Living on the road as a truck driver is a difficult job but living on the road as a broke truck driver is even harder. Having self-discipline to watch your spending isn’t as easy as it sounds. Lucky for you, we’ve gathered five tips on how to save money while on the road.

Plan Ahead

Make life on the road simpler and cheaper by planning ahead. If you are preparing for a longer trip, stock up on supplies that you think you’ll want before hitting the road. Bring non-perishable groceries and pack your toiletries and electronics beforehand to save money. You don’t want to spend unnecessary money, so even packing your own toothbrush and floss rather than purchasing it at the rest stop store will save you something. Truck stop prices can sometimes be high, causing you to spend unnecessary dough. Save money by organizing before you begin your trip and only bring the necessities with you.

When it comes to planning ahead, meal prepping can be another great tip on how to save money while on the road. According to an article in CDL Life, bringing your own food on the road can save you roughly $1,500 a year alone! Even making your coffee at home instead of buying out every day can save you roughly $2,000 a year. Preparing your meals ahead of time will save you from extra spending, plus it’s a healthier alternative to eating fast food for every meal. Below are lists of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas that you can prep before hitting the road.

Breakfast ideas:

• Egg frittatas
• Protein bars
• Fruit salad
• Blueberry muffins

Lunch ideas:

• Peanut butter and jelly or deli meat sandwiches
• Soup
• Salad
• Pre-made smoothie bags (just add milk and ice and blend in a blender)

Dinner ideas:

• Grilled chicken and rice
• Meatloaf
• Grilled salmon with veggies
• Home-made pizza

Snack ideas:

• Hardboiled eggs
• Veggies and hummus
• Fruit
• Almonds
• Beef jerky

For more tips, ideas, and recipes on meal prepping, click right here.

Create a Budget

Creating a budget for yourself will help you be more aware of how to save money. Write out a weekly or monthly budget with what you plan to spend on necessities like food, bills, etc. Add a section for unplanned expenses with a fixed amount so that you don’t go over budget. This can be your rainy-day fund for any unexpected expenses that may occur. Utilizing mobile apps can be a great way to budget and stay on top of your expenses. Mint® is a budget management app that tracks user spending. Mint® categorizes your transactions, tracks your bills, alerts you when you’ve exceeded maximum spending, and even provides free credit score monitoring. Many truck drivers utilize this app to keep track of their finances while traveling.

Along with budgeting, it can also be beneficial for you to keep a daily expense log for your finances. Add up how much money you spend every day to help you be more conscious of your spending habits and what you’re spending your money on. You’d be surprised at where your money goes.

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance!

            Maintaining the safety of your truck can save you so much money. Before you hit the road, check all the nuts and bolts on the vehicle to make sure everything is running properly. Be proactive by getting frequent oil changes or filling up your tires with air. Running into a mechanical problem is frustrating, inconvenient, and can put you behind schedule. If you do happen to run into a problem, contact fellow truckers or other colleagues in the industry to see if they can recommend local mechanics in that area who can help.

CDL Discounts

            You’d be surprised at how many discounts you can receive while on the road. Many hotels and restaurants provide discounted prices and according to Transport Topics, Cracker Barrel offers free coffee and fountain drinks to truck drivers. Drivers can also receive a 25 percent discount at Papa Johns, free coffee at Starbucks, and 15 percent off online orders at Denny’s. Rewards cards and loyalty programs are also offered at select truck stops. Some CDL discounts can even help you save money on fuel, coffee, showering, etc. At Trinity Logistics, we offer a discount program to our carriers that is free to join and gives drivers access to industry-wide fleet savings. Want to learn more about this program? Click here.

            There are several mobile apps on the market that offer ways for you to save money. GasBuddy offers a database of over 150,000 fuel stations that you can utilize to find the cheapest prices. GasBuddy also offers free gas coupons if you use your GasBuddy app or card to pay at Walmart, Amazon, and other big name retailers. Love’s Connect is also a free app used to redeem points and rewards. When you  fuel up at any of Love’s travel stops you will earn points for refueling. These points can be used to redeem free shop items or free showers. Taking advantage of these apps and the rewards systems can help you save money.

Take Advantage of Free WIFI

            Data usage can add up when traveling long distances. While unlimited data is an option, many people still have set data plans that charge you over usage fees when you go over the limit. This is why you as a truck driver need to utilize places with free WIFI any chance they get. Free WIFI is at almost every establishment these days, so simply ask if the place that you’re at has this option. The worst they could do is say no!

            Life on the road can definitely challenge your willpower to spend. Being mindful of your spending and making use of these tips and resources can help. We hope this article gave you some ideas and that you save some money while traveling on the job.

Do you have your own MC/DOT? Looking to see why you should be a part of Trinity’s carrier network?

No authority of your own? Check out our parent company, Burris Logistics, for available driver positions.

We depend on the energy supply chain so that our everyday lives can run smoothly. We need energy to heat and cool our homes, light our office buildings, move freight, and more. As the world continues to combat climate change, renewable energy is quickly growing as an energy source for our daily lives.

Every industry has its own set of challenges, and the renewable energy sector is no different. Detail shipping arrangements, safety, and visibility can all be challenging elements of renewable energy shipments. A third-party logistics company (3PL) can help find solutions to your shipping problems so you can make sure your freight is successfully delivered.

An Eye for Detail

Solar energy in the U.S. is booming. In just the last decade, solar has had an average annual growth rate of 49 percent! As sales continue to increase, so does the amount of freight shipments. The shipment of solar panels, or renewable elements in general, requires an eye for detail and prior knowledge on how to handle them. Renewable energy freight needs specific packaging and proper handling to protect them from damage and shipping hazards.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a widely accepted manual pertaining to the handling of photovoltaics (another term for solar or PV) panels. This is because there are many PV manufacturers in the renewable energy industry that create all types of panels, and all need to be handled differently.

Since there is no standardized manual, choosing a 3PL with knowledge and experience on arranging renewable energy shipments is crucial. Due to their fragile nature, solar freight can be expensive to ship. You’re going to want a team that knows your industry, has an extensive carrier network that will safely deliver your freight, and pays attention to detail.

Safety First

Safety is a top priority when shipping renewable energy. Freight such as hydroelectric turbine blades or wind turbines requires special care. With the over-dimensional nature of turbines, an expert that specializes in heavy haul shipments is imperative.

Looking for an extensive guide to keep on hand for your over-dimensional shipping? Check out our Over-Dimensional Shipping guide here.

Majority of the accidents that occur when shipping wind energy or hydrodynamic power is a result of human error. Shipping this specific freight requires experience and education. Choosing to work with a 3PL helps you put safety and compliance first and finds ways to safely reduce costs.

Increasing Visibility

The renewable energy industry can be complex and time sensitive. Multi-process operations require a lot of data storage and memory. Increasing visibility in the energy supply chain will provide aid for these challenges. One way to gain visibility in your supply chain is through a Transportation Management System (TMS). Any shipment tracking, consolidation tools, or business intelligence for reporting is all available at the shipper’s fingertips. Partnering with a 3PL with an advanced TMS can help give complete visibility into analytics and reporting. By providing the technology needed to best manage your supply chain processes all while offering expertise in arranging shipments in the renewable energy industry, Trinity Logistics has the resources to make your shipping challenges a bit easier to manage.

Shipping renewable energy is a whole other ball game. Attention to detail, safety, and visibility are required for everything to move efficiently through the supply chain. Make the choice to outsource to a 3PL, like Trinity Logistics, who understands your unique challenges and how to face them.

Learn more about how Trinity can handle your renewable energy freight safely and efficiently.

Author: Victoria Dalton