question about the time trucking companies give to make to distination

Do the trucking companies give you enough time to get to a location? or do you have to drive all night even though it against the log just to make it on time

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May 18, 2009
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Jimmy forgot a couple points
by: Jimmy

Jimmy here, I'll add a couple points. As you will see, your daily schedule will vary a lot. This is not a 9-5 job. You may be loading at any given hour or unloading. The shipper/consignee may or may not be open 24 hours. They may only receive during certain hours. You may have an appointment to load or unload. The shipper/consignee may not honor the appointment time.

There is 'live' load/unload and there is 'drop/hook'. Drop and hook is you drop your loaded trailer, and pick up an empty. The consignee unloads that trailer at their convenience. You are in and out of there in 30 minutes.

There are legal requirements on hours you can work in a day. You will be expected to accommodate the dispatcher, if possible, by late driving and or adjusting your sleep pattern to accommodate the delivery schedule. It's the nature of the beast. Jimmy

May 17, 2009
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Trucking is 24/7
by: Jimmy

Some drivers are night owls normally and some,like me are day people. Trucking is a 24/7 job. To be a good trucker, you need to be able to go from being a night owl to a day person and back and then back again at the dispatchers whim.

Sometimes, you'll get an impossible run, like 600 miles in 6 hours. If you know how to manage your time, you will be able to immediately calculate your arrival time and then notify dispatch if you can or cannot get the load there when they want it there. You must always keep in close contact with your dispatcher. COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE.

Oh, did I mention, communicate with your dispatcher. Broke down, communicate. Stuck in traffic? communicate. Snowed 2 feet last night? communicate. Even though your dispatcher is your best friend, he/she is not a mind reader. Running out of hours tomorrow? Better let dispatch know TODAY, so he/she can plan.

Remember, this biz functions quite well when communication happens, and I'm talking about shippers, consignees, drivers, safety, dispatch, shop, payroll, EVERYONE. Words of wisdom from Jimmy.

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