!

..and you're trying to stop for lunch but each buffet you stop at is featuring fried chicken so you know there has to be one buffet on this highway that isn't serving fried chicken. Once you find that buffet you'll stop for lunch.

..and then you wonder why your 14 is up already. I mean you're only half way to the consignee!

 

I disagree!
I was running up to Des Moines IA. I was certain that at this hour of the night I wouldn't be able to find parking in Des Moines. I was certain of it. I tried stopping at a few truck stops on the way up. They were all full. So I get up to Des Moines and pull into the Loves (formerly Flying J). Not only was there still parking available, there was _easy_ parking still available. I couldn't believe it.

 

I tell ya it's the little things that get ya.......keeping that left door closed is so important...making sure you got your road munchies and plenty of beverage BEFORE you start rolling is a must!!!!

 

I had that happen to me in Florida a couple of times...surprised the hell out of me

 

I noticed that on the Greyhound I took back in November. We rolled into the Tallahassee Pilot late at night so of course I was looking out the windows and this was about midnight/1a and there was still some good parking available.

Now I did notice in TN on I-24, I forget what exit it is, the Loves truckstop will be packed. Then you go over to the no-name truck stop on the other side of I-24 and there's still good parking available. But everyone's clammering to try and find parking at that Love's.