7 Effective Strategies for Route Planning
Effective route planning is essential for truck drivers as it helps identify the best route to take, prepare for any potential hazards and optimise fuel efficiency as you’ll be aware of the road and terrain you’ll be driving on.
What is route planning?
Effectively, route planning is finding the quickest, and optimal way from getting from A to B. The aim is to know exactly which way you’re travelling before you start your journey.
Route planning is beneficial for every driver, but especially commercial fleet drivers. In the long term, effective route planning can help cut down transportation, fuel and maintenance costs. The main benefit of route planning is improved time management and efficiency. Your drivers can spend less time on the road as they find the most convenient routes.
How is commercial route planning different?
When planning a drive, the goal is getting the driver to the destination, but the economic importance differs with commercial route planning. You have to consider timescales, vehicle sizes, vehicle capacity, roadworks and truck height. However, when driving a regular car you may not need to consider the size or height of your vehicle.
Truck drivers require frequent and lengthy stops to ensure they get the rest they need; an average driver doesn’t have to adhere to these rules.
Although there are many ways to plan your next drive, here are our top industry tips to plan your next route effectively:
1. Check your truck ahead of time
Firstly, and most importantly, is to check over your truck for any potential issues. You should ensure that all headlights, brake lights, indicators and reversing lights are in full working order and remove any debris such as dirt which may be affecting their usability.
Next is tyres, you need to check the inside and outside of all tyres for any damage, cracking, holes or nails. Identifying this can help reduce the impact of a tyre blowout and possible accident. Whilst checking the health of each tyre, ensure that you have the correct tyre pressure for the weight of the vehicle, as this can help with fuel efficiency.
You should also ensure that both number plates are readable as these can be affected by both dirt and water damage, if your number plate isn’t readable then you can be pulled over.
Identifying any issues and resolving these before embarking on your journey can help with your time planning and remove the possibility of lengthy delays waiting for repairs, as this can impact your work.
2. Plan every single trip
You will undertake different routes, and these can be cross-country or just a short commute, however you should always plan a route to ensure it is safe for your HGV, especially when taking rural roads as these can be very narrow and not truck friendly.
Using apps such as Google Maps or Waze allows you view the type of road you will be using so you can determine whether this would be suitable. You can also exclude certain types of roads, so they won’t be recommended for you. Additionally, you can also use traditional sat-navs however if these are not up-to-date with the latest road map then this can lead to potential problems.
Using multiple resources will help you make an informed decision on the best route to take, they will also show you exactly how many miles it will be so this helps plan how much fuel you need.
3. Write down directions
As well as following a sat-nav, it is still worth always writing down notes or directions to refer to. If you know there’s a road in which you’re unsure if suitable, make note of this so you can remember.
If you are new to an area, you can make note of complex junctions to be aware, as this can help with your preparation and awareness. You could also note down roads with roadworks, tolls, bridges or even speed cameras.
Furthermore, making note of key contacts may also have if you end up with an emergency situation. You can keep this safe in your truck’s cabin and update this when required.
Although this may not be suitable for every HGV driver, it is always worth trying.
4. Plan your breaks
This is essential for truck drivers. As per current EU rules, you are not allowed to drive more than 4.5 hours without a 45-minute break, and you can drive no longer than 9 hours a day, or 56 hours a week.
Using road planning apps also allows you to plan your breaks along your route, as you can see the service stations and truck stops you will pass. It is recommended to have a primary location you would like to rest at, and a secondary one just in case that the primary location is at capacity or closed, as some things are simply out of your control.
Being flexible and adaptable is a key part of being a truck driver, but you should still always have a plan of your breaks.
5. Study delivery and pickup locations
Reviewing the layout of delivery stops and pickup stops will ensure you know entry points, where to go, where you can park and exit points. Although this may not help with time efficiency, it provides you with peace of mind that you are comfortable with where you are going.
6. Check the weather
The weather in the UK can unexpectedly change, sometimes for the worse. Checking the weather forecast either a day in advance or in the morning helps you plan ahead.
Different weather affects the road surface, braking distances and how you drive overall. Furthermore, if you are expecting bad weather, this allows you to plan what you need to carry in your cabin, so you are well-equipped.
If the weather does affect your schedule, then you should notify the relevant party, so they are aware of this. It is to be noted that only the driver will know how safe it is for driving and if you don’t feel it is safe, do not take the risk or continue to drive on.
7. Update your ETA
You should always let your manager or customer know of your arrival time to help them with their own time planning. If you are ahead, or behind of schedule then you should notify the relevant person when it is safe to do so.
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