5 Steps to Prepare for an OTR trip
5 Steps to Prepare for an OTR Trip
Before you jump in your truck for a long over-the-road (OTR) trip, you might prepare emotionally and mentally by saying your goodbyes to your family. Perhaps you give a round of hugs and reassure them that you will be back before they know it. You promise to call every day.
In addition to getting yourself in the right mindset, there are some steps you can take to prepare. These can mean the difference between a smooth run and hours lost to breakdowns, bad weather, traffic, parking problems, or an avoidable HOS violation. Here are some of the steps experienced drivers use to get ready.
1. Know Your Route Before You Roll
Don't simply enter the destination into your GPS and go. Review the entire trip, including major cities, construction zones, mountain grades, toll roads, truck restrictions, fuel stops, and parking areas before you encounter or need them. There are specialized commercial vehicle GPS apps that you can use to plan your route. This can help you avoid passenger-car navigation apps that may send a CMV onto roads with low bridges, weight restrictions, or other limitations. Many OTR drivers also find it helpful to have a primary route and a backup route to save time if they are faced with last-minute changes.
Professional tip: Carry what your company permits and what you realistically may need on the road such as appropriate clothing for changing weather, food and water, phone chargers, basic personal supplies, and any company-required emergency equipment.
2. Check the Weather Along Your Route
Weather can change dramatically during a multi-state trip. Check conditions along the entire route, especially when traveling through mountain passes, areas prone to snow and ice, severe thunderstorms, flooding, high winds, or extreme heat. Under the FMCSA's "adverse driving conditions exception", qualifying unforeseen adverse conditions can extend the driver's normal driving window by up to two hours. However, this does not automatically give a driver two additional driving hours simply because a trip is running late. The conditions generally must have been unforeseen when the trip began.
Professional tip: Don't use an HOS exception as a trip-planning strategy. If conditions become dangerous, slow down, find a safe location, and communicate with your carrier.
3. Know the Rules of the Road Across State Lines
When driving OTR, you'll cross through multiple states, and some rules can vary by state. Crossing a state line doesn't mean the federal rules disappear but you may have additional state and local requirements to follow. Before your trip, check for state-specific requirements such as speed limits, truck routes, weight restrictions, chain requirements, and road closures. When in doubt, follow the posted restriction and ask your carrier for guidance.
Professional tip: Your carrier, dispatcher, state transportation agency, truck-specific GPS, and official state resources can all be useful to check for current truck restrictions and road conditions before entering a new state.
4. Inspect the Truck and Trailer
A good OTR driver doesn't treat the pre-trip inspection as a formality. Many experienced drivers recommend making sure to "look close" during a thorough walk-around. Make sure to check the tires, wheels, brakes, lights, mirrors, windshield, wipers, coupling equipment, hoses, belts, fluids, emergency equipment, and other required components. FMCSA regulations require drivers to be satisfied that the vehicle and equipment are in good working order before operating it. If you have a specialized load, make sure your cargo is secured according to the applicable requirements.
A written report is not generally required specifically for the pre-trip inspection under §392.7, but defects discovered during operations must be handled according to the applicable inspection and reporting requirements.
5. Know Your Hours of Service (HOS)
Before you start your trip, know how many hours you can legally drive and when you need to take breaks and rest. Plan your trip around your available driving hours and not just the number of miles you'll be driving. Remember to leave enough time for traffic, weather, loading delays, fuel stops, and finding a safe place to park. For most property-carrying drivers, federal HOS rules include an 11-hour driving limit within a 14-hour work window, a 30-minute break after 8 cumulative hours of driving, and at least 10 consecutive hours off duty before starting a new driving period.
Most drivers required to maintain records of duty status must use an FMCSA-registered ELD. Drivers should know how to operate their device, review their logs, make appropriate annotations, and handle an ELD malfunction.
At CDL Direct, we don’t just prepare you to pass the exam. Our course is designed to prepare you for real-world situations—inspections, roadside stops, accidents, and the decisions and driving techniques that protect your livelihood.