Trip Planning Still Kicking My Butt

[Rookie Roller]

So I’m getting a little better out here, but trip planning still feels like playing chess while the board’s on fire.
I’ll think I’ve got it all mapped out, then hit construction, get held up at a shipper, and suddenly I’m racing the clock to find parking.


How long did it take y’all before trip planning started to feel natural?
Do most of you plan every stop ahead, or just roll until you’re close and start looking?

 

[gearjammer]

So I’m getting a little better out here, but trip planning still feels like playing chess while the board’s on fire.
I’ll think I’ve got it all mapped out, then hit construction, get held up at a shipper, and suddenly I’m racing the clock to find parking.


How long did it take y’all before trip planning started to feel natural?
Do most of you plan every stop ahead, or just roll until you’re close and start looking?

welcome to the wonderful world of truckin!

 

[RoadRunnerRick]

So I’m getting a little better out here, but trip planning still feels like playing chess while the board’s on fire.
I’ll think I’ve got it all mapped out, then hit construction, get held up at a shipper, and suddenly I’m racing the clock to find parking.


How long did it take y’all before trip planning started to feel natural?
Do most of you plan every stop ahead, or just roll until you’re close and start looking?

Don’t sweat it, man. Trip planning kicks everybody’s butt at first.
Took me a good year before I stopped second-guessing myself all the time.


What helped me was planning loose, not perfect. I pick a rough spot to stop for the night, then keep 2–3 backups in mind in case the day goes sideways — which it usually does.


You’ll get a feel for how long stuff actually takes once you’ve had a few more bad days. That’s just trucking.


Hang in there. You’ll be planning like it’s second nature before long.

 

[Duck]

So I’m getting a little better out here, but trip planning still feels like playing chess while the board’s on fire.
I’ll think I’ve got it all mapped out, then hit construction, get held up at a shipper, and suddenly I’m racing the clock to find parking.


How long did it take y’all before trip planning started to feel natural?
Do most of you plan every stop ahead, or just roll until you’re close and start looking?

I start at my delivery appointment time and work backwards, factoring a 50 mph average, HOS rules, fuel stops, etc and plan to arrive ten hours early.

 

[RoadRunnerRick]

I work backwards

That's very cajun of ya'!

 

[Duck]

That's very cajun of ya'!

Well, I'm not Cajun but my favorite species of tree is native to the gulf coast. Does that count for anything ?

 

[Rookie Roller]

Don’t sweat it, man. Trip planning kicks everybody’s butt at first.
Took me a good year before I stopped second-guessing myself all the time.


What helped me was planning loose, not perfect. I pick a rough spot to stop for the night, then keep 2–3 backups in mind in case the day goes sideways — which it usually does.


You’ll get a feel for how long stuff actually takes once you’ve had a few more bad days. That’s just trucking.


Hang in there. You’ll be planning like it’s second nature before long.

Appreciate that, Rick. Makes me feel better knowing it took you a while too.

I’ve been trying to plan everything down to the minute, and it just blows up in my face when a shipper drags their feet or I hit construction.

When you say you keep a couple backup spots in mind — are you talking truck stops, rest areas, or just any place that looks safe?

I’m still learning what’s okay to use and what isn’t.

 

[Rookie Roller]

I start at my delivery appointment time and work backwards, factoring a 50 mph average, HOS rules, fuel stops, etc and plan to arrive ten hours early.

My truck runs 64, should I still use a 50 MPH average?

 

[Duck]

My truck runs 64, should I still use a 50 MPH average?

Yeah.

Our trip planners who set appointment times did it with a 50 mph average for our 65 mph trucks.

That's how you accommodate traffic and other delays.

 

[cabinover]

I start at my delivery appointment time and work backwards, factoring a 50 mph average, HOS rules, fuel stops, etc and plan to arrive ten hours early.

50mph average? I'd arrive 48 hours early! You drive for Prime?

 

[Duck]

50mph average? I'd arrive 48 hours early! You drive for Prime?

The company's "load planners" set the pickup and delivery times based on a 50 mph average.

But in the refrigerated food business, shippers (ours were mostly meat packing plants in the Midwest) almost never have a trailer loaded & billed on time, and that 50 mph average is the only way to absorb the delays. They absolutely hate rescheduling deliveries no matter how late it was loaded.

 

[Rigjockey]

The company's "load planners" set the pickup and delivery times based on a 50 mph average.

But in the refrigerated food business, shippers (ours were mostly meat packing plants in the Midwest) almost never have a trailer loaded & billed on time, and that 50 mph average is the only way to absorb the delays. They absolutely hate rescheduling deliveries no matter how late it was loaded.

50 MPH average is typical planning. I rarely had late arrival using the 50 MPH method. I did like you did and worked back from the appointment time averaging 50 MPH and worked in the ten-hour breaks. Sure, you will be early, but you won't be late. the last thing you want to be is "a work in" (they'll get to you when they get to you. Unless they need what, you have really bad).

 

[Electric Chicken]

US Xpress did it on 45mph for the newbies.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I didn't really have to plan yesterday but my estimates for time were way off. I thought he would be an easy 8-9 hour day but it was 11, a little over 12 counting the detour to meet my mom for food that I thought I'd have PLENTY of time for.

And that was just local 39 mile runs.

I forgot about the leg to get my empty. 3x. And underestimated how long a drop and hook would take. 3x.

I literally almost had to sleep in my truck for the first time because of doing super short stuff. Go figure.

 

[Uncle Birchy]

So I’m getting a little better out here, but trip planning still feels like playing chess while the board’s on fire.
I’ll think I’ve got it all mapped out, then hit construction, get held up at a shipper, and suddenly I’m racing the clock to find parking.


How long did it take y’all before trip planning started to feel natural?
Do most of you plan every stop ahead, or just roll until you’re close and start looking?

It aint hard pull out the Motor Carriers atlas plot out a route which highways check see scales if heavy or dont wanna get pulled in for inspection ya can route around those scales..

If ya got a good phone number contact the customers shipping and recieving department find out exactly where ya need to be for your dock appointment..

Today with Google Maps ya can look at a sattelite view of the place make note of how the streets go in and out and the gates this is especially helpful with big distribution center places that have multiple gates and docks

It aint hard once ya make a routine of doing that every dispatch trip planning will become like second nature

 

[Uncle Birchy]

I didn't really have to plan yesterday but my estimates for time were way off. I thought he would be an easy 8-9 hour day but it was 11, a little over 12 counting the detour to meet my mom for food that I thought I'd have PLENTY of time for.

And that was just local 39 mile runs.

I forgot about the leg to get my empty. 3x. And underestimated how long a drop and hook would take. 3x.

I literally almost had to sleep in my truck for the first time because of doing super short stuff. Go figure.

Was it the customers were slow and made ya wait and some road construction can ruin the best of plans sometimes...

I would not sleep in the truck if I was that close to home...

Personal Conveyance and ya really were going home too...

 

[Uncle Birchy]

US Xpress did it on 45mph for the newbies.

Really 45 down a busy highway with everybody else flying 75/80 around them I would have "Quit" Us Xpress my 1st day if that was the case.

The Feds and DOT should crack down on this "Speed Limiter" bullcrap because its really creating a Traffic Hazard when you got very slow trucks creating "Obstruction" to the smooth , steady flow of traffic

 

[Uncle Birchy]

50 MPH average is typical planning. I rarely had late arrival using the 50 MPH method. I did like you did and worked back from the appointment time averaging 50 MPH and worked in the ten-hour breaks. Sure, you will be early, but you won't be late. the last thing you want to be is "a work in" (they'll get to you when they get to you. Unless they need what, you have really bad).

My last OTR job dispatch used the "double nickel" or 55 mph...

Their trucks were set at 72 miles per hour.

With the rest periods, road work, & Traffic ya averaged about 50/60 mph overall the whole trip in a 72 mph Shaker/Crapcadia

 

[Electric Chicken]

Really 45 down a busy highway with everybody else flying 75/80 around them I would have "Quit" Us Xpress my 1st day if that was the case.

The Feds and DOT should crack down on this "Speed Limiter" bullcrap because its really creating a Traffic Hazard when you got very slow trucks creating "Obstruction" to the smooth , steady flow of traffic

We didn't actually drive 45mph. That was the trip plan speed. IOW giving new drivers time to get lost or whatever.

They figured the typical new driver would cover 495 miles a day. Unlike these super truckers who claim they can sustain 70mph for 11 hours every day all week long.

 

[Uncle Birchy]

We didn't actually drive 45mph. That was the trip plan speed. IOW giving new drivers time to get lost or whatever.

They figured the typical new driver would cover 495 miles a day. Unlike these super truckers who claim they can sustain 70mph for 11 hours every day all week long.

Yeah I went back and "re-read" that okay