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.

Keeping Truck Driver Back Pain in Check

There’s no way to get around it – the job requires sitting for hours on end, and the human body simply wasn’t designed to do that. However, there are several steps you can take to reduce and even eliminate back pain while working those long hauls and it just takes a little fore though on your part. Paying close attention to diet, in-cab comfort, and rest area habits, you can keep that pain in your back (and your ass) from keeping you off the road.

Eat right for healthy muscles

This could be the hardest one to stick to, but stay away from high sodium and fatty foods. It may taste incredible, but there’s nothing like good fried chicken to draw moisture away from your muscles and cause cramps and back pain. If you can’t stomach the idea of reducing fats and salts, at least increase your pure water intake. Fruit juices are a close second, but straight water without the additives and flavors can go a long way to flushing your muscles and keeping you limber.

You may also want to add a multi-vitamin or at least a magnesium supplement to your diet, which will promote good blow flow and muscle elasticity.

Proper cab settings

It’s the sitting still for hours on end that’s doing your back wrong, so making sure your cab is as comfortable as possible should be your focus. The steering wheel should be adjusted in conjunction with the wheel so your arms rest comfortably on it without having to hunch over, so pull the seat forward if you have to. Keep the seat at a level where your calves just barely overhang to reduce pressure on them, and you are sitting up straight with less stress on your spine. Don’t set and forget your seat adjustments- fine tune them to get the right feel.

Mirrors are part of your walk around check, and you want them working so you don’t have to lean forward or at odd angles to see what you need to see. Your mirrors should be set so you can simply turn your head (from an upright posture) to eliminate undue stress on your neck.

Rest stop exercises

You don’t have to make a fool of yourself by doing a Jane Fonda workout every time you stop, but even walking around the rig a few times to loosen muscles and get your blood flowing will do you a world of good. Stretch out your arms and legs, and use the grips on your cab to stay steady when stretching your back. A few minutes of this at each and every pull over will do you a world of good and keep you comfortable and healthy when you climb back in the cab.

Back pain may always be a consideration of truck driving, but if you keep it in mind, you can keep on the road longer without long terms health effects. Do yourself a favor and do right by your back.

How Much Do Truck Drivers Earn

Truck driving can be an excellent career option for many people. It can accommodate many different lifestyles and can offer people very comfortable wages to live on. The one thing you have to be ready for is to work many long hours if you choose to go into trucking. Many people are initially unaware that the ensuing truck driver deficit of modern years is primarily due to a high driver turnover rate. And the primary reason? People initially thought that they would be making more money as promised by the many attractive truck-driving earnings publicized on national TV and radio.

While the dreams of making a $70,000 truck driving salary may seem possible quickly as a result of these ads, the reality is that it can take many years of experience before achieving this kind of income. In fact, making six figures may only occur if you end up owning your own trucking company one day. Nevertheless, truck drivers working for distribution centers and shipping companies can expect to bring in a comfortable salary, while attaining long-term financial security for themselves and their families.

An independent truck driver can make the greatest amount of income as they can negotiate their own rates as well as factor in the costs of any travel accommodations while negotiating with clients. This is particularly true of independent truckers who have to travel more than 700 miles weekly.

Getting Paid Per Mile Vs. Per Trip

One popular way of getting paid as a truck driver is to get paid per mile.

Less experienced or newbie truckers can expect to make as little as 30 cents a mile with seasoned truck drivers making over $3.00/mile. As an example, entry-level workers can generally expect to make a truck driver income of about $35,000 a year with such wages. Experienced truck drivers or those that deliver hazardous materials can make much more.

Being paid per mile makes it easy to monitor your wages and has become the most customary manner in which truck drivers are paid these days. The trick to maximize such truck driving income is to always find alternate routes that can prevent traffic delays in order to get the most mileage. Becoming comfortable with an area and finding roads that allow you to avoid expensive traffic delays can be the key to success.

The disadvantages of being paid per mile basically come down to unavoidable traffic delays that can impede the amount of miles a driver will be able to finish in one day. Also, trucking jobs that required driving primarily on municipal and city roads can lower the number of miles a driver can finish and that is not factoring in weather conditions that make the journey even slower. Yet, with all of these potential drawbacks, the ultimate truck driver salary of drivers that get paid per mile still ends up being more than those that are a flat rate paid per trip.

Health Issues of a Truck Driver

When we think about dangerous professions, trucking does not come to our mind instantly. We often think of professions such as various emergency workers, the police and fire fighters. Yet, being a truck driver is fundamentally a dangerous profession. A recent study showed truck driving as one of the ten most dangerous professions in America.

Endless hours of driving on the highways and interstates by these truck drivers create a higher risk associated with serious accident. Nevertheless, these risks are much greater than the obvious . . . an unusual work program, extended periods of sitting, lifting heavy things, unhealthy diets, anxiety, and tiredness  can cause severe health issues.

Due to these long intervals of driving, many truckers fighting apathy often acquire smoking habits. Also, sleeping and living in a truck also poses a threat to the health status of truck drivers.

According to the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN) Journal, truck drivers that are long distance haulers (OTR trucking) rank high among professions of people who suffer from significant health issues. Lifestyle as a truck driver includes several factors that make truck driving a high risk profession. Some studies actually suggest that normal life expectancy is reduced by as much as 5 to 10 years. This is truly a significant number.

Various factors such as the workplace conditions affect the health status of truckers, having a negative effect on such trucker. This workplace consists of not only the truck stops on the routes but also other aspects of the transportation environment. These include:

¨     Loading areas

¨     Warehouses

¨     Terminals

Health Issues of a Truck Driver

A truck driver faces a variety of health issues resulting from his workplace environment. They are both physical and psychological in nature. According to a 2009 study in the AAOHN Journal, "male and female drivers both reported common health problems." Among the most common ones are:

·       Obesity

·       High blood pressure

·       Diabetes

·       Sleep apnea

·       Exhaustion

·       Back pain

·       Sinus problems

·       Headaches

·       Arthritis

·       Depression

The stresses involved in being a truck driver result in many of these health-related problems. The actual physical environment creates a breeding ground for others. The job, itself, is responsible for increasing the likelihood of certain health problems.

Truck driving is a dangerous occupation. The problem goes beyond vehicular accidents. There are serious and significant health issues affecting those who are employed as OTR drivers. For men health issues in trucking may extend beyond the physical into the psychological. The same applies for a woman truck driver. With a steadily increasing amount of trucks on the road, we all need to look seriously at improving the health of truckers.

The necessity to improve or enhance the well-being of our nation’s truck drivers is no longer an alternative. It requires urgent attention and will involve changes in the working environment and within our healthcare delivery model. The environment for drivers must be conducive to good health. Truck stops and fleet terminals must begin to offer healthy food products and make fitness equipment gear available and accessible. Drivers also need to have improved access to health education resources and technology such as health kiosks.

Things to Pack for Over the Road Truck Driving

As you become a seasoned trucker, you will find your own list of essentials to pack for long trips. But for the beginner, some of the necessities might be easily overlooked. With the tight spaces of the cab, a trucker needs to be conscious of how much to storage space there is. Your concerns should be safety first, communication second, and comfort third. To this end, here is a short list of things to pack as your start your life as an over the road truck driver.

Extra Cash
Starting out, you may not have paycheck to draw from on the road, so be sure to carry enough cash to cover emergencies for at least a week. Consider what might happen if your rig breaks down in Tulsa and it will take a week to get repairs done. You are going to need to stay somewhere and eat something, so having the funds to hole up in a motel while waiting on the mechanics is a good contingency to plan for any trucker to prepare for.


Blankets and Coats

Your next pick up might be in Fargo, and it gets mighty cold at night. Having extra coats to wear during hookups (it can get down to 20 below in the right conditions not considering wind chill) and extra blankets to throw on your rack during a sleep-over will keep a trucker warm and well rested for the next leg of the ride.  

Dash Mounted Cell Phone Charger with Hands Free Set
Keeping in touch with friends and family on the road keeps a trucker’s spirits up, and having a fully charged phone with a hands free set up keeps you safe and on the road without having to worry about pulling over and burning time. Many states have enacted laws about truck driving and cell phone use, and a hands-free set will let you talk while keeping your mind on the road ahead.


Food and Drinks Cooler
Several companies offer center console fitted coolers large enough for drinks and snacks. Having your own supply limits the stops you’ll need to make, and lets you stock up on cheaper solutions rather than paying the prices at truck stops. Truck driving is a numbers game when it comes to paying the mortgage, and when a trucker is on the road, every dime counts.

Flip Flops and Extra Underwear
There’s never a need to load up the cab with a full suitcase, but having flip flops for the shower to keep your feet fungus free and a change of underwear to stay clean and comfortable will go a long way. Keep these in a small toiletries bag with toothpaste and brush, a razor, and some mouthwash and the road won’t wear you down so fast.

Finding Local Truck Driver Jobs in USA

Written By Priyanka

With the hard economic times that we live in today, Truck Driving has been known to be a very lucrative career for several reasons. Being a Truck Driver, you can earn a lot of money, have job stability, get to travel to different places and most of all you won't have a boss to deal with. All around the world, there is a need for transportation, not just family and children who commute to school and office everyday but professionals who also transport products and services across different countries and states for a living. In the United States these professionals are known as Truck Drivers or Truckers who constantly keep the country in motion by transporting goods and produce such as livestock, fuel, produce and pretty much everything else to markets and stores as per their need.

Consumers are not the only ones who depend on transportation, there are several businesses that need goods, supplies and equipment shipped on a regular basis. It would have been impossible for businesses to function without an effective and affordable means of transportation to get goods from one point to another. Given below are some of the Local Truck Driving Jobs in USA.

Types of Local Truck Driver Jobs

Fuel Truck Drivers:

A fuel truck driver's role is to operate a truck that hauls different kinds of fuel, oil or gas and to transport it safely to the required location. He is also required to hook up the truck and its relevant attachments, check the truck before, after and during operation, adhering to the rules of the road and managing paperwork for his customers.

Construction Truck Drivers:

Hauling materials from one place to another is the main job of a construction truck driver. He follows a schedule for pickups and deliveries of materials and needs to know the kind of materials he is hauling and their weight. What he delivers are mainly loose materials in the form of rocks, sand, gravel, coal etc. He will be required to travel locally to and from construction or renovation sites as part of his daily schedule.

Light or delivery truck drivers:

Light Delivery trucks generally holds a capacity of less than 26,000 pounds GVW. Drivers driving these kind of trucks deliver or pick up goods within a particular area. The turnaround could be short where the shipment is to be delivered to a nearby city or to pick up a loaded vehicle and drive it to the home base. These drivers generally load or unload the goods at the customer's place of business.

Driver/ Sales :

Some drivers are assigned customer service and sales responsibilities. The primary job would be to deliver and sell products within an already established route. It could be sales related to food products or picking up and delivering of laundry. These drivers may also collect payments as and when required.

If you or someone you know has an interest in local truck driver jobs, you should know there are different choices available and other added benefits for you to choose from. You could also talk to other truck drivers and get a first hand opinion on where to find employment in the trucking industry to make it a career of your life.