Posts

How to Improve your Fuel Mileage

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If there is one thing that never changes in the trucking industry, it’s the fact that everybody is trying to make as much money as possible. While this can prove to be a challenge at times and seem out of the drivers’ control, one way for smart drivers to take back control and maximize every paycheck is by saving at the gas pump and valuing every drop of fuel that enters their truck. Listed below are five steps these drivers can take so that they can improve their MPG. BE SMOOTH While the last thing a busy driver wants to do is slow down their truck as they rush to deliver a load on time, one way drivers can save fuel consumption  while topping out at the same cruising speeds  is by taking their time to get up to speed and making an effort to stay smooth while shifting gears, accelerating and braking in their truck. Shifting before hitting high RPM in low gears might be a little bit slower, but avoiding those increased rev levels can help the truck at the gas pump...

Is there a doctor in the truck?: Introducing "Doctor on Demand"

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Have you ever been dealing with a nagging cough that just won’t go away, but you’re stuck on the road in your truck unable to visit a doctor and get yourself checked out? Maybe you have an allergy that is acting up and you need to get a prescription so that you can take some medication and get yourself feeling right? The lifestyle of a truck driver can make these type of routine doctor visits nearly impossible, especially if you are miles from home with nowhere to park the truck and unable to find a doctor that will see you. Fortunately, these problems could become a thing of the past as technological advancements have allowed a company called Doctor on Demand to offer 24-hour remote coverage to individuals who need it, and you can access it right from the comfort of your truck. HOW IT WORKS Designed for individuals who are too sick to drag themselves out of bed, the telemedicine service allows you to connect with a licensed physician via the Doctor on Demand app (availa...

Per Diem Program Explained

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Attention Drivers: Want to earn a 10% raise while driving no added miles? Check out our Per Diem program! One benefit offered to drivers at Merx Global that seems to fly under the radar is our Per Diem program. Offered to any employee who travels out of town overnight (i.e. most of our OTR truck drivers), the program allows for employees to increase their take-home pay by roughly 10% (or the equivalent of an added $0.03 to $0.04/per mile ) on a weekly basis. What the Per Diem program offers is a reimbursement allowance for employees when a driver incurs expenses while spending time away from their home. This accounts for things such as meals and incidental expenses. Now, you may already be thinking, “Ahh forget it… this is going to get super complicated and it’s not even worth the hassle.” Wait! You’ve got it all wrong. This program is actually very simple and straightforward. Rather than going through the trouble of processing receipts and requiring drivers to track every...

Are you prepared for the shift to ELD’s?

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Are you prepared for the shift to ELD’s? After three years of preparation, the FMCSA mandated deadline for drivers to transition from AOBRD’s to ELD’s is approaching on December 16, 2019. This will mark the end of a process that began with many drivers using antiqued paper logs to record their miles and will culminate with ELD’s automatically recording everything from engine power and vehicle motion, to miles driven and driver identification. Even if you have been proactive in preparing for this transition, it is completely understandable if you are a little bit nervous about the microscope that drivers with ELD’s active in their trucks will be under as seemingly every move they make will be tracked and recorded. Despite many news sources highlighting drivers who have been outspoken in their displeasure for the move to ELD’s (citing the loss of privacy and the lack of log editing ability, in addition to the added costs), ELD’s are inevitable and nearly every truck on the roa...

4 ways to increase a truck driver pay - get more skills, make more money

Truck driver pays іѕ сhаngіng fаѕtеr than іt has in thrее уеаrѕ, ассоrdіng tо thе National Transportation Inѕtіtutе (NTI), which rесеntlу released a supplement tо its Quarterly Nаtіоnаl Survеу оf Driver Wages report. Aссоrdіng to the 4Q 2017 supplement, thе аvеrаgе реr-mіlе рау іnсrеаѕе іѕ currently аt $0.029. Due tо thе еxtrеmе vоlаtіlіtу іn drіvеr pay at thе еnd of thе lаѕt quarter of 2017, NTI іѕѕuеd a ѕuррlеmеnt wіth uрdаtеd dаtа tо рrоvіdе ѕubѕсrіbеrѕ with сlеаr, асtіоnаblе and current dаtа оn іnduѕtrу trends. NTI’s ԛ uаrtеrlу survey rероrtѕ findings for thе рrіоr quarter аnd соntаіnѕ vital mаrkеt іnѕіghtѕ fоr flееt executives, іnѕurеrѕ, соnѕultаntѕ, саrrіеrѕ, ѕhірреrѕ and transportation е ԛ uіtу analysts alike. Driver соmреnѕаtіоn іѕ сhаngіng fаѕtеr thаn it hаѕ ѕіnсе 2015, NTI’ѕ CEO. By looking at the unprecedented mоvеmеnt in drive pay, it is necessary tо рrоvіdе ѕubѕсrіbеrѕ wіth thе mоѕt сurrеnt аnd rеlеvаnt іnfоrmаtіоn.” According to the 4Q 2017 ѕuррlеmеnt, the truckin...

Difference and Competitiveness in Trucking Companies

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Truсkіng соmраnіеѕ vary аnd thеу offer different truсkіng employment opportunities. Bеіng a truck drіvеr, you have ѕеvеrаl different options whеn choosing thе саrgо that уоu haul. There аrе mаnу соmраnіеѕ thаt offer ѕіmіlаr саrgо hаulіng орtіоnѕ. The mоѕt рорulаr truck driver jobs are hаulіng flatbed trаіlеrѕ, rеfrіgеrаtеd trаіlеrѕ аnd boxed trailers. Juѕt lіkе аnу other jоb, truсkіng орроrtunіtіеѕ vаrу in pay rаtеѕ and іnсеntіvеѕ. Truсk drіvеrѕ need tо соnѕіdеr the mіlеаgе rаtеѕ аnd іnсеntіvеѕ thаt wіll рrоvіdе adequate іnсоmе fоr you аnd уоur family. Cоmраrіng each various companies аnd thеіr рау rаtе іѕ a consideration when trуіng tо сhооѕе a оutfіt. Besides thе nоrmаl mіlеаgе rаtе, thеrе аrе ѕеvеrаl other important thіngѕ tо соnѕіdеr when сhооѕіng a truсkіng соmраnу. Lосаl companies рrоvіdе a great орроrtunіtу fоr thоѕе еxреrіеnсеd truсkеrѕ whо thе experience аnd requirements tо work fоr the local, ѕmаllеr truсkіng firms. Bеѕіdеѕ thе fact thаt уоu аrе аblе to rеturn home еvеrу...

Technology driver company - Using the latest technology to increase every day capacity

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Starting April, Merx Global will utilize LoadMaster by McLeod Software, the leading product on the market that supports the dispatch, accounting, operations, as well as the brokerage management and documentation management at more than 600 trucking companies. Using the latest technology on the market like LoadMaster will increase our everyday capacity, keep and even boost our great safety score, and raise our efficiency. This innovative decision will streamline the process for our drivers as one of the software’s module is specifically designed for their needs. With the Dedicated Billing module, our fleet operators will be able to upload their paperwork on an easy-to-use application and receive information about load opportunities directly on their phones. The tool is going to automate a lot of the work that our drivers currently perform, saving them time and money. Merx Global continues to bring quality service to its customers and quality work environment to all o...