PR exec suggests poor planning by truckers to blame for parking issues

[Mike]

As many drivers can attest, finding a safe place to park your truck can often take up more time than you’d like. Could the answer be a simple as planning ahead? According to Brentwood, Tenn.-based advertising agency Conversion Interactive Agency and People. Data. Analytics, it would be a good start.

Among the questions, drivers were asked how long it normally takes them to find parking. Over half of the drivers surveyed, 54.3%, indicated it takes 30 minutes or less to find parking. Additionally, 31.8% of drivers said their time to find parking was under 15 minutes.

Scott Dismuke, vice president of operations for PDA, said that drivers can avoid longer wait times by planning ahead.

PR exec suggests poor planning by truckers to blame for parking issues

Is spending time searching for parking a matter of poor planning? A recent survey asked truckers to weigh in on parking, recruiting, retention and other issues.

landline.media

 

[Mike]

It's gonna ruffle some feathers, but I think there is quite a bit of truth to this. It's not always due to poor planning, but I think better planning can take care of the biggest majority of the problems.

That, of course, goes all the way to a driver accepting a load where he/she knows they will be forced to look for parking late. In some cases, that falls to forced dispatch at the company level, but many times, it's owner-operators accepting loads that they know will be a potential problem.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I'm garbage at planning.

 

[Mike]

I'm garbage at planning.

I can get pretty lazy about it. The things I focus on are pickup and delivery times. If it's in the afternoon, it comes at a significantly higher price for me unless I am the one benefitting by the load simply adding a little more productivity to my day. Typically, though, I'm not interested in any load that has pickups or deliveries in the afternoon. Too much chance that it will get pushed to 2nd shift and I end up picking up so late I have to hustle, or delivering so late I am worried about a parking spot.

 

[Rigjockey]

It's gonna ruffle some feathers, but I think there is quite a bit of truth to this. It's not always due to poor planning, but I think better planning can take care of the biggest majority of the problems.

Yes to a degree, some drivers are not good at trip planning and many others are solar powered truck drivers.
You got to factor in the time of night, the area in relation to routes and major cities, size of the lots and how many other options are available in that area.

Scott Dismuke ( Dis-mook) says this...“I’ve heard that before, and I don’t care for it. Because, as a driver, you’re paid by the mile,” Crowley told Land Line. “You gotta get miles to make money, so you want to drive as close to your 11 as you can.”

I say Bullshit!!! Maxing out your 11 is irrelevant as to how much you earn. It does however effect how soon you will run out of hours and that will not even effect how much you earn it will simply require you to take a 34 or run re-cap hrs sooner rather than later.

How do I know? I have done 3800 miles with 2 hours left on my E-log for my 70. 62 MPH truck.
No I did not run out my 11 everyday and parked two hours outside of Dallas because, well...it's Dallas for one and for two it's Dallas and I knew it would probably be full.

So just to recap, I don't think Scott Dismuke knows what in the fuck he is talking about and also.......
....No one respects anyone named Scott. (present company named Scott excluded of course)

 

[Electric Chicken]

I can get pretty lazy about it. The things I focus on are pickup and delivery times. If it's in the afternoon, it comes at a significantly higher price for me unless I am the one benefitting by the load simply adding a little more productivity to my day. Typically, though, I'm not interested in any load that has pickups or deliveries in the afternoon. Too much chance that it will get pushed to 2nd shift and I end up picking up so late I have to hustle, or delivering so late I am worried about a parking spot.

I have this thing where I always plan my first rail load out as if the chassis needs a tire or air in the tires and there are 3 people in front of me for the same.

When it's a D&H day it's no big deal but the other day when I had that near miss, I ended up almost an hour early and they didn't give me a door until half an hour after.

That's a long wait in a day cab when you're used to go go go and reeeeeeeally don't want to idle a dpf.

It's all moot really because they got me loaded lickity split but still. That's how I am. I'd rather be an hour early than a second late. I get it from my dad who was the same way when he trucked.

 

[Uncle Birchy]

It's gonna ruffle some feathers, but I think there is quite a bit of truth to this. It's not always due to poor planning, but I think better planning can take care of the biggest majority of the problems.

That, of course, goes all the way to a driver accepting a load where he/she knows they will be forced to look for parking late. In some cases, that falls to forced dispatch at the company level, but many times, it's owner-operators accepting loads that they know will be a potential problem.

Yes to a degree, some drivers are not good at trip planning and many others are solar powered truck drivers.
You got to factor in the time of night, the area in relation to routes and major cities, size of the lots and how many other options are available in that area.

Scott Dismuke ( Dis-mook) says this...“I’ve heard that before, and I don’t care for it. Because, as a driver, you’re paid by the mile,” Crowley told Land Line. “You gotta get miles to make money, so you want to drive as close to your 11 as you can.”

I say Bullshit!!! Maxing out your 11 is irrelevant as to how much you earn. It does however effect how soon you will run out of hours and that will not even effect how much you earn it will simply require you to take a 34 or run re-cap hrs sooner rather than later.

How do I know? I have done 3800 miles with 2 hours left on my E-log for my 70. 62 MPH truck.
No I did not run out my 11 everyday and parked two hours outside of Dallas because, well...it's Dallas for one and for two it's Dallas and I knew it would probably be full.

So just to recap, I don't think Scott Dismuke knows what in the fuck he is talking about and also.......
....No one respects anyone named Scott. (present company named Scott excluded of course)

Trip planning is "simple" ...

When punching in the addresses into your GPS pull out the old Motor Carriers Atlas and check see if there are "Alternative" Routes and weigh pros & cons of each..

Next take out your handy dandy Truckstop Guide booklet or these days most Truck GPS can find Truckstops within 50/75 miles of a destination.

Now I would figure about what time I got there and how much drive line would still have after loading or unloading..

Then on the Motor Carriers had laminated pages so I'd take a sharpie marker and mark those travel centers within an hour from my destination.

Also call the customer afew places still allow overnight parking but ask first and make sure instead of getting chased off 3/4 hours later by a security guard.

There ya go I agree not being able to find parking is more a "Lack" of Trip Planning than available parking

 

[mndriver]

What’s an atlas?

 

[Uncle Birchy]

What’s an atlas?

Those ancient thingys that say "Rand McNally" in the Truckstop clearance bins going for oh $3/$5 bucks these days..

although a large "Large Print" Deluxe Motor Carriers Atlas still run ya $49/$59.99 but they got Laminated pages that marker wipes off and "tough" I get about a "Decade" outta one..

When I went to Baltimore afew times at Millis I bought a fold out city map of Baltimore for like $1.50 cover price was like eight bucks glad I happened to spot that while looking for cheap snacks because the GPS had absolutely NO "Clue" where I was going in Baltimore..

Was able to fold that backwards right where I needed to be and stick that on my dash where I could look quickly in stopped traffic

 

[mndriver]

We’re supposed to know how to fold a map too?