If you are a city driver you may already know very well the challenges that you face every day as you deliver products as a professional driver. Many new drivers want to become city drivers because they think they will be home every night. That may be true, you may get home but it may not be for dinner like you hope. I have had many city positions over the course of my career and although some worked out okay, many kept me out longer and with less home time than being on the highway. If you are interested in being a city driver then lets see if I can give you some tips to help you be better at your job.

Many drivers think that maintenance on a vehicle is less important in the city than on a highway vehicle. That's because when a break down happens on the highway it is usually more costly to repair. The truth is that in the city there is more movement, pedestrians, and stationary objects and that leaves more room for problems or incidents. Don't be like the guy in a car ahead of me at the lights one day who during a rain storm got out of his car and squeegeed his windows because his windshield wipers didn't work. Keep the maintenance up on your vehicle.

Of course traffic is one of the biggest challenges for any city driver. This makes trip planning even more important for every driver. Much of trip planning around the city will depend on the load you have on and how you are dispatched. If you run full loads around the city keeping the communication lines open with your dispatch will help to keep things moving. If you work pickup and delivery around the city try to work backwards to the traffic patterns of the city. This will allow you to be more efficient when delivering. If possible try to group pickups and deliveries to cut down on driving time around the city.

Parking has to be one of the largest problems in city driving. If you drive around the city of Toronto you possibly already know the parking situation in the city is a hot topic right now on the news. They have raised the fines for parking illegally and have hired more officers to enforce those that choose to park in "no parking zones". For cars I have no problem with this but it is a real problem for truck drivers. As normal the truck drivers are an easy target with no place to go. If possible try to trip plan your deliveries to times around restricted parking times such as rush hour times. That may not always be possible, so the first thing is to let your company and customer know that your delivery area is a problem area. The company may just pay the fines themselves as a cost of doing business or forward the cost to the customer. What you want to watch is that you are not just choosing where to park on your own accord with no communication. If there has been no communication with the company you may find yourself in hot water over poor parking choices. It won't be worth your time!

City driving is not any easier than highway operations in fact it can be much more stressful. Trip planning and knowing the deliveries will help make your day care free and safe. Make sure you keep up on maintenance on your vehicle, look for ways to reduce traffic tie ups by working against the flow, and know what parking options will be available for you at deliveries before you get to the customer. Be safe out there and I hope you return home without any tickets!

Bruce Outridge is an industry expert on business and leadership with over 32 years experience in the transportation industry. He is the author of the books Driven to Drive and Running by The Mile and is a trainer, speaker, and coach in the industry. He is also the host of The Lead Pedal Podcast for professional drivers. Check it out at www.theleadpedalpodcast.com, iTunes, and SoundCloud. To learn more about Bruce visit his website at www.bruceoutridge.com