Oct 27, 2017 • Community

Trucker Trip Planner

Trucker Trip Planner

Use the Trucker Path Trip Planner tool to plan your route beforehand – saving truck drivers like you precious time and potential earnings.

Trucker Trip Planner Feature

Between HOS rules, ELDs, overcrowded truck stops, and dock time restrictions, planning ahead is a must in order for truck drivers to be successful. We’ve surveyed over 3,300 truck drivers and over 40 percent say they spend an hour or more searching for truck parking.

That’s why using Trucker Path Trip Planner feature is an essential tool to save you time and deliver you peace of mind while you deliver loads.

Try Trucker Path For Free

Steps:

1. Open the Trucker Path app

2. To plan a trip, click the diamond with the arrow on the bottom left

3. Fill out your origin and destination, then click ROUTE

4. Click the places icon on the bottom right to filter out which locations you want to appear on the map

trip planner

5. Click the icons of locations to deselect them and hide them from the map

trip planner

6. To Exit Trip Planner and return to the Home Map Screen, click the arrow at the top left

trip planner

Tagstruck drivers Trucker Path

Trucker Terms [p] If you're going to make it in trucking these are the trucker terms you'll want to remember along with some good ole trucking slang you'll hear on the CB radio. [/p] [h2] Trucker Terms [/h2] [p] Being a trucker is not only a unique way of life, it also comes with a unique way of communicating that only those in the trucking industry probably can decipher and understand. [/p] [p] <strong> 10-4 - </strong> acknowledging something [/p] [p] <strong> 10-6 - </strong> busy right now [/p] [p] <strong> 10-8 - </strong> en route [/p] [p] <strong> 20 -</strong> location [/p] [p] <strong> 4-Wheeler -</strong> automobile [/p] [p] <strong> APU -</strong> authorized pick-up [/p] [p] <strong> Backhaul -</strong> retuning load to home location [/p] [p] <strong> Bear Trap - </strong> speed radar trap [/p] [p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/freight-contracts/">Bill of Lading</a> - </strong> document that details information regarding the goods being hauled by a carrier from a shipper [/p] [p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/what-is-a-weigh-station/">Chicken Coop</a> - </strong> Weigh Station [/p] [p] <strong> Chicken Lights - </strong> Added lights on and around a truck [/p] [p] <strong> Chocks -</strong>blocks placed in front and behind wheels to prevent truck from rolling [/p] [p] <strong>Cosignee - </strong>person who receives the goods [/p] [p] <strong>Cosignor - </strong>person who ships the goods [/p] [p] <strong> County Mounty -</strong> - county sheriff [/p] [p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/what-is-deadhead/">Deadhead -</a></strong> miles driven with no load [/p] [p] <strong> Dry Van -</strong>standard enclosed truck trailer [/p] [p] <strong> ETA -</strong> estimated time of arrival [/p] [p] <strong> Freightshaker -</strong> Freightliner truck [/p] [p] <strong> GCW (Gross Combined Weight) - </strong> combined wieght of tractor/trailer and load [/p] [p] <strong> Gear Jammer -</strong>speeding driver [/p] [p] <strong>Hammer Down -</strong> drive faster [/p] [p] <strong> Hopper -</strong> truck that empties load through bottom that opens [/p] [p] <strong> HOS -</strong>hours of service [/p] [p] <strong> Intermodal -</strong> shipping container freight [/p] [p] <strong>Jack-Knife -</strong>when trailer is pushed to the side of the tractor [/p] [p] <strong> K-whopper - </strong>Kenworth truck [/p] [p] <strong> Kingpin - </strong> pin where the axel wheel pivots [/p] [p] <strong> LTL (Less Than Truckload) -</strong> load less than 10,000 lbs. [/p] [p] <strong> Motor Carrier -</strong> person or company that is responsible for transporting goods via a commercial motor vehicle [/p] [p] <strong>P&D Driver -</strong> pickup and delivery driver locally [/p] [p] <strong>Payload - </strong>weight of the load [/p] [p] <strong>Peddle Run - </strong>route with lots of deliveries [/p] [p] <strong>Pete - </strong> Peterbilt truck [/p] [p] <strong>RC (Rate Confirmation) -</strong> the rate shipper or broker agrees to pay carrier to haul a load [/p] [p] <strong> Reefer -</strong> refridgerated truck trailer [/p] [p] <strong> Shiny Side Up - </strong> top of truck; don't crash or roll over [/p] [p] <strong> Sliding Fifth Wheel - </strong> fifth wheel that can be slid back to redistrubute weight on the axels [/p] [p] <strong>Trucking Authority -</strong>FMCSA approval to haul loads [/p] [p] <strong>Willy Weaver - </strong>drunk driver [/p] [h2] Using Trucker Path Along Your Route [/h2] [p] Now that you know the trucker terms and are talking like a real driver, it's time you use a tool that most truckers rely on to help them save time and money - the <strong>Trucker Path app. </strong> [/p] [p] Trucker Path is free to download and helps drivers: [/p] [ul] [li] Find truck parking with real-time updates [/li] [li] Browse through the list of amenities a location offers [/li] [li] Check to see if a weigh station is open or not [/li] [li] View Walmart locations and know if they allow truck parking [/li] [li] Compare diesel prices to save on fuel[/li] [li] Plan their route to show locations along their trip [/li] [li] Read through fellow drivers reviews of a location [/li] [li] Find restaurants near truck parking locations and much more! [/li] [/ul] [button-green href="https://truckerpath.com/trucker-path-app/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=truckerterms "]Try Trucker Path Today![/button-green] [video id="EIs5Rk6xpm4"]

Oct 05, 2017 • Carriers

California Approves Fuel Tax Increase to Fund Road Improvements

Apr 07, 2017 • Community

How Do Freight Brokers Find Shippers [p] Freight brokers need to find shippers in order to connect them with carriers and move freight. How do freight brokers find shippers is an age-old question and one new freight brokers need answers too. Here are seven ways how freight brokers find shippers.[/p] [h2] How Do Freight Brokers Find Shippers? [/h2] [p]For freight brokers to find shippers, it's important to understand consumer products. Who manufactures them? Where do they come from? How many products do they sell? These are the sort of questions you need to target to know how freight brokers find shippers.[/p] [h2] 1. The Leads Surround You [/h2] [p]Look around you, regardless of where you are the things you see were most likely freight hauled and delivered by trucks, after all, over 70 percent of all freight in America moves by truck. Furniture, office equipment, consumer electronics, clothes, they are all types of freight that shippers need to be hauled from one point to another. As a freight broker, you can find shippers by doing research on the products you see every day to find out where they are manufactured and how they are transported. [/p] [giphy] <iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/xT39CYwjsPWvIfw6UE" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy] [h2] 2. Review Your Purchase History and Compare [/h2] [p] Drawing a blank or feeling helpless in finding shippers? Reviewing your own purchases can be a great starting place. Whether it's the receipts from the store or your online Amazon order history, the products you purchase are manufactured and transported from somewhere. [/p] [p]As a freight broker looking to find shippers, you have to get creative at times and go beyond the normal trains of thought. Understand how companies are connected and if one lead doesn't pan out or isn't a viable option, don't give up, there are seemingly endless possibilities. [/p] [h2] 3. Look at the Competition [/h2] [p] Every product that is moved by freight has competitors, it's a natural occurrence and a driving force of the capitalist economy. Take a large company like John Deere. They proudly manufacture varieties of tractors with manufacturing plants in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Georgia. [/p] [p]Despite being a Fortune 500 company and having a tremendous market share, John Deere has a lot of competition in the tractor industry. Using a tool like <a href="http://financials.morningstar.com/competitors/industry-peer.action?t=DE&region=usa&culture=en-US">MorningStar Financial </a> you can get insight into who's its competitors are by clicking on the industry peers tab. Freight brokers can do this search for any publically traded company.[/p] [h2] 4. Use MacRae's Blue Book and Other Shippers Lists [/h2] [p] <a href="http://www.macraesbluebook.com/menu/product_heading.cfm?groupid=2533">MacRae's Blue Book</a> is an industrial directory that provides detailed information about manufacturing companies. You can search through companies based on the types of products they manufacture and the detailed information about a company will even include freight rate estimates for you to compare. [/p] [p] Other manufacturing lists such as <a href="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2017/08/Top-500-Manufacturing-Companies-USA.pdf">The Industry Week 500</a> are great guides to help freight brokers find shippers. Companies such as Boeing and General Electric have a tremendous amount of supplies both in receiving and shipping of freight. Use the list as a starting point to help you find suppliers for these companies. [/p] [p] Ever wonder how many parts are required for Boeing to build one of its 737 planes? 367,000 parts. Suppliers of those parts are sourced from all over the nation (even world) and are often times small to medium sized businesses that may not have the resources to handle their own freight. This is where freight brokers can use the magic of Google to find shippers. [/p] [p] Search <a href="http://www.airframer.com/aircraft_detail.html?model=B737">"Boeing 737 Suppliers" </a> and boom, a full list of the suppliers for the aircraft including company details and contact information. [/p] [h2] 5. Livestock, Produce and the USDA [/h2] [p]Produce is shipped across the country to satisfy consumer demand. Who doesn't love guacamole even in the winter time just in time for the big game right? Produce locations vary based on the season, though you can conclude that Florida has fruits, Texas has avocados, the Midwest has corn and the Pacific Northwestern has apples. [/p] [p] You can use the <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/business-listings">USDA business listings</a> to locate farmers that grow crops or raise cattle, poultry, and other livestock and contact them as well.[/p] [h2] 6. Satellite View of Company Buildings [/h2] [p] Continuing to rely on Google and being imaginative in your searches to find shippers, freight brokers can use Google Maps satellite and street views of a building to see if it has shipping and receiving docks. You can spend hours just going street by street in industrial areas, verifying if a location has docks. From there you can do research the company to find out what they do and find out how they ship freight. [/p] [h2] 7. Cold Calling Shippers [/h2] [p] Yes, cold calling is still alive and well. Once you find a shipper you will need to contact them in order to gauge their potential interest in using a freight broker. It's easy to send a quick email but the chances of getting a response are quite low. The best way to connect with shippers is by calling them directly and be straight-forward in your dialogue. [/p] [p] A sales pitch isn't necessary and can be off-putting, but you should describe who you work for, company background or achievements, where you're looking to move freight through and see how you can be of assistance. Remember, you are there to provide them a service so it's imperative that you listen to their needs and how you might be able to address their pain points.[/p] [p]You'll need to understand how the shipper currently transports freight and see if there is an opportunity you can capitalize on. Undoubtedly, a significant portion of shippers will turn you down, but it's a numbers game and you'll never know if you have potential clients or not until you call.[/p] [h2] Relationships, Trust and Load Boards [/h2] [p] Finding shippers is only one aspect of the journey to be a successful freight broker. You'll need to cultivate relationships and build a reputation for being dependable when servicing your shipping clients. To do this you will need to rely on load boards like <strong>Truckloads</strong> with over 100,000 qualified carriers that you can connect with to haul freight for the shipper. [/p] [p]As a freight broker you'll also want to develop a rapport with carriers, especially the qualified ones. Once you use a carrier to move freight that you trust and have a good working relationship with, continue to use them and provide them with the opportunities they desire to maintain the relationship. [/p] [video id=snyBYpnuhWw] [button text="Try Truckloads for Free" href="https://ship.truckerpath.com/signup?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=findshippers&utm_campaign=Aug16" width="250px"]

Aug 16, 2017 • Brokers