Trucking Time Management Skills

Efficient and effective time management is one herculean task truck drivers are faced with. One of the toughest parts of being a trucker is balancing the time spent on the road with that spent at home. Each trucker works in a different way and method with the intention of getting the best from each passing day. Working smarter, not harder is an assured way to help guarantee continual success in the truck driving industry. Most trucking companies love truckers that are effective and spend lesser time on the road.

There are ways which a trucker can effectively manage time on the road to achieve greater result. Some of these ways include the following:

Choose Routes with Good Parking Options. 

This is one way of achieving maximum time management by a trucker. The total time spent driving out of the way to search for a safe parking lot can sum up to a lot of wasted HOS hours as well as lost productivity. A truck driver can effectively manage time by mapping out routes with availability of easy-to-find parking lots. This can save a truck driver more time as well as provide more time for rest and sleep.

Acquire a GPS System

One merit of technological advancements is the possibility to complete more tasks daily. For truck drivers, one of the most useful inventions is the Global Positioning System (also referred to as the GPS). A good GPS system is the trucker’s best buddy. This device aids the trucker getting from a location to another without getting lost. It also reduces the HOS logs and also fuel consumption as it eliminates inefficient route for truckers. With less time travelled on the road, there is time availability for proper truck maintenance as well as other downtime.

Create Checklists

It is imperative for a truck driver to develop the habit of creating checklists such as truck maintenance measures, onboard tools and equipment, load or unload concerns, as well as a route sketch of parking sites, traffic flow and truck stops can facilitate an efficient run of time management, particularly in the case of long haul drivers who are faced mostly with physically demanding journey.

Checking Schedules

For a trucker to effectively manage time, monitoring delivery schedules should also be considered. This can aid in the reduction of wait time.  Fleet control solutions can help to recognize location of an available load repeatedly and also provide the trucker with quick information or details of when a load is ready.

Plan for Rest

A trucker should learn to plan for total rest during each drive. Although there are federal regulations that govern a trucker’s Hours of Service, there is more to rest planning than just the usual 10 to 15 hours on as well as the corresponding hours off.  It is imperative for a trucker to cultivate the habit of parking early before the parking sites filled up in order to avoid searching for a truck stop late into the night. This will not only keep the driver refreshed the next day but also provide the driver strength to wake and travel early on a road with high traffic as they are least congested in the early hours.