How do you keep up with the information you have to turn in for a trip???

As a long haul truck driver, I have a lot of information that I have to keep up with for each trip I make. Some of the info is the number of miles I travel in each state, the route that I travel in each state and the number of gallons of fuel for the truck purchased in each state. I realize that a lot of trucking companies have gone to the electronic on board recorders (EOBR). These devices are equipped with GPS and are connected to your trucks computer to know what the mileage is when you enter a state and tracks the route you are on in that state.

My company does not use the EOBR’s now. On a personal note; I am very thankful for that, and that’s a whole new article!

Now, I have a lot of little pieces of information to keep up with. Before I became a truck driver, the place I worked at taught me a very valuable lesson about covering your ass (CYA)! Since then, I have tried very hard to not only get the information the company needs, but any other information that I may need to justify my actions during the trip.

As a truck driver, when we pick up a load, we become responsible to our company for that load. Everything that happens has to be done with the policies and procedures of that company. And, like my last company, you have to be able to PROVE that your actions were right and correct, or you will be subject to disciplinary actions and/or fines. Here’s a simple example; when you pick up a load, the driver has to make sure that the gross weight of the truck is less than 80,000 pounds and that the weight on the axles are not over the maximum allowed weight. It’s a simple procedure of going to a truck stop scale and getting the vehicle weighed and checking those numbers. However, if you don’t do this and you are stopped at a weigh station, you can get an over weight ticket. Some companies will tell you to go ahead and take the load and will assume responsibility for any weight tickets. But, if you are not keeping up with this, you could be out a lot of money for someone loading too much product on your trailer.

So, how does a trucker keep up with so much information? Do you write everything down in a notebook? Or do you do like me and have a spreadsheet on your computer?  I’d like to find out.  Let me know what you think.