Question:
can anyone suggest study guides or resources to improve trip planning
skills?
do any of you use software?,what brand
thanks and happy trails

Answer:
I would suggest "right here". I believe if you posted any questions concerning any problems you may be having,they will be answered with the professional answers you seek by Professionals.
Answer:
Rabelam is correct.
With all the variables in roads, speed limits, available fuel stops, distance from shipper to receiver, average speed, etc...........there is no way to really give an exact answer to what you're seeking.
As far as planning your trip, here's what I use;
Rand McNally Motor Carriers Atlas (never more than 2 years old)
Rand McNally Street Finder & Tripmaker (4 CD set 2001 version)
National Truckstop Directory ( www.truckstops.com )
My trip sheet with appointment times.
The biggest thing you need to keep in mind is Time Management.

Answer:
am not as yet having any problems and as a newbie trying to avoid learning the hard way.
those who've been at this a bit have learned alot of tips and timesavers so i won't attempt reinventing the wheel.
just to let you know how much this is appreciated i've learned so much from this site already
THANK YOU

Answer:
I use Microsoft Streets and Trips. It does not provide truck routing, but it will get the job done. I use Driver Daily Log for my logging.
For trip planning I take the miles and divide by 50. It gives me enough time for breaks, traffic, etc. Where most drivers get in trouble is they wait till the last minute to start driving. Then they hurry and have an accident in route. Get your driving done first, then fool around!
Beyond that, this is one of those careers where you learn by experience.
When you get your truck assignment., learn your truck. Take a long look at it. Learn its quirks. Learn how it burns fuel. How much fuel does it take when the gauge says “E”, how when the gauge reads 1/2, etc. How often does the air compressor cycle. Know your controls, know where the light switch is at, the wiper switch. I don’t care that nobody else does it, but open your hood every day. When you don’t have a trailer, take a close look at the 5th wheel, frame, rear suspension. Keep the engine clean. Your truck will provide you with a lot of information, but you have to be willing to look at it.
I caught a bad air line because I noticed my air compressor was cycling more frequently then usual.
In my last truck once the motor got hot, it pulled back on the power. Very unsettling to be climbing the hill and have the truck lose power. It was set up that way so the engine didn’t overheat. I’ve had two company trucks that were setup that I got extra torque if I used the cruise control. Kinda fun to razz fellow company drivers while out pulling them on a hill dragging a heaver wagon.
In my last truck I found that going down most hills, if I set the cruise to 32 the engine will automatically cycle the engine brake to keep the speed between 31 and 35.
How's that to get you started?
Feel free to ask questions. You will get lot of good answers. And some bull. You might as well get used to the bull, we have a lot of it in our industry.
Take you time. Keep you eyes and ears open. Good luck.
-JHappy Dwellers Society
Company Driver Division

Answer:
I personally buy one of the paper Rand McNally Atlases every year usually early in the year u can get them for less than $10.00 at most truckstops.
There are good sites online for free routing as well such as MILE.COM, and Delorme or Mapquest.....
I agree with the others about take your total miles and estimate everything at 50mph that way traffic or construction, etc... wont mess you up.
The truckstop directories are also good and they used to have a interstate guide with all the places with truck parking in red but i believe they quit making that one....they still have it but not marked specifically for trucks now.
for fuel i always start with full tanks and take my total gallons and multiply by miles per gallon to see how far i can go normally (dont forget to add in idle time)....then use your companys fuel stop list to see where they fit into your route.
hope some of this info helps....I'm in love with my sweet angel Cindy !!!!!

Answer:
Speaking of idle time......
You'll want to figure 1.5 gals of fuel per hour.(for every 1 hr you idle, you use about 1.5 gals of fuel.)
Some people say 1 gal/hr.... I figure mine using 1.5 gals per hr just to be on the safe side.

Answer:
I addition to all the above post.
You might want to get a bunch of index cards and a index box .
I found the index cards better than electronic or laptop indexing.
You can write all the info on these cards, company name, phone # [s], hours of operations, receiver/shipper employee names, any special instructions, address, etc., on the back of the card, write the directions.
File them alphabetically and you'll have a very quick reference file system.
This is helpful if your going to a lot of different places around the country.
You cannot always rely on the Qualom/ laptop/phone for accurate directions or which driveway/entrances to pull into. On the index cards you'll have that info.

Answer:
Good point and if it's been a while since your last time there you may want to call and verify nothing has changed.
Answer:
First calculate your miles using a good road atlas ... or take the dispached miles then x 10%
ex: 852 miles x 1.10 = 937
next calculate drive time at a 50mph avg. 937/50 = 18.74 (always round up) =19 hrs of drive time.
add fuel stops at .50 hrs each (for example lets say 1 fuel stop this trip) and Pre Trip Inspection time.
add 2-3 hrs for load time.
add required 10 hr breaks (1 for each 11 hours), and meal breaks. result
19 hrs drive time
3 hrs load time
1 hr ttl fuel / PTI
2 hr meals & misc breaks
10 hr Fed Break
45hrs total trip time.
then calculate 45 hrs from the time you are leaving. That is your arrival time.
Once your arrival time is established work backwards from your delivery point to your point of orgin and determine where you want to take your 10 hour break and any other breaks. For your 10 hr break set 3 alternate sites in case you make good time and can get closer to your destination or if you get tired and need to shut down earlier. Revise your plan when you shut down for your 10 hour break and adjust as necessary.
This is the method I use and it works well. I find that in most cases I have plenty of time to spare for un-planned events such as flat tires, construction, traffic tie ups, weather, short naps, etc. And the best part is I usually end up at my destination 1-3 hours early.
The key is to make a plan and then work your plan. Consider each stop to be a goal. Each of those small goals leads you to your "Golden Egg" another on time delivery.
Answer:
When picking a preplanned place to shutdown, always try to pick three spots.
The first spot is the place you will stop at if you get tired early or things don't progress as fast as you had planned on the road.
The second spot is where you stop when everything has gone according to plan.
The third spot is where you stop when things have gone better than plan and you feel like a few more miles -OR- you find there is no room at the second spot.
The trip planning gets a whole lot easier after you have made a few trips... about a year after you have been at it full time.

Answer:
Paul56 has a very good point.
That's one lessen everybody learns.
If your going to be tired at the end of the day and it's late evening or at night. Plan your T/S's early.
Another thing. Always park on the "other" side of rush hour traffic, Inbound/outbound. Makes life a whole lot easier.

Answer:
What I do most of the time is get to a truckstop outside of the city I'm going to, late afternoon or early evening, the day before delivery.
Take a break and then sneak into town when most of the idiots are home in bed. Sure beats dealing with morning rush hour(s).

Answer:
Figuring 50 mph when trip planning that would be 550 miles when your 11 hours are used up. Do you figure your 3 stops based on a certain number of miles or based on hours? I presume on miles since it was said to plan an earlier stop in case you are tired and a further stop based on making good time.
Answer:
All the above posts have given you very good advice. Special thanks to the Wiz for a detailed example.
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When dispatch gives you the trip miles, multiply the trip miles by 1.1 Any route you choose that does not exceed (1.1 times the trip miles) is not out of route. In general, I suggest you stick to Interstate highways and ,if necessary, use US highways to connect the interstates together to get to your destination. I would avoid state and local roads as much as possible due to congestion, lack of facilities for big trucks and poor or missing road signs.
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A road atlas, "National Truck Stop Directory", calculator, pencil and paper will allow you to solve almost all your trip planning needs.