Sep 19, 2017 • Carriers

Truck Driver Turnover Rate Rapidly Increased

Truck Driver Turnover Rate Rapidly Increased

The truck driver turnover rate rapidly increased to its highest mark in the last seven years in the second quarter of 2017.

Truck Driver Turnover Rate

According to American Trucking Associations’ quarterly report, the turnover rate at large truckload carriers in the second quarter of 2017 jumped 16 percentage points to 90 percent – the highest it has been since the final quarter of 2015.

The 16-point increase is the largest quarterly jump in truck driver turnover rate since the fourth quarter of 2010.

“We saw double-digit gains in the annualized turnover rate for both small and large truckload fleets,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “After a period of relatively low turnover, it appears the driver market is tightening again, which coupled with increased demand for freight movement, could rapidly exacerbate the driver shortage.”

The ATA report also revealed turnover numbers for smaller fleets. Smaller carrier companies with $30 million in annual revenue or less saw aneven higher turnover rate increase. For them, the turnover rate increased by 19 percentage points to 85 percent, the highest it has been since the first quarter of 2016.

The turnover picture at less-than-truckload fleets was more muddled, with over-the-road LTL turnover dipping one point to 9 percent, says the ATA.

“We predicted that last year’s period of relatively low and stable turnover could be short-lived if the freight economy recovered from 2016’s freight recession,” Costello said. “It appears those predictions were correct and we may be seeing the beginnings of a significant tightening of the driver market and acceleration of the driver shortage.”

Truck Tonnage Trending Up

Despite the high truck driver turnover rate and impeding driver shortage, Truck Tonnage Index jumped 7.1 percent in August and year-to-date, compared with the same eight months in 2016, the index is up 2.1 percent, says the ATA. Costello partially correlates the increases in August to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The trucking industry is trending up still, with 2016 truck freight tonnage up 1 percent or 500 million tons from 2015.

If you’re a truck driver and are ready to make the jump to start your own trucking company, the timing might be right.

How to Start a Trucking Company

Tagstruck drivers Owner Operators

7 Tips on Healthy Eating For Truck Drivers [h2] Healthy Eating for Truck Drivers [/h2] [p]It's never too late to rediscover healthy eating habits especially healthy eating for truck drivers. Here are seven tips to help promote better nutrition and healthy eating for truck drivers.[/p] [p]Sure, it's easy to swing by a [a href="https://app.appsflyer.com/com.sixdays.truckerpath?pid=Social Facebook"]truck stop near you[/a] and grab a few cheese-smothered chili dogs, but that offers no nutritional benefits to healthy eating for truck drivers. The goal should be to create healthy habits and make it a lifestyle. These habits should be deeper than just what you eat, but also when you eat and how your shop for your food.[/p] [h2]1. How Often Should I Eat?[/h2] [p]Before we talk about shopping and cooking we should talk about something extremely important: eating. Our society and the trucking industry has been organized around the idea that people should only eat about 3 times a day. For healthy eating for truck drivers, this is not necessarily the best choice. [/p] [p]While this might be more efficient in terms of consuming maximum calories in minimum time and getting back on the road, it is not always the best plan for your health. Instead, aim for around five smaller meals each day. This might seem crazy but it is necessary to metabolize food more efficiently.[/p] [h2]2. How Our Body Processes Food[/h2] [p]Your body is designed to absorb calories, use them for energy and then burn them off. In order for your body to make use of the food, what you eat has to be broken down into a form of sugar called glucose. This is a natural process and for most, the human body does this quite well. You have probably heard people talking about their “blood sugar level”, and what they are referring to is the amount of glucose in their blood.[/p] [giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/kVVEP6SmfEXvy" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy] [h2]3. Why Should I Care About My Blood Sugar Levels?[/h2] [p]Your body has a normal range for the amount of [a href="https://thehungryhauler.com/"]glucose in your blood[/a] (between 4.0 and 11.0) and it has a beautiful system for managing that level. Hormones like insulin keep your blood sugar from getting too high and becoming toxic, and another awesome compound, glucagon keeps your sugar from getting too low and making you pass out. It is something like a highway with really good guard rails that keep a truck from running off the road.[/p] [p]The only problem is that it is possible to overwhelm this excellent system and cause a wreck. Actually, many people are overwhelming it every day and causing small “fender benders” that lead to a total cataclysm later in life called diabetes.[/p] [p]So why does this make eating only three times per day (or fewer) a bad idea? Because you can end up constantly overwhelming the system with extreme blood sugar highs and lows. If you wait to eat until you are extremely hungry and have very low blood sugar, your body will send the signal that you are starving, and when you do eat it is often much easier to overeat unhealthy and convenient food. Healthy eating for truck drivers requires you to eat when you're hungry and avoid a severe dip in blood sugar.[/p] [h2]4. How Much Should I Be Eating?[/h2] [p]Some people conclude that the solution is to simply eat drastically less overall and there is a grain of truth to this. While dramatically reducing your caloric intake does cause the body to burn stored fat to stay alive, it can signal your body to store everything you do eat, which results in rebound weight gain when you do return to a more normal diet. Starving yourself is not the answer.[/p] [p]Thankfully there is a much better way. Simply, eat a reasonable amount of food more often. Eating five or six smaller and healthier meals per day is like steering down the middle of your lane instead of bouncing your truck off the guard rails all day. This practice will help you feel more content and stop your body from deciding to store fat for hibernation. Of course, if you eat more often and end up eating more food overall you will still have trouble being healthy. The objective is to eat an appropriate amount of food, in a more sustainable way. Typically, 2,000–2,500 daily calories are suggested; however, consulting a healthcare professional is the best way to understand what an appropriate daily caloric intake means for your individual health needs.[/p] [giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/xtgZt3jZelFqU" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy] [h2]5. What Are the Benefits to Eating More Often?[/h2] [p]There is also an enormous safety benefit to eating more often and avoiding the blood sugar spikes: you are less likely to feel drowsy at the wheel. Most people have experienced the after dinner slump that makes it all but impossible to keep your eyes open after a big meal. That might be fine after Christmas dinner when you are lounging on the couch at home, but at work, behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound-plus rig, it can be a disaster.[/p] [h2]6. How Do I Plan My Meals?[/h2] [p]You might be wondering: how on earth is it possible to eat five or more meals per day? Who has the time to stop for food that often? There is a way to make your diet much simpler, more healthy, easier to sustain over the long term, and much less expensive! The key is to learn to shop for your own food and cook for yourself on the road. It is much easier than it may sound, and the rewards for your health and happiness are amazing! It will even allow you to have more freedom to implement your doctor's specific recommendations.[/p] [h2]7. Eat What You Want. Sort of[/h2] [p]Anyone who has dealt with eating healthier has heard the term portion control. Controlling what, how much, how often you eat and making sensible, sustainable choices is the path to solving many of the health risks of the trucking lifestyle. To eat healthier you don't have to give up all of your favorite foods and consume a spinach and carrot based diet like a rabbit. Instead of going to the extreme, eating a balanced diet will keep you “between the lines” and on the road to better health. Extremes are by nature quite unsustainable and will not help you. Just like over-steering on the highway to avoid a crash can actually end up killing you, bouncing from one diet extreme to another, like chili-dogs to rabbit food, will just leave your lifestyle in a bewildering wreck.[/p] [giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/n2v0V9cSmTQnS" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy] [p]The cornerstone of a healthy life is healthy eating for truck drivers. Eating healthy is difficult for truck drivers who are on the road for weeks at a time. Most trucks aren’t designed with a fully equipped kitchen or proper food storage. Even if you can manage to find space for some cooking gear, it is often difficult to consistently find time in a busy schedule to prepare a good meal. We all want to be around long enough to enjoy time with our families and loved ones. The best way to ensure this is to focus on eating healthier as a truck driver.[/p] [p]By: [a href="https://thehungryhauler.com/"]John Heslop[/a][/p]

Jan 10, 2017 • Community

How Does Trucker Path Work? <em>If you're reading this then you have probably just started using <a href="https://truckerpath.com/trucker-path-app/">Trucker Path</a> or may have forgotten the many awesome features of our app. Don't worry, we've got you covered.</em> <h2></h2> Millions of truckers rely on Trucker Path to find information on truck stops, parking updates, and truck specific routing while over the road. We're proud to be serving the largest and most active community of truckers. Inside the Trucker Path app, you'll find tons of useful tools made for trucking, but we've rounded up the 3 core features: <h2></h2> <h3><strong>FIND TRUCK STOPS</strong></h3> Find and navigate your path to thousands of truck stops, discover the amenities, and read through the reviews left by visitors. <a href="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-1-1.jpg"><img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-1-1-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5103" /></a> <h2></h2> <h3><strong>GET REAL-TIME INFORMATION</strong></h3> Find truck stops and rest areas and get their available parking spots in real time, crowdsourced by the thousand of truckers each day. <a href="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-2.jpg"><img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5104" /></a> <h2></h2> Similar to parking, you can also see whether a weigh station is open or closed in real time. They are updated daily and help you plan routes accordingly. <a href="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-3.jpg"><img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-3-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5105" /></a> <h2></h2> <h3><strong>MAKE TRIPS PLANS</strong></h3> Plan entire trips spanning multiple days with our Trip Planner. Simply enter your pick-up and drop-off locations, any midway stops, and our map will do the rest! See truck stops and places along the way, and get routes made for your truck dimension. <h2></h2> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-4.jpg"><img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/07/Emailer1-4-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5106" /></a> <h2></h2> Try it out yourself. Start using Trucker Path now by clicking this <a href="http://vip.truckerpath.com/gold-member?utm_source=email&utm_medium=nurture-interest">LINK.</a> <h2></h2> <h2></h2> <h2></h2> <h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4> <h3></h3> <h3></h3>

Jul 03, 2020 • Carriers

Freight Broker Software [h2] Freight Broker Software [/h2] [p] Like any industry, the use of technology in freight has rapidly advanced and new freight broker software promotes efficiencies and allows brokers the ability to connect its customers to move more freight and increase potential earnings. [/p] [h2] Carrier Essentials [/h2] [p]When you are searching for the right freight broker software for your business there are a few key features you need when it comes to managing the trucks you work with. The essentials on the carrier side should include:[/p] [p]<strong>Carrier Lists:</strong> to keep a record of all of the carriers you have a contracted relationship with. Keeping a list of carriers to go to for certain lanes or projects makes your job of covering freight much easier.[/p] [p]<strong>Carrier Information:</strong> it's beneficial to have all the carriers you work with documented. This means having the motor carrier number (MC#) or Department of Transportation number (DOT#) linked to updated insurance, a record of loads ran as well as any additional terms and conditions. [/p] [h2]Client Essentials[/h2] [p]<strong>Client Addresses:</strong> the most important thing to consider for choosing software in regards to your clients is to track the pickup and delivery locations (sheds). Having all the sheds tracked in your system will allow you to easily create loads for the lanes you are working on. Knowing if those facilities are appointment based on first come first serve (FCFS) is also beneficial. [/p] [p]<strong>Load History:</strong> having a record of the loads you ran will help tremendously not only when it comes time to send invoices but also when you are comparing rates or running a lane frequently. With a record of the common lanes, you have run for a customer you have a blueprint for future loads and can easily compare rates. [/p] [giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3oriO7A7bt1wsEP4cw" width="480" height="336" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy] [h2] Load Management Essentials [/h2] [p] <strong>Load Building:</strong> this is the most important aspect of your potential software choices. To build a load you need to have sheds for pickup and delivery, carrier on the load, and location tracking. [/p] [p]<strong>Location Tracking:</strong> Thus software helps keep your customers happy. Knowing when a load has been booked, dispatched, picked up, and delivered are four things you will want to relay to your client. In addition having a function allowing you to track the location of the load either with automatic GPS or manually logged updates will help you stay ahead of potential issues and set you apart from a Fed Ex or UPS where you have no idea where things are while on the road.[/p] [p]<strong>Carrier on Load:</strong> having a list of qualified carriers is great and all, but what good is it if you cannot add them to loads. This makes tracking loads much more efficient and avoids confusion when you have several loads over the road. [/p] [p]<strong>Pay and Bill Rate:</strong> tracking the amount you will be billing your client and paying the carrier makes for easy calculation of margins and load budgets. This will make accounting much easier to manage.[/p] [p]<strong>Rate Confirmations:</strong> knowing what you are charging your client and paying your carrier is great, but being able to generate the confirmation binding them both is even better. If your freight broker software can generate these documents for you, it will save you loads of time. You can get the truck on the road right away instead of having to write out an email with pickup and delivery cities, load specifics, FCFS or Appointment times, and rate.[/p] [h2]Additional Software Tools[/h2] [p]<strong>Accounts Payable/Receivable:</strong> while having a feature like this included in your freight broker software is helpful, it is not essential. When it comes down to it billing your customer and paying carriers comes down to keeping an accurate spreadsheet which will already be installed on your computer. [/p] [p]<strong>Bill of Lading Generation:</strong> this is another feature you may or may not need. Most of the time the shipper will have the bill of ladings created for the driver but in the off chance, they ask you to make one a word processor is all you need. Blank BOLs can be downloaded off of a simple google search or made using tables in a word processor: it needs a pickup number (if applicable),pickup address, delivery address, and special instructions. If a freight broker software suite is going to charge you extra to do that, pass on it.[/p] [p]<strong>Carrier Search/Load Post:</strong> you may see different broker software programs with a feature to help you find a carrier for your loads. However, all they are doing is pulling data from load boards. Why pay extra when you can use load boards like <em>Truckloads</em> to post your load and find carriers yourself?[/p] [p]Selecting your broker software comes down to what you feel you really need for your freight business. When it comes down to it you might not need much to get started, but choosing the right freight broker software can help can you maximize efficiency and increase potential profits.[/p] [video id=snyBYpnuhWw] [button-green href="https://ship.truckerpath.com/signup?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=software&utm_campaign=Aug8"]Try Truckloads for Free[/button-green]

Aug 09, 2017 • Brokers