Unexpected road disruptions can affect all truck drivers, but proper pre-trip planning can minimize many of the associated difficulties. Eric Swanlund, a shadow trainer at Kriska Transportation, and Greg Cook, an OTR driver trainer, advocate for this approach. Cook suggests that new drivers should spend at least 30 minutes on pre-trip planning before each trip.
Here are six tips they offer to prevent some delays and prepare for unavoidable ones:
1. Plan for extra stops
Swanlund advises finding a trustworthy weather app to anticipate unfavorable road conditions. This helps to determine the need for extra clothing, supplies, and equipment to bring in the cab, as well as potential stops along the route.
“I always train my students to pick at least three rest areas or truck stops [per trip segment],” Cook says.
Kriska provides its drivers with trip profiles that detail distances and average anticipated speeds, which can be used to estimate arrival times and locations in 4, 10, and 13 hour increments. To identify nearby truck stops, drivers can then use apps like Trucker Path.
2. Have a Plan B, C, and D
It’s better to stop earlier than to exceed the Hours of Service limit. According to Swanlund, when choosing the best stop, drivers should prioritize their immediate needs, whether it be for parking, loyalty points, showering, or a fresh meal at a restaurant.
“This is what I like to do every once in awhile. I like to get a meal that doesn’t come out of the microwave. And, of course, I can go in and get some human contact as well… Sometimes it does get lonely on the road. Not always, but sometimes it does. And it’s nice to get a little break.”
3. Stock up
Even the most thorough drivers can become stranded on the side of the road for several days, as recent winter storms have demonstrated. To prepare for such delays, Swanlund suggests packing enough food to last three days, including sandwiches, extra water, and dry food that can be mixed with water and heated in a microwave. While canned food is a convenient option, it may freeze during harsh weather conditions, he warns.
Cook emphasizes the importance of bringing essential survival items like blankets, flashlights, and a spare set of clothes and appropriate footwear. He also suggests fleece-lined rubber gloves as part of the kit.
Swanlund adds that carrying a 10-pound bag of cat litter can also save drivers from many headaches.
“If you are driving around the city and you get stuck somewhere, just throw a few handfuls of that underneath your tires. You would be surprised by how much traction you can get.”
Driving in northern areas requires extra essentials for truck drivers, including extra washer fluid, diesel fuel additive, air brake antifreeze, and grease spray for the fifth wheel locking system.
4. Fuel up on time
Planning fuel stops is just as important as planning for truck stops and food, especially in winter conditions, Cook says.
“You want to make sure that you’re not running on low fuel in the winter because things start to gel. So, when you start getting to half a tank of diesel, it’s time to fuel because you never know if there’s going to be a road closure and you’re sitting for hours. The last thing you want to do is run out of fuel.”
5. Avoid the rush
Traffic is a common occurrence in cities like Toronto or Chicago, but drivers should avoid these areas during rush hour if possible.
“That would be the same case with the border. Because the border is awful. Sometimes you can sit at Windsor, [Ontario] for hours,” Cook says. “Planning your time around where you think it’s going to be congested areas is a really important thing if you want to try and maximize your Hours of Service.”
The challenge of traffic is not just limited to big cities. Small rural areas can also see significant traffic during shift changes at factories, according to Swanlund. He suggests using Google Maps satellite views to identify these bottlenecks. Additionally, having a “mental picture” of the destination can be useful if the GPS fails, he says.
6. Don’t rely on GPS alone
While Google and GPS units might be great reference tools, Cook and Swanlund still value physical map books.
“Sadly, a GPS is only about 90% correct. And there are a lot of roads that it just doesn’t know about — roads that have changed because of construction. And you get on work detours,” Swanlund says.
“GPS it is a wonderous, great tool. But that’s all it is. A tool … and sometimes as I’m telling new drivers they have to ignore their GPS.”
Road signs should always remain a priority instead.
Cook recounts an instance where a student of his missed a sign and took a difficult route in downtown Philadelphia. Such mistakes are common among new drivers, which is why he recommends writing down preferred exits and truck stops on Post-It Notes and placing them in a visible location on the dashboard.
“Never, never deviate from that. Because the moment you do that, it can end really badly — especially if you get into a busy downtown area where there are low bridges and restrictions.”