Truck driving can be a rewarding career choice. The benefits are numerous—great pay, benefits, time off, and the freedom of the open road, just to name a few. There are many new truck drivers taking up long haul trucking in Quebec, and while many are great drivers, few know some of the tricks of the trade. Where are the best places to stop? How do you maximize a schedule for the best pay loads? Veterans in the industry could go on and on. The most important trick of the trade though, is how a driver can save some cash on the road, so here are some quick tips.
Long haul trucking in Quebec pays great, but a lot of extra cash can get thrown away if a driver doesn’t plan ahead and follow some easy advice. The main things to think about are planning routes ahead of time, including stop points, thinking hard about food choices and being weary of products meant to help out on the road.
Planning Routes: Planning your route has never been easier, especially considering upgrades in smart phones and Global Positioning Units. A correctly mapped route can help you avoid costly errors in getting lost or not taking the shortest possible way. These mistakes cost truckers big.
Another factor to consider when planning a route is stop points. Using the internet and online reviews, you can find the best places to stop along the way. Make sure the reviews are from others in the industry and look for specifics, like prices and quality of facilities. Finally, keep a notebook with brief notes on places you personally have liked, as this will pay off in the future when planning new routes.
Food: What and where you eat can really take a toll on your wallet while long haul trucking in Quebec. Simply relying on restaurants and diners all the time can really eat into your budget. For starters, use the same notebook mentioned above to keep an itemized list of food expenditures, and find places you can cut costs. If possible, utilize a portable refrigerator or microwave to make preparing your own meals easier. This can be complimented by planning ahead of time to shop at discount food stores and stocking up on snacks and easy meals.
Products: There are tons of products out there marketed toward truck drivers. Everything from making the ride more comfortable, to truck upgrades, to electronic devices that can solve every problem you’ve ever encountered. Unfortunately, while there are some great products out there, many of them aren’t as good as they claim to be. Before making impulsive purchases, research the product online and find out what other truckers have said about it. Also, especially at truck stops, find out what the return policy is.
Finally, pull out that handy notebook every time you make a purchase and log it. At the end of every month, check through that notebook and determine what purchases were mistakes and what was worth it.
Hopefully if you follow these simple tips you can better understand your past purchases and will make better decisions in the future. You’re already the king of the road, now you can also be the king of your bank account!