KEN'S KORNER - DECEMBER 2004

PLANNING AHEAD
By Author, Educator and Big City Driver Ken Skaggs

There was a time when all you had to do was look at a map, figure your route, and you were ready to roll. But with all of today’s rules and regulations (and the way many companies love to blame drivers for everything), planning a trip can be a lot more complicated than it used to be. As soon as you get your dispatch, before you move your rig one inch, there are many things to consider. Several minutes (or even a half-hour or more) spent planning can save you many hours, even days, in the end.

The trick is to properly plan your trip ahead of time to help avoid surprises (delays) during the run. Some of the things to consider are obvious, but others are sometimes remembered after it’s too late. Don’t be caught saying I could have, should have or would have. Of course, being ready for anything is always easier said than done. In fact, I’m sure there will be things I forget to mention here. But even so, maybe I’ll give you an idea or two, or at least a reminder. Especially at this time of year, mistakes can be frustrating and even painful (like when you breakdown in below-zero weather).

First and foremost, I can’t stress enough the importance of a thorough pre-trip inspection. Many mechanical problems can be spotted before it’s too late. Don’t just kick your tires; look at each one very closely. Check tire pressure and look for defects like uneven wear, dips, bubbles, recaps coming apart and/or chunks missing. Two hours at a tire shop today is better than six hours waiting on the side of the road tomorrow, for a service truck that usually brings the wrong tire. Take a good look at your hoses and belts. As soon as you see signs of wear, again, spend a couple of hours at a shop today rather than six hours on the side of the road later. If possible, carry extra everything. Carry oil, anti-freeze, hub oil, a headlight or two, tail light bulbs, trailer lights, marker lights, maybe even a fan belt and a radiator hose, and, of course, some tools. Also, don’t forget food, water and extra blankets. You might think it’s a waste of money to buy all these things when, chances are, you may only need one or none of them ever, but it's not. Let’s hope you are lucky enough to never need these things, but why count on luck.

Plan your route. This may seem like a no-brainer, but tell the truth - how many times have you had to re-figure your trip on an alternate route? As you plan your route and (of course) write it down, notice any cities that you have to pass through and make notes of the best way around each one. If you happen to be passing through a big city when traffic is high, you will most likely want to take the bypass route if there is one, which there usually is. Note your mile-markers at all of your planned turns and bypasses. This way, you can expect your turn-off when you start getting close. And, if you don’t have directions, call ahead and get them. A few minutes looking at a map or talking on the phone is way better than an hour of driving around in a circle any day.

Plan all of your expected fuel stops. Most companies these days have a limited number of designated fuel stops, so you need to know exactly where you will be getting your fuel. If you are an owner-operator or a fiscally responsible company driver, you will need to know where to get fuel at a reasonable price before you enter into the rip-off areas (as I like to call them). There is nothing more frustrating than running out of fuel. Besides, you will have no one to blame but yourself when you do. Don’t get caught driving down the road asking anyone and everyone on the C.B. where the nearest fuel stop is located, because there isn’t always one around. What’s almost as bad as running out of fuel is going mile after mile out of your way to get some, when you know darn well you should have stopped earlier.

Plan exactly where you will sleep. You don’t want to wind up driving down some big city streets looking for a mall parking lot (which probably isn’t there and, even if it was, it probably wouldn’t be safe or legal) when you could have stopped at a TA thirty miles ago. Or, worse yet, find yourself pulling into a small but totally full truck stop. Another very frustrating thing is when you are totally exhausted and you pull into the very last truck stop on your route, but there is absolutely no parking whatsoever. I’ll tell you one thing which has worked for me for many years: I go to bed earlier than most other people. When I’m on the road, I like to go to bed about 6:00 PM and wake up at about 4:00 AM or earlier. This way, I always find parking at the truck stops, plus, I get a jump on the morning traffic.

And last but certainly not least, make sure that you have the hours-of-service available to make the run on time. Before you even say yes to the load, make sure that you can legally and physically do it. There is no worse nightmare for a dispatcher than when a driver suddenly calls and says he is out of hours. You should be able to see this one coming. Before you even look at a map, look at your logbook. If your dispatch is over one thousand miles and you see that you only have four hours today and three tomorrow, you must let your dispatcher know (before you pick up the load) that you can’t legally do it. And physically, you may have the hours, but if you’ve been awake all day and you get dispatched to drive all night, you need to let them know of this fact before you pick up the load, so they have a chance to get someone else or reschedule your appointment.

Keep it legal out there and take the time to plan ahead, because there will usually be something you forgot. Always try to figure in a margin of error. Plan to get where you are going early, just in case something comes up on the way there, which it probably will.

Copyright © 2004 10-4 Magazine and Tenfourmagazine.com 
PO Box 7377 Huntington Beach, CA, 92615 tel. (714) 378-9990  fax (714) 962-8506