Introduction
In the dynamic world of trucking, where time is as much a commodity as the cargo being hauled, the real challenge lies not merely in the miles covered but in the effective utilization of every ticking minute. In this blog, I describe the pivotal role of time management in steering the course between productivity and well-being. Successful trucking is a journey of balancing drive time and downtime, turning every break into an opportunity for maintaining the truck, achieving business goals, and conducting personal care. In this post we unravel the art of making every moment count, transforming a trucker’s routine into a more efficient and happier one.
You Have To Sit When You Drive So No Sitting When You’re Not
Detriments Of Sitting
As truck drivers, we sit for an extraordinary amount of time each day. We sit for up to 11 hours when driving and then many of us remain seated during our wait times. Drivers aren’t wholly to blame as the confined space inside our trucks naturally urges us to either sit on the bed or in one of the seats when we are in the truck. This is a problem because prolonged periods of sitting have been linked to various health detriments, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, varicose veins, deep vein thrombosis (blood clots), and stiff neck and shoulders.1 Moreover, sitting for more than 11 hours per day puts us in the ‘very high risk’ category for developing these health problems.2 Therefore just the act of doing our job poses a significant risk to our overall well-being.
To counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting, studies emphasize the importance of incorporating physical activity throughout the day. Regular movement and breaks from prolonged sitting are crucial elements in mitigating the adverse health outcomes associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Breaking up long periods of sitting with short bouts of light activity, such as standing or walking, has been shown to have positive health effects. Ideally, muscle-strengthening exercises should also be done two or more days per week.
When Stopped, Never Stop
Unless you are specifically and intentionally relaxing, meditating, etc., do not sit down when that truck is not in motion. I can’t stress this enough. As soon as you pull the brake, stand up as if it’s all one motion. It’s so important to get into this habit. I hate it when I stop and think I need to stand up and the next thing you know I’ve been looking at my phone for 20 minutes sitting there when I could have been standing up looking at it.
That driver’s seat is like a magnet. It will pull you back into it if you’re not aware. When you find yourself sitting in it totally unaware of how you got there, use this mantra: when stopped, never stop. Now jump up and repeat the mantra when needed.
Driving takes such a big chunk of time during the day and leaves little time for anything else. Therefore it is paramount to use every second you aren’t driving for productive activity. This includes the time in the morning before you start, the time waiting at shippers and receivers, the 30-minute break, and time in the evening. The cumulative time these provide can be a surprisingly substantial amount of time if you take advantage of it properly.
Morning Productivity
In the morning there are four categories you should focus on to get your day started off right: Inside Truck, Outside Truck, Inside You, and Outside You. Don’t neglect these because they set the tone for your day and can make or break your drive. Here are tasks within each of the four categories:
Inside truck:
- Make bed
- Quick straightening up
Outside truck: conduct pre-trip (not to exclude checking)
- Tires
- Lights
- Coolant level
- Oil level
- Fifth wheel pin
- Any known issues
Inside you:
- Eat breakfast
- Prepare lunch
Outside you:
- Wipe down
- Change underwear
- Get dressed
- Wash face
- Floss
- Brush teeth
I know some of these may seem so rudimentary as not worth mentioning but I have had mornings where I was rushing and neglected my ‘Outside You’ items and my drive is not as enjoyable. A more enjoyable drive should be enough motivation, but for those who need more, how about avoiding scrutiny by the authorities. When an officer sees the inside of your truck is clean and that your presentation is clean, they will more readily assume that you also take care of the maintenance of your truck. This first impression can be the difference between being pulled into the inspection day or being sent on your merry way.
Being Productive at Shippers and Receivers
Time spent waiting to be unloaded and loaded at shippers and receivers is an opportune time for productive activities. As this makes up the bulk of a truck driver’s ‘free’ time, you must capitalize on this time if you want to accomplish your goals. The productivity tasks during this time fall into four categories: truck maintenance/trip planning, fitness, business maintenance, and relaxation/recovery.
Truck maintenance and trip planning should be performed first because it is a waste of valuable time to wait for two hours to be given the green light to go, only to have to spend another 30 minutes airing tires, booking a load, and figuring out your route. After truck maintenance/trip planning, there is no set order and can be prioritized by need.
Truck maintenance/trip planning:
- Perform necessary maintenance
- Book loads
- Determine route and stops
- Food prepping
Fitness:
I have some of my best workouts while waiting at shippers and receivers. If you don’t know what to do, here’s a workout to get you started. No weights or equipment required.
- Warmup — To warm up, walk down to the shipping office or the guard shack and walk back to your truck.
- Leg Strengthening — Do a wall sit on your truck. Find a flat place on your truck where you can put your backside against it and sit down in a squat position. Hold the position until your legs start to give out and you start to slide down the wall.
- Leg Strengthening cont’d — Immediately after the wall sit, while your legs are somewhat fatigued, do bodyweight squats. Stop when you get to the point where your rep feels like you’re standing up in slow motion and you could probably only do one or two more.
- Calf Strengthening — Do single-leg calf raises by opening your door standing on the steps, curl one foot behind the other leg and while holding on to the rail, raise onto your tippy toes then lower back down. Repeat. Stop when you can’t do anymore and be in good form. Switch legs.
- Upper Body Strengthening — Do 10-15 push-ups.
- Now repeat the whole circuit, walk (or eventually jog) to the guard shack…etc.
Business maintenance:
For owner-operators and those aspiring to be owner-operators or carriers, you have two choices when it comes to business maintenance. You can either ‘when stopped, never stop’ and do these things yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. The choice to do it yourself instead of paying someone could mean the difference between a very profitable company and one that isn’t. Here’s a list of some of my essential business management tasks.
- Send BOLs/PODs to brokers
- Review Emails
- Bookkeeping:
- Add and categorize expenses
- Snap receipts
- Confirm/match transactions
- Invoicing
- Do invoices after accepting/completing load
- Add detention and lumpers ASAP to not forget
- Add fuel card receipts
- Put fuel purchases into IFTA spreadsheet
- Pay any E-Tolls received
Relaxation and recovery:
Do whatever you like. My only advice here is to make the conscious decision to relax and enjoy yourself and not just stay stuck to that driver’s seat unconsciously.
Tips For When You Are Having Trouble Getting Motivated
Adequate sleep
One thing that underpins the ability to maintain productivity levels is getting enough sleep. When I don’t get enough rest, then the only thing I want to do when stopped is rest. Sleep must be viewed as sacred and guarded because it’s integral for getting all of the other productivity activities accomplished. When I don’t get adequate sleep, which is extremely rare, my motivation to do any of these things just evaporates.
Adequate Breaktime
If you find yourself not ready to get up and get going in the morning, the length of your break may be to blame. I have found that a 10-hour break is not enough for me and that I prefer 12 hours. There’s something magical about 12 hours that just makes me excited to drive. When I do a strict 10-hour break too many times in a row I enjoy driving much less. Almost every time I think to myself, all right I’ve rested enough and I am ready and excited to drive, I’ll look and it’ll have been a 12-hour break.
Driving Slower Gives You the Energy to Be Productive
Driving more slowly is another technique I use to keep my energy levels high (see why I drive 58mph). Even though it takes me longer to arrive, I arrive with the energy to be productive.
Pay Is Not Everything, Choose Balance Over Pay
If given the option of having a little bit higher paying load vs. a load that allows me to achieve balance and enjoy my day, it’s no question that the latter wins. I feel best when I have made some money driving while also, working out, blogging, and completing a little bookkeeping.
Time Management Tricks You Into Happiness
Have you ever noticed how slowly time seems to pass when you’re waiting and how frustrating it can become to stare at that red dock light and wait for it to turn green? When you adopt the time management strategies I describe, you will achieve so much more throughout your day, and become happier in the process. You will be happier by changing your perception of time. After you start trying to squeeze in all the things I’ve mentioned you will feel like your wait times go by so quickly that you will get to the point where it almost didn’t feel long enough. Trust me on this one. It happens.
Conclusion
In the relentless rhythm of a trucker’s life, time spent on the road can be demanding, yet the real challenge lies in the moments between drives. The message is clear: “When stopped, never stop.” This mantra transcends the literal act of sitting; it becomes a call to action, urging truckers to reclaim every moment of stillness as an opportunity for productivity and self-care. Whether engaging in physical exercises, attending to truck maintenance, or dedicating time to personal well-being, the key to a fulfilling trucking career lies in the conscious decision to move towards these goals when the truck isn’t moving. By incorporating these strategies, truckers not only safeguard their health but also find that time, once an adversary, transforms into an ally, propelling them toward a more satisfying and productive journey on and off the road.