The Top 7 Things That Drive Truckers Crazy

 

It’s common to hear motorists complain about truck drivers on the road. Whether it’s the space you use or the speed you drive, truckers often get the short end when it comes to respect. The truth is that driving a truck is one of the toughest jobs around. You’re constantly having to pay attention to your surroundings and to other drivers. If you’re a local driver, you also have the added challenge of navigating roadways that aren’t necessarily built for vehicles your size. So, we asked drivers, “What are your biggest pet peeves as a truck driver?” Here’s a list of some of the more maddening pet peeves: 

  1. Traffic – Getting stuck in high volume and slow traffic is always a nuisance wherever you are. However, local truck drivers are at a significant disadvantage because there’s not always an alternative route to take.
  2. Shipper/receiver delays – Every second you’re delayed costs you money as a driver. That’s time you’re not spending making another run and increasing your income. It can be especially frustrating when you’re committed to making your pick-ups and deliveries on time but get held up for reasons out of your control.
  3. Drivers on cell phones – Despite this issue being a hot topic for years and the countless number of incidents caused by drivers being on their cell phones, this remains a huge problem on the road. As a truck driver, it’s frustrating to see drivers who still insist on using their phones while in the car. Many states have started introducing hands-free device laws in order to curb drivers from using their phones, but this is still a major concern.
  4. Aggressive drivers– Cars that weave in and out of lanes without signaling, tailgating, cutting off other drivers and ignoring traffic laws…all these moves are characteristic of aggressive drivers. They pose a huge risk to other drivers and truckers on the road
  5. Narrow roads – Unlike OTR jobs, local truck drivers have to navigate local streets. Many of these are narrow roads, making them difficult to maneuver. These types of roads will often require lots of backing up in order to angle your truck correctly to make turns safely or to locate another route.
  6. Lack of respect for space – Trucks need a lot of additional space on the road. It takes you longer to stop your vehicle, you make wider turns and have larger blind spots. Many motorists seem to disregard a truck’s need for additional room, which makes your job more difficult and take you longer to get to your destination.
  7. Poor road conditions – Some accidents aren’t caused by other drivers but rather poor road conditions. This includes road erosion, potholes, uneven road surfaces and debris in the road. While any type of roadway is susceptible to poor conditions, local roads don’t always get the same amount of maintenance as larger roadways. 

Truck driving is a hard job. You deal with many different elements of trucking and logistics and are the key to making commerce work. For local truck drivers, you’re responsible for ensuring your local communities run smoothly. Your job is important and at Cargomatic, we understand that it certainly has its challenges. That’s why we’re proud to offer the opportunity and flexibility of local runs that you’ll want so that you can make the most out of your career. 

Connect with Cargomatic for info on how we make the best career for local truck drivers!

Cargomatic Hosts Dispuut Verkeer from Delft University of Technology

Future leaders eager to learn about the Digital Freight Marketplace

Long Beach, CA – August 14, 2019 – Cargomatic, Inc. recently hosted a delegation of 28 students studying toward a Masters in Transport & Planning or Transport, Infrastucture, and Logistics at the Delft University of Technology in Delft, The Netherlands. The future leaders, consisting of the Dispuut Verkeer student association, visited Cargomatic’s Long Beach office to learn more about the Digital Freight Marketplace and how it impacts the many facets of local freight transportation.

The delegation from Delft is researching emerging technologies shaping the future potential of urban and international logistics. Much of the group’s research is centered around the growing demand for first and last-mile freight transportation in cities, an area where Cargomatic’s technology and services shine. The mission of their research is to increase logistics efficiency in order to provide the immediate benefits to business and consumers, as well as providing a path to more sustainable urban transport.

“We really enjoyed the opportunity to visit Cargomatic during our visit to the US and Southern California,” said Benjamin Drybrough, a master’s student and member of Dispuut Verkeer’s organizing committee. “Being able to see Cargomatic’s systems in action really helped to attach real world experience to our 

Pictured: Dispuut Verkeer from Delft University of Technology at Cargomatic.

research and studies. It quickly became obvious how such a freight marketplace can help to maximize the use of available trucking capacity in cities.  Making the most of available capacity means fewer trucks are needed for those first and last-mile deliveries, providing an overall more efficient freight network.”

In addition to learning about freight marketplace technologies, the students in the delegation have research interests including freight truck platooning, autonomous vehicles, waterway and port operations, and even how bicycles can be an innovative method of freight delivery within congested cities.

“Hosting Ben and the rest of Dispuut Verkeer was an absolute pleasure,” said Steve Jackson, Cargomatic’s Chief Administrative Officer. “I was very impressed by their knowledge and understanding of transportation and logistics as a whole and how that knowledge translated into a number of very good questions about our services and technology platform.”

In addition to visiting Cargomatic in Long Beach, the delegation also traveled to Medellin and Bogota (Colombia), as well as San Francisco. Each one of these stops was chosen to learn how transportation and logistics differ in the varying cultural and economic contexts of Colombia and USA.

About Cargomatic

Founded by a tech entrepreneur from Silicon Valley and a logistics expert from Los Angeles, Cargomatic understands the challenges of local trucking, and we solve them with our technology. By seamlessly connecting shippers and truckers through our marketplace apps and automating all the necessary “back office” work, we help truckers grow their businesses and shippers track their freight in real time. As a single-source freight matching solution, Cargomatic’s mobile and desktop apps provide real-time tracking and full shipment transparency, streamlining the process through which shippers access available truck capacity and trusted, affordable drivers. The diversity and experience of our team, our ideas, and the technologies we build are what give Cargomatic the edge in an industry that still relies heavily on phone calls, email, and even fax machines. Shippers post local freight. Truckers haul it. We do the rest. Cargomatic makes connections happen.