Yeah, easier said than done, right??? Well, sometimes - yes. But most of the time you can do a lot to alleviate the problems. Scheduling your runs will soon involve traffic management. For instance, a load from Toledo, Ohio to Rockford, IL will take you across I-90 past Chicago. Are you going to plan on cruising by Chicago at 7:00 am? Good grief I hope not!!! You'll likely spend a lot of frustrating time sitting in traffic. You'll want to schedule your run to cruise by Chicago when chances are better that traffic will be lighter. You can't always win - sometimes you'll sit in a traffic backup at 3:00 am - but over time you have to learn to play the odds.
And consider this: if you get parked early on this run - say you stop at a plaza on the toll road in Indiana at 6:00 pm. There's piles of empty parking spots. Now, when you leave at say 2:00 am, you'll hopefully be able to cruise past Chicago in the middle of the night without much trouble, and arrive early at your destination in Rockford. So by keeping this schedule you've found easy parking, arrived early for your appointment, and made the most efficient use of your driving time - all while getting a great night's sleep.
1. Become Friends with your Dispatcher: Dispatchers are your lifelines to loads, which in turn equals miles and miles directly affect your paycheck. Get to know them, get to know what they like. Pay your dispatcher compliments. My dad always told me you will get farther with a teaspoon of sugar than a gallon of vinegar.
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