How Trucking Services in Minnesota Stay on Time

Time is of the essence in the freight industry, and sometimes getting a shipment in on time can be a challenge. But thanks to a few tricks of the trade, trucking services in Minnesota find ways to stick to deadlines and timetables—and keep their customers happy. Many of these are practiced extensively by experienced truckers, and all of them keep the safety protocol in mind. Here are some of these ideas that keep your loads moving to their destination.

Combining Tasks

Every minute counts to a truck driver. If there is the idle time while a truck fuel up, that is time that can be devoted to another task. For example, some drivers perform their pre-trip inspection during fuel-up and others will update their logs. It takes some creativity to figure out which tasks can be combined, but once mastered, it can add up into hours saved on the road.

Installing Cab Amenities

Long haul trucks are often equipped with living quarters, and while these areas are not huge, they can have a few comforts of home. Two of these include a refrigerator and microwave. These two items will not only pay for themselves very quickly by reducing the costs of eating out but also allow drivers to eat any time on the road. There is no driving out of the way to find a truck stop or time spent in a sit-down restaurant. Again, this adds to more hours on the road and fewer spent remaining idle.

Making Good Use of Required Rest Time

There are limits for how long drivers can stay on the road—notice that none of these tips involve over-consuming caffeine and driving straight for several nights in a row. That is because federal regulations require rest periods. Besides, no one’s load will arrive at the destination in time if a driver gets a traffic citation or causes a major accident.

During the rest time, drivers will use it to attend to personal needs (restocking food or doing laundry, for example) or ordering minor repair or maintenance. If the refrigerator is full and clothes are clean, drivers will often explore new areas they always wanted to see before. The time spent off the road will make the rest of the trip proceed more smoothly, and much more safely, with a rested driver.

Planning an Early Arrival Time

The goal is to arrive at the destination ahead of time. Timetables are planned this way and drivers find ways to cut as much time as possible to secure an early arrival. Otherwise, if roads are rerouted or traffic is heavy, that can be enough to mess up a deadline if there is no room for error. Planning for an early arrival allows more room in working around these contingencies. In trucking, it is always prudent to expect the best but prepare for the worst.

K-Way Express, Inc. puts thoughtful planning into its trucking services in Minnesota to assure safe and timely driving. If you want a better guarantee of your cargo arriving on time, contact us for quality trucking service for local, intrastate, regional and long haul shipments.