One of the biggest things that will constantly take up your time is not knowing things are. Your truck needs to be set up to run and run efficiently. You need a system and you need to stick to it.
If you're constantly searching for things, digging through a bag, digging through pockets...you're wasting precious time while on the road.
Before you start your day or night, the best thing you can do is put out what you need so it's readily available.
By my driver door I have my hammer, gloves and a dummy glad hand. I keep glad hand seals in a zip lock bag in the top pocket of my lunchbox. My chain tools are in the side pocket of my lunch box. My chain gloves are in another side pocket. The chain gloves I have are just neoprene ice fishing gloves and they make handling wet chains so much easier and they keep your hands dry and warm.
I have a binder with all my permits and the dates are highlighted on all pages. Makes it easy for DOT to check them and makes it easy for me to scan and see what needs to be updated and when.
I have a pretty good sized rolling go bag that I keep my winter jacket, snowpants and other items of use like stabilicers for my boots, wet wipes to wipe my dash down, armorall wipes to detail the dash with, glass cleaner and microfiber towels and other items.
One of the most time consuming things is dealing with snow chains. I used to just toss the bags on my catwalk of my tractor and bungee them down. But once I saw a YouTube video on how to properly hang them, I saw the error of my ways. Follow these two videos to properly hang your chains. It will save you so much time. When you chain down, spend a few minutes and re-hang them properly. Don't just throw them on the floor of your tractor to get into a tangled knot (especially if you have a slip-seat driver you share a truck with).
Keeping your truck clean as you go through the week will save you time too. I typically do three things consistently inside my truck. Clean the windows, scrub the floor with simple green and a brush then dry it with paper towels and wipe my dash down with clorox wipes and then wipe again with armor all wipes. You can do these while on your break, while waiting for paperwork from dispatch or waiting on a trailer to come in or for your meet driver to arrive, or if the highway is closed and you're stuck sitting in an accident or construction. 10-15 mins for each, and spread them over several days, ensures you keep a nice clean truck all of the time. I also use those scented trees to keep the inside smelling nice. At the end of the week, I give it a quick vacuum with my handheld ryobi vacuum cleaner, scrub any spots on the floor that need it, I hit the outside glass and mirrors and I'm headed home. I come into a nice, clean truck and ready to roll on Monday.
All too often I hear drivers grumble, they don't pay me for that! Or who has time for that? You do, if you manage it right and you're not a complete pig. My company pays me good money to drive this tractor for them. The least I can do is take care of their equipment in return. I'm grateful to have a job and I'm grateful to make the money I do. It's also considerate to the driver you slip-seat with if you share a tractor with another driver. Pay it forward! Help the next driver out and be a good steward of that which you have been entrusted with. It's not always all about you!
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