What is a Driver Trip Calculator and Why Do You Need One?

Will you arrive on time? How long will it take for you to reach your destination? Are you there yet?

Along with these common trucking questions, you might have also come across “How much fuel would this trip possibly use up?”

While having a GPS is helpful enough to provide estimates on arrival time, it could potentially be useless for the driver when dead spots or places with little to no signal are reached. Here comes driver trip calculators, an option that could alleviate some dilemmas in dispatching.

What Drive Trip Calculators Do

Using the number of miles and speed in miles per hour, drive trip calculators project the amount of time needed to arrive at your destination. Typically, the distance between the two points is estimated and factored in with a detailed map that includes step-by-step directions to generate such calculations.

Others also provide estimates of fuel costs and take into account the stops or breaks that are taken in between the trip.

What benefits can you get when you plan with a Drive Trip Calculator?

Planning a route can be complicated when done manually. With the help of a drive trip calculator, you are able to reduce that burden as the calculator computes the time that will be spent driving.

Efficient planning is now made easier and quicker, allowing you to avoid hefty rates that you might encounter unexpectedly along the way.  This helps cut down the expenses incurred for a trip, giving you extra savings.

Drive Trip Calculators also give you data-driven insights on the most precise departure time and help you stay on track for the rest of your trip, especially when your arrival is set to a specific hour of the day.

Factors to consider when calculating your drive time

Stops, speed variations, and time zones are primarily considered by drive trip calculators along with the distance between pick-up and drop-off points and all other possible situations and considerations involving the locations.

First, fuel stops, food stops, and bio breaks are considered as this is necessary for long drives, and is equipped with the information about the possible stops available and accessible along the way will prevent unwanted issues throughout the trip.

These stops contribute to total travel time, and the driver trip calculator helps give a more realistic estimation of arrival time as the mentioned factors are considered.

Second, speed is considered since faster driving will most likely let you reach the destination quicker, as speed is inversely proportional to time.

Variations in speed are factored in to project the most probable arrival time depending on the average speed, reducing the stress that one may encounter while driving as they are now able to picture the traveling time for their trip.

Driver trip calculators come into the picture by computing fuel costs, considering average speed, and analyzing average miles per gallon consumed to give you the estimates you need efficiently.

Are Driver Trip Calculators accurate?

Calculations made by these Driver Trip Calculators are entirely based on estimates. Other factors dynamically change and are beyond control, such as traffic and sudden weather changes.

Actual travel times may still vary but the driver trip calculator still gives helpful insights necessary for planning and similar activities.

Overestimating your travel time gives you more room for adjustments, especially when determining your average speed, to give room for any unexpected situations like traffic hams and rush hours.

This also gives you the advantage of not feeling rushed or pressured, since there is extra time allotted in advance.

Actual fuel consumption and cost may also vary, as each gas station may have different prices, the terrain might be different from one place to another,

and frequent stopping because of traffic lights will most likely give you much lower miles per gallon compared to continuous driving on the highway or even on a flat, paved road.

Overall, driver trip calculators still provide data-backed estimates to help you be more prepared as you go over the necessary plans that you have to make before going on your trip.

It provides you a sneak peek of the trip that you will be embarking on, and allows you to make the necessary adjustments in this ever-challenging trucking industry.