Insurance for Commercial Trucks

Interstate Love Song: Making the Most of Your Pit Stops

Strong Tie Insurance August 27, 2020 StrongtieInsurance

When your driver is behind the wheel of a big rig for hours on end, making a pit stop is like finding an oasis in the desert. Just like you wouldn’t hit the road without insurance for commercial trucks, you would never make a long haul without expecting to stop along the way.

Since these stops are few and far between, it’s crucial that you make the most of your time. A trucker’s life isn’t easy — from having to shop around for semi truck insurance to having to work an almost unlimited number of hours, truckers not only need great pit stops. They deserve them.

How to Make Your Pit Stop Efficient and Rewarding 

1. Choose the Right Stop

Not all truck stops are equal. They don’t offer the same services, provide the same amenities, or even come close in convenience options or pricing. In some situations, you may not have a choice. For example, you can’t be too choosy when your truck is running out of gas, or you realize that you need a few winks before continuing.

When choosing your truck stop, consider the following:

Amenities

Some stops offer more than just gas and junk food. Many truck stops are starting to improve their services like adding branded restaurants, lounges, truck washing services, showers, wireless coffee bars, laundry machines, arcades, movie theaters, barbershops, and more.

As you plan your route, you may realize that you’ll have some downtime, and a stop with some kind of entertainment is ideal. In other situations, you may not have to worry about the extra frills because you’re only stopping for a quick refuel and trip to the bathroom.

Prices and Benefits

Fuel is considered one of the most expensive parts of your trip. By doing a little research on gas prices along your route, you could save hundreds or thousands of dollars each year. There are plenty of apps that can help locate the best fuel price near you or along your route.

Some truck stops offer rewards programs. If these programs are free, make sure to join them all. You’ll want to compare the benefits of each one to decide if one is worth more visits than others. These rewards programs can help you earn cash back, free use of amenities, complimentary food, and more.

Another way to stack up on your benefits is to use a credit card with a valuable rewards program to make your fuel and food purchases. However, this doesn’t work if your company requires that you use a business card.

Otherwise, find a credit card with an excellent rewards program. Some offer cash back while others help you earn points that can be used for travel or shopping. Rewards cards even exist for business accounts, so you can use the same credit card that you use to pay your owner operator insurance premiums.

2. Focus on Your Health

Sitting for long periods of time isn’t great for your health or your posture. Make sure your stop is more than just refueling and grabbing a bite to eat. Here are some health-conscious things you can do during your pit stop:

Walk Around and Stretch

You don’t have to do laps around the truck stop to get your body moving and heart pumping a little bit. Even if you’re on a tight schedule, take five minutes and walk one direction, then turn around and walk back.

If time is a concern, eat a healthy snack, or make a phone call while walking to kill two birds with one stone.

Hours of driving can cause a number of issues with your muscles. It’s easy to experience tension in your legs, neck, arms, or back after being on the road for a while. After you complete your walk, reach down and touch your toes. Raise your arms up and down. Slowly rotate your wrists and head.

Don’t just stretch what is bothering you, also focus on preventing issues in other areas of the body.

Eat Quality Meals

Many truck stops make their living convincing truckers to buy extra-large sodas or snacks with tons of sugar. If you’re in need of a meal or a snack, try to get something a little healthier than what’s offered in the junk food aisle.

If the truck stops options along your route don’t offer healthy choices, you might consider packing food for the road.

Make sure to stay hydrated because a lack of water can turn into fatigue and the loss of focus. The last thing you want is for your long haul trucking insurance to go up because you lost focus from dehydration and got into an accident. Ideally, you can get a reusable bottle that you can fill at each stop.

Read also: Bar Chow: Maintaining a Healthy Diet While Trucking

Get Some Rest

Whether your pit stop takes place at a truck stop or a rest stop, you may need to use the time to get some rest. Driving and exhaustion when combined are extremely dangerous.

Not only can fatigued driving impact your semi truck insurance, but it could cost you your life. You’re better off taking a nap or calling it a day than the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

3. Take Care of Business

There are quite a few tasks that need to be completed during your route. Some of these items can wait until you arrive at your destination, but you can get a head start on some while making your stop.

Essentially, knock out any tasks that you might have that are too distracting to do while driving. This might include filling out sections of your logbook, making a phone call to update your dispatcher on your status, checking your email, and so on.

Insurance for Commercial Trucks Made Easy

Just like you want to make the most out of every pit stop, you also want to make the most out of your semi truck insurance provider. Whether you need owner operator insurance, extended haul insurance, or something in between, don’t get stuck with over-priced insurance that doesn’t fit your needs.

While you’re planning your next route, take some time to explore your options. There’s no harm in shopping around, especially if you find a way to save your hard-earned money.

We’ve been helping truckers make the most of their insurance plans for years. Call Strong Tie Insurance today and get your free quote.