Saving money while on the Road
The life of a trucker can be a bit challenging, but it can also be financially rewarding: that is, unless you aren’t good at managing your finances. Sure, you have to spend for food and parts, truck maintenance, and bills payments; but that doesn’t mean that you can’t save money as well: there are little things you can do to keep your expenses to a minimum. Your Reliable Permit Solutions team would like to give you some tips on how you can make the most of your spending (or cut it down), so that your trips don’t cost you an arm and a leg: you’ll need both of those for driving.
- Be on the lookout for CDL perks – Some establishments give you discounts when you show them your commercial driver’s license (CDL). Take advantage of this, and ask restaurants and hotels if they offer this discount.
- Avoid Cash Advances and Credit Cards – These may seem like a good idea at the onset, but you don’t want to be paying off high interest rates or paying double the amount you took out.
- Make your own meals – Food expenses will take the biggest chunk of your hard-earned cash. To avoid overspending on food; we recommend preparing your own. It’s perfectly okay to treat yourself to some good food every now and then; but for most of your time on the road, it will be cheaper for you to choose sensible (and healthy) dining options. Buy some good-quality bread and some low-fat deli meat to make sandwiches that you can pair up with some fresh fruit. You can also make salads (pasta or otherwise), snack on nuts (but not too much), and load up on cereal, oatmeal, trail mix, and granola.
- Invest in a power inverter – Adding this nifty piece of hardware to your truck will allow you to use a small personal grill, a microwave, a refrigerator, a crock pot, and a coffee pot inside your cab.
- Budget, Budget, Budget – Keep tabs on your spending by keeping your receipts and logging all your expenses. Figure out how much you spend each month and allot a portion of your earnings for these expenses (bills included).
- Pay your bills automatically – This not only prevents you from incurring late payment penalties, but it also saves you from having to spend time and fuel going to each payment destination and getting in line or waiting.
- Invest in a GPS Navigation device – Knowing the best route to your destination will not only help you avoid traffic, but also allow you to maximize your time and fuel efficiency. There are actually navigation apps that are available for free or for a minimal fee; but these will usually require you to be connected to the internet; which will eat up your smart phone/tablet mobile data: not very cost-effective, and this brings us to…
- Be on the lookout for free WiFi – Take advantage of establishments that offer WiFi for free to call your family, or take a break and play some online games, or watch those viral videos, or stream some shows/movies/music.
- Bring Clothes and Toiletries – To save on Laundromat and Pharmacy expenses, bring an adequate supply of clothes (enough for more than a few days) and bring your own toiletries from home.
Save some more money by getting your trucking permits from Reliable Permit Solutions. Our teams of professional and experienced agents know how to get the best rates for your Overweight/Oversize Load Permits, Trip and Fuel Permits, and Superloads Permits. We also offer other services like Route Consulting and Pilot Car escorts. Call us up at 888-949-4220 for all of your inquiries and for more information about our permits and services.