Stay Ahead Of Schedule

Staying ahead of schedule is a great way to maximize your income. For most drivers this goes without saying.

For newer drivers... Getting unloaded early, leaving yourself plenty of time to make it to an appointment on time, and parking as close as possible to your next stop before taking your 10hr break are all great ways to stay ahead of schedule.

I was reminded of this the other day. I showed up at 0515 for an 0630 appointment. Besides gaining an hour just by showing up early, the place had just opened for receiving and I was first in line. Bonus! No waiting.

Unfortunately there was an issue with my paperwork. It took about an hour to figure out what the problem was. But still, by being early I was able to absorb that wasted hour and still make my next appointment with plenty of time to spare. Sometimes an hour delay at one stop can cause another stop to be canceled or rescheduled.

Just a friendly reminder for all you newer drivers to always stay ahead of schedule if possible. It will not negatively affect you, but it can help you out in many ways.

True words that early is usually better, especially if it's a customer you're going to more than once.

I arrived early for my current unload. The only problem was it took 25 minutes to get backed into the dock. Off the street, between two trailers, power line poles, fire hydrant, etc.... "We get big trucks in here all the time..." Last time you'll get to see this one, Jack!

Good point. The thing I’ve had to learn since I started pulling refrigerated freight, is that almost everyone will not load or unload more than an hour before the official time. I’ve only had one drop and hook and I was allowed to get that done early. So that has to be a big factor with trip planning for me. When I was doing dry van , I had much more leeway, like you are saying.

I arrived early for my current unload. The only problem was it took 25 minutes to get backed into the dock. Off the street, between two trailers, power line poles, fire hydrant, etc.... "We get big trucks in here all the time..." Last time you'll get to see this one, Jack!

I think receivers learn that phrase during training. As if they are trying to shame the driver for having difficulty getting into their crappy docks.

Good point. The thing I’ve had to learn since I started pulling refrigerated freight, is that almost everyone will not load or unload more than an hour before the official time. I’ve only had one drop and hook and I was allowed to get that done early. So that has to be a big factor with trip planning for me. When I was doing dry van , I had much more leeway, like you are saying.

This is true. Prime used to have notes attached to the load info like "Will unload early" or "Will unload on a first come first served basis". That was very helpful. You can also call the contact number and ask if they will take you early. As you may know by now, half those darn contact numbers are BS (you can often find a valid number on google) and if you do manage to reach someone, half the time they will tell you you can't come early. Drop n hooks certainly make it easier to get ahead of schedule.

This was a Two-fer: The shipper's location was unreal and so was the consignee's.

I told my dispatcher these two are on My Blacklist.

Good points, and a good thread. We run on Prime's network, so I follow the instructions that come with the load. If it doesn't say anything about timing, I aim to show up and hour early. They usually will get the ball rolling. Drop and hooks usually have a window, so that gives me a chance to try to get there on the early side.

On longer trips, I try to get more miles in early in case something happens later in the trip to delay me (traffic jam, etc.).

I'm definitely trying to learn how to be more efficient!

Good points, and a good thread. We run on Prime's network, so I follow the instructions that come with the load. If it doesn't say anything about timing, I aim to show up and hour early. They usually will get the ball rolling. Drop and hooks usually have a window, so that gives me a chance to try to get there on the early side.

On longer trips, I try to get more miles in early in case something happens later in the trip to delay me (traffic jam, etc.).

I'm definitely trying to learn how to be more efficient!

Sorry. Didn't see this over the weekend.

Half the battle of being efficient is being self-motivated enough to do the job with at least a small sense of urgency even if you have plenty of time. You seem to have that fine quality. Great interview on the podcast!

Thanks for the kind words and for listening, RealDiehl. Yes, your title for this thread says it nicely: stay ahead of schedule!