We know one of the perks, and one of the most stressful aspects of becoming a carrier is time management. At first, the option of choosing your schedule and being in charge of your own time is appealing, but you soon realize there’s a lot more to juggle. For experienced truck drivers and carriers, managing their time becomes second nature, and it’s easy for them to prioritize, plan and execute tasks in a way that optimizes their time. For newer drivers and trucking entrepreneurs, it can be a challenge to take advantage of their independence and make the best use of their time on the road.
At Simplex, we know becoming a carrier and business owner is a process and we want to bring you some tips you can use to take advantage of your time while on the road.
- Plan your Routes to avoid unnecessary stops: Before departing, familiarize yourself with the road ahead. Try to estimate where and when you can take breaks and try to make these breaks productive. If you’re stopping for gas, try to make it your meal break as well to maximize your downtime. Pack food and essentials in your truck so you have options if you do stop for gas and want to take advantage of that time.
- Consider different parking options: There is a parking crisis in the country, and it’s out of our hands to fix it. But you can always take advantage of several different apps that help you find available parking spots and rest areas. By using these apps, you can plan ahead where you are going to park. Just make sure you have a plan a, b, and c to be extra prepared.
- Create a daily schedule and checklists: as a business owner, it’s not just about driving for you. You also need to deal with brokers, or your freight planning agent, factoring etc. Keeping all those things in mind can be overwhelming on top of the stress of being on the road. Creating a schedule at the beginning of each day, creating a to-do list and when to do each item can help you make the most out of your day and prioritize all the things you need to do.
- Try to avoid traffic: Avoiding traffic might be out of your hands but there are a few things you can do to plan your routes in a way that minimizes the chances you’ll get stuck in a traffic jam. A lot of truck drivers and carriers encourage the use of the app Waze, since it’s a live and trustworthy source of information when it comes to traffic, and helps you take alternate routes to avoid collisions or traffic jams.
- Get enough rest/sleep: As you already know, getting enough sleep is extremely important, especially when you’re on the road. You can create the conditions to have a good night’s sleep by ensuring your sleeping quarters are dark and cold, avoiding loud noises by using ear plugs or a white noise app, engaging in some type of relaxing activity before going to bed like meditating with an app, or just breathing, journaling etc.
- Use mileage goals to help plan your routes and breaks: knowing how many miles it will take to reach your destination can help you plan your fuel stops ahead of time and optimize your overall journey.
These are just some of the things you can incorporate into your on-the-road routine to have more control of your time and make the best of it.
Here at Simplex, we want to provide you with solutions, and one of our solutions is our Simplex ELD. With a variety of reports and easy access to any documents and information you might need, our Simplex ELD makes it easy for you to juggle all your responsibilities as a carrier while you are on the road.
Get organized today!