Before driving a truck, truckers need to plan their route in advance. The right software can help them plan breaks and stopovers. They can also check out the route they have been assigned and make sure there are essential stop-off points, such as service stations with restrooms and repair shops. In addition, drivers need to check for food stops. If they are travelling long distances, they should bring non-perishable foods to replace perishable food items.
Another advantage to software is that it automatically plans the best routes for your truck. The software can save your business time and money. It can also lower your driver’s costs and increase delivery capacity. Hardie’s Fresh Foods, for example, used the software to optimize their routes and found it cut delivery costs by 12 percent, resulting in an additional 330 deliveries per day. The software even helps drivers plan overnight stops and mandatory driving breaks.
Routing a truck can be complicated, especially if your company’s drivers have specific requirements. While most software packages are designed for daily use, they may not work well for the specific needs of your business. That’s why it’s vital to choose the right application.
What is a Truck Highway?
A truck highway is a special road that is designated for trucks. It is the most common form of highway, and it carries a great deal of weight. Large commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and can be 75 feet long. They can also cause significant injuries. Luckily, California has taken steps to protect drivers and passengers from the dangers of large trucks. There are now truck-only lanes on some highways in the state.
Bypass lanes are designed to separate trucks from cars at freeway interchanges. This helps reduce weaving between cars and trucks. Bypass lanes are often physically separated from the main highway, and trucks may be required to use them. However, passenger cars may choose between using the bypass and main traffic lanes. Bypass lanes may be either a dedicated lane or a collector/distributor road.
Truck-only lanes are special lanes that are dedicated only for trucks. These lanes separate trucks from other vehicles, stabilizing traffic flow and improving safety. However, truck-only lanes are not very common in the U.S. Most states have a mix of lanes for cars and trucks.
What is Truck Routing?
Truck routing is the process of building the most efficient truck routes. Route optimization involves taking into account several factors, including the carrying capacity and loading capacity of each vehicle. It is also vital to consider road restrictions, as ignoring them can result in expensive fines or worse legal consequences. Truck routing software can help make calculating a route much easier.
Truck routing software works by converting routes into visual maps and providing turn-by-turn directions. It helps dispatchers plan drivers’ assignments more efficiently and accurately, reducing the time and money spent planning routes. Additionally, it enables dispatchers to see where every driver is en route. This software eliminates the need to print and fax driver assignments, saving both time and money.
Truck routing also supports request parameters, which specify additional variables for route calculation. The full list is included in the Routing API specification. These parameters can be used to specify restrictions, such as weight per axle.
How Many Trucks are on the Road?
Approximately two million trucks are on the road in the United States. Trucks transport goods from factories and ports across the country. They are a vital link in the supply chain. Each day, trucks move over 35 billion gallons of diesel fuel across the country. As more people rely on truck transportation, the number of accidents related to trucks is increasing.
The trucking industry employs 8.9 million people in the U.S., and more than 3.5 million are owner operators. Almost every industry depends on the transportation of goods. In fact, approximately 70% of everything we use is transported on our highways. These goods range from basic supplies like food to fuel to healthcare supplies. Despite the importance of trucking, the transportation industry is struggling with a shortage of drivers.
Does Google Maps Do Truck Routes?
When driving a truck, there are many special considerations you need to keep in mind. For instance, truckers may need to take different routes to avoid certain roads, such as toll roads or residential streets. Truck route planning software can help you plan your routes according to these considerations, which is critical to ensuring a successful delivery.
Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t provide any truck routes, which is a serious problem for truckers. The data that it provides for non-commercial vehicles is often wrong for trucks, HGVs, and specialized commercial vehicles. While Google Maps offers a setting to adjust the map to truck-specific parameters, it lacks the special features required for accurate calculations of truck travel times and distances.
Truck drivers can take advantage of Waze, an app developed with the backing of Google. Waze can be downloaded as a web or mobile application, and works similar to Google Maps. However, Waze has many features that truckers will appreciate. For example, its live map feature can help truckers avoid tight corners and residential areas. Another trucker app, Route4Me, helps drivers plan multiple-stop routes and calculate the fastest route.
What Does Truck Only Mean?
Truck-only lanes separate trucks from other vehicles, improving safety and stabilizing traffic flow. While truck-only lanes can be beneficial, they are not common in the United States. Instead, most states allow trucks to use certain lanes while allowing all other vehicles to use the same lanes.
Truck-only lanes would increase safety and reduce crashes between cars and trucks. Unfortunately, car-truck collisions are often the result of human error. Passenger vehicles are at a significant disadvantage compared to trucks, which makes them more vulnerable to collisions. In 2001, there were 631 fatal crashes between heavy trucks and passenger vehicles. However, despite these statistics, the majority of car-truck crashes involve mistakes by the drivers of passenger vehicles, rather than by the truck itself.
While most people assume that the truck and trailer come as one package, trucks and trailers are built to be separate pieces of equipment. That’s why truck-only services are becoming increasingly popular and more common among transportation companies. With the help of third-party logistics providers, truck-only companies are able to design flexible shipping solutions. These solutions can be especially helpful for shippers who don’t want to maintain a fleet of trucks.
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