Trip Planning Practice 03

In keeping with Brett's vision of educating and encouraging, I decided to post one real trip per week as a trip planning exercise.

This is for newbies who need extra practice, or someone just starting CDL school. Trip planning and time management can be difficult but practice makes perfect, so get a jump on it to make rookie life easier and start earning that money faster.

The "empty miles" is what you will drive right now to your pick up. The "loaded miles" are the miles between your pick up and delivery.

Use your atlas to find your best route, and be sure to add extra time for any cities, mountains, fuel stops, 30 min breaks, and your 10 hour breaks. The weight of the load and terrain can burn more fuel, so be sure to stop and fuel! Use Trucker Path or a truck stop guide book to help you select parking and fuel stops. Be sure to plan to park after the customer. Use a weather app to check the radar ahead.

This shipper has a washout on site so no added time is needed for that. If you are flatbed, then add tarp time instead.

Remember: You can only drive 11 hours per day must include a vehicle inspection, must abide by the 14 hour clock. (see the High Road for HOS , or just ask on the thread if you have questions.)

This is a drop an hook on both ends with open windows. If you leave now, run it as hard as you can within the HOS and speed limits.

Reed City MI to Allentown PA

Happy Thanksgiving to you, be safe on the roads.

In keeping with Brett's vision of educating and encouraging, I decided to post one real trip per week as a trip planning exercise.

This is for newbies who need extra practice, or someone just starting CDL school. Trip planning and time management can be difficult but practice makes perfect, so get a jump on it to make rookie life easier and start earning that money faster.

The "empty miles" is what you will drive right now to your pick up. The "loaded miles" are the miles between your pick up and delivery.

Use your atlas to find your best route, and be sure to add extra time for any cities, mountains, fuel stops, 30 min breaks, and your 10 hour breaks. The weight of the load and terrain can burn more fuel, so be sure to stop and fuel! Use Trucker Path or a truck stop guide book to help you select parking and fuel stops. Be sure to plan to park after the customer. Use a weather app to check the radar ahead.

This shipper has a washout on site so no added time is needed for that. If you are flatbed, then add tarp time instead.

Remember: You can only drive 11 hours per day must include a vehicle inspection, must abide by the 14 hour clock. (see the High Road for HOS , or just ask on the thread if you have questions.)

This is a drop an hook on both ends with open windows. If you leave now, run it as hard as you can within the HOS and speed limits.

Reed City MI to Allentown PA

What is “Intelliset”?

I would like to take a run at these exercises on my own without being taught to see if I can figure it out but I need a little info. Don't have a trucker Atlas yet but do have a normal one so I will just play it safe and stay on the major roads. I got the trucker path app to find parking/gas. Looked up average truck info, said truck holds 300 gallons and gets 6mpg.

1. Where am I dropping empty and picking up full? And how long does that usually take with no problems?

2. I know the start time is Tuesday 5:50 pm, What day and what time is the load due in Allentown? I know trip cant be done in 11hrs

Thanks

What is “Intelliset”?

That’s the setting on the reefer. Each setting has a range variance so it states 34 as the temperature.

I would like to take a run at these exercises on my own without being taught to see if I can figure it out but I need a little info. Don't have a trucker Atlas yet but do have a normal one so I will just play it safe and stay on the major roads. I got the trucker path app to find parking/gas. Looked up average truck info, said truck holds 300 gallons and gets 6mpg.

1. Where am I dropping empty and picking up full? And how long does that usually take with no problems?

2. I know the start time is Tuesday 5:50 pm, What day and what time is the load due in Allentown? I know trip cant be done in 11hrs

Thanks

U will take a empty trailer to Allentown. Check in with guard, then proceed to shipping, they will tell u where to park mt, most likely in an extremely full lot. They will also give u a general area to look for your loaded trailer. Check your paperwork for trailer number as well as seal. If not sealed check if u need load locks. Now set your tandems and make sure your gauge weights are correct. Proceeds to guard shack for final check. Then if u work for prime, u do a live load call, which requires another 30 minutes. Once u get to receiver, reverse process take loaded in , leave with mt.

Donna, thank you for the terminal time info but I’m still confused. Says the load is going from Reed City to Allentown, that is the 711 loaded miles. Also states that there are 198 empty miles for a total of 909. Was wondering where the empty truck is coming from. Since its just for practice, I’ll just assume I’m 198 miles south of Reed City and go from there. I’ve always been good with maps and planning road trips so I wanted to try this on my own before researching how You guys actually do it.

Here is my plan, using my spreadsheet.

Here's how to read the spreadsheet:

Miles column is cumulative between 11/14 hours resets. This way I can project my entire drive time for my 11/14.

Drive time uses 50 mph.

Start/arrive is start/stop driving per the clock. I generally round up to build in some cushion.

Overnight is where I plan to spend 8/10.

Breaks are where I plan to spend breaks.

I don't really factor in time spent in the yard, because that will simply shift my total clock.

Thank you Rob. Seeing that spreadsheet clarifies a lot for me. Thank you for sharing. Question: Is that a spread sheet you created or is that a general template that can be downloaded or something provided by the company?

I am sure that is just a spreadsheet he made himself. Your computer will probably have a spreadsheet program on it you can use, if not you can download the latest version of LibreOffice, it is free and at least for me as good or better than the ones you pay for.