Time Management Tips for Truck Drivers
Truck drivers always have to deal with deadlines. Especially if they are hauling time-sensitive freights. But for newbie truckers, it can be a real challenge to manage their time. Making the delivery on time is the key to running your business successfully and keeping customers happy! The following are several tips to help you organize your working time.
Planning Ahead
Of course, you can’t predict everything. But you can try to plan your trip. Try to think through everything: your stops and rest, loading and unloading, traffic, consider delays, and unexpected situations that can happen during your trip. If you have such an opportunity, try to get on the road ahead of schedule.
Don’t forget about Truck Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is a must-have thing for each trucker who wants to be constantly on the road. You cannot completely avoid truck breakdowns, but you can reduce the number of them. Check oil regularly, have the correct tires, and schedule your truck maintenance on time to reduce downtime due to vehicle breakdown.
Prioritize Rest
As we told before – plan your rest. Lack of sleep is not only dangerous but also negatively affects your productivity. Learn to take short naps when you’re getting tired instead of don’t wait until you feel exhausted. A well-rested person will always perform better.
Try To Avoid Heavy Traffic
Of course, this is not the easiest task. But use GPS apps (for example, Waze) and common sense. You shouldn’t go through major cities during morning and evening rush hour traffic. Try to find alternative routes or spend this time resting on the truck stop. We will not tire of repeating that planning your trip is the key to your success.
Use trucker apps
Do you want to check the weather or traffic? Or maybe find a truck stop or repair service? You can do this just using your smartphone. There are so many trucker apps that help with route optimization. The most popular ones are Trucker Tools, Trucker Path, Gas Buddy, Drivewyze, PrePass Motion, UWT Carrier, and others.