Keys to Choosing the Best Route of Transport: A Trucker Explains

I have a secret friend in Madrid who is a carrier. A man of much experience, but all the days studied, and it has become very much in tune with the technology, as though the hair a few grey hairs, have young, and awakens the mind, as if he was just getting started in the transportation of loads.

I have been asked not to disclose his name. It is the condition that I have been imposed for taking me by the hand along the roads of Spain.

Between us is born a great friendship. And I, to be able to name, I remember a song that voice that shook the soul, when, her tone soft and melodious, sounded in all the albums of long duration of the time: ….It was called Manuel, was born in Spain…

And so I said:

-As a carrier with years on the road, I know that choosing the right route between Madrid and the north of Spain and can make the difference between a profitable journey and one that is full of the unexpected. Many believe that it is enough to follow the GPS, but the reality is more complex. What toll road or secondary road? How to get up early, or avoid certain areas? These are the factors that I discuss before each path.

My other dilemma is with the speed versus the cost , is the first that we face. A month ago, carrying a load urgent to Bilbao, I opted for the AP-1 (toll): 3 hour 45 minute journey and €30 in tolls. Last week, with less haste, I used the N-623: 45 more minutes, but I saved these to €30 which are added to the end of the month. Tools such as Michelin Route Planner and help me to make these decisions with exact numbers.

The traffic is a silent enemy. Leave Madrid at seven in the morning, it means losing an hour just to reach the A-1. Now I can code outputs to the five or after eight in the evening. I used to do this with Apps like Waze, are my allies: two weeks ago I drifted by the M-607 by an accident on the A-1, saving my schedule.

Tolls are painful, but sometimes worth it, I say it to you. In winter, when the N-623, near Burgos gets slippery payment without doubt the AP-1. But in summer, in good weather, that money stays in my pocket. And smiles. Calculation is: does The time savings justify the expense? For loads urgent, almost always yes.

But I can tell that the restrictions are traps expensive. A colleague had a fine of €200 to enter Madrid Central without a label ECO. Now check for restricted areas with TruckMap before each trip. Also I check the low bridges: close to Santander is one of 3.8 meters that almost catches my trailer four metres high, in the last year.

And, of course, is the load that is transported to a large extent defined the route. When transfer strawberries from Aranda de Duero, choose the fastest route even if it costs more. But with steel to Vigo, which is not perishable, taking the A-6 free although it may take an extra hour. And if it is dangerous goods, I follow to the letter the routes marked by the General Directorate of Traffic.

And as you can see, I study the technology to be able to make a journey successful. In addition to the standard GPS, use TomTom GO Professional who considers the weight of my truck. Last week I avoided a narrow street in Miranda de Ebro, that neither Google Maps marked as a problem. And with Geotab, my company monitors in real time the fuel consumption per path.

When I began a veteran said to me one day : ‘A good carrier not only leads, but calculates’. there is No perfect route, but with these tricks -and some of the apps key – I have reduced my costs by 15 percent this year.

 The next time you see a truck in the AP-1 early in the morning, to know that behind the scenes there is hours of planning, not just driving.

Manuel, you are wise. thank you. That’s why you work guiding you through Powerload.is