One important thing to remember: Driving a semi is a very "multi-tasking" job. You have to keep aware of many things at all times. That being said...
here's what I do:

If I am close to a shipper or receiver and I turn off the CB and the XM radio to eliminate all possible distractions.

When I am traveling down the road..as in enroute... I make a habit to read every, and I mean absolutely every sign that is installed in the right of ways of the highways. The reason new drivers get lost or have problems can boil down simply to: Not reading all the signs. Its a very common problem. Some people are also "directionally challenged"....so watching for and reading signs is a top priority. As a "Finisher" for CFI I would constantly "harp" (politely and softly" about reading signs. I would sometimes "purposely" let a student miss a sign to make a point....then tell them they missed their exit and ask them how they were going to get back to where they needed to be?

If you get in the habit of making a routing plan such as the other posters have mentioned...that is an excellent way to do it. I used to write my routes and directions on a 3 X 5 card and put it on my visor so I could read it. Grease pencil on the windshield is good, but unless you use white it can difficult to read...especially at night.

Figure your basic route from start to finish...then factor in your fuel stops. Then look at your destinations instructions...very important. For instance, if you are going to Columbus, OH or another major metro...your route can be shifted to be alittle different because of where in the city you are going.

Don't think that you are alone in your quest to get there.... you're not, trust me on that 8) Anyone who tells me or you that they never had the problem....is telling you a "trucker's story". Give it time, but write things down. It will help. After awhile...if you keep at it...you will be like many of us who have been out here awhile....you'll be able to just think for a moment and already know the route....from one coast to the other. It comes with experience. You'll also know where every one of your fuel stops is without consulting a truckstop guide all the time.

And....don't try toooo hard to do it. You may be over stressing yourself, which could cause problems. Afterall, it ain't nuthin but a thing!! 8) 8)

 

Start by having the destination in mind, "I'm here and I'm going to here..." Its VERY HARD {for me} to follow directions not having an idea of where the destination is.
I study maps to get the destination and an idea of "other ways" to get there as well as other ways/directions {n,e,s.& w} out.
Knowing "where not to go" is learned from experience {stay out of China Town}.

 

I just plug in the destination in my Streets and Atlas program on the laptop, trn on the GPS and follow the on screen directions. Gotta watch it though, sometimes it routes you in WEIRD places!!! some where I wouldn't want to take a VW much less an 18 wheeler!

 

True story on this one. A friend ran into a guy a little north of Knoxville who was coming out of... I forget where. Anyway, he was heading to Idaho, and someone had told him he needed to get into the city on I-80. Someone else had told him he could take I-81 north to I-80, and he apparently expected to find it somewhere around Knoxville, because he had that "Is it much father to I-80 from here?" tone in his voice.

Now I don't know anything about Idaho myself, but I know what I'd do if I had to get there. This guy obviously never remotely looked at a map. He would have eventually gotten to whatever city that was (assuming I-80 really runs through Idaho; sorry, America stops at the Mississippi river going west, and at I-80 going north, so far as I know) on that route, but it was way beyond a pointless waste of fuel and time.

All of which underscores the point you just made: KNOW YOUR DESTINATION!

 

As a brand new driver, I have similar anxiety regarding being out solo and depending on myself for trip planning. I will get my truck assigned mid this week.

A friend (retired driver) told me he used to use a dry erase marker and write his directions on the inside of the windshield right in front of him. He could look right through them. NOTE: it doesn't work at night.

We get routing via Qualcom. But those are not always accurate. We also get our fuel plan that way. I have already found that a lot of the fuel stops are skipped.

I bought a Garmen C550 to help me. So far, with my trainer, I have found it extremely helpful and accurate. It even recalculates to get you back on route if you miss a turn.

 

Just BE CAREFUL. Those things are built for fourwheelers. I can't find anything about a Garmin C550 to indicate otherwise.

Fourwheeler directions can put you right under a 12' bridge, or right over an 8 ton bridge, or right through the middle of a big NO TRUCKS zone, etc., so you have to be very, very careful. Personally, I don't think I'd trust one any more than I trust directions from people at the stops. They have no idea what driving a truck is like unless they happen to be a retired truck driver.

 

As others have said, use every tool at your disposal.

I plug in the address into my GPS.

I can screen through every turn it comes up with and I verify the route with my atlas. I have two atlases. Normal size and large scale. I'm getting old and my eyesight is not what it used to be. I keep a magnifying glass handy also.

I keep a dry eraser board handy, I write down everything I think is essential.

I make a phone call to clear up any questions I may have.

 

Yeah, what he said! GPS is just a tool. Always pays to check the route for restrictions using an atlas.

 

Well.... you're not going to like my answer! First thing? go back to High School and sit in on a Geography class! Learn what you didn't learn while you were asleep.

Learn where the big cities are in this country. Then, the smaller, but important ones.

Then learn what no one wants to teach. Highway designators! WHY is an interstate or highway numbered the way it is? And where does it go?

What does a 3 digit interstate designation mean? Does it start with an EVEN number or an ODD? Why?

What does an even or odd number U.S. Highway designator mean? Where does it go?

Think back to before the mid 1950's. There WERE no interstates. How did people get from one town to another? U.S. Highways, State highways, etc.

WHY would someone build a highway that curves around mountains to go east and west? Maybe, to get to the important towns of that ERA.

Will a U.S. Highway take you to the middle of nowhere? I doubt it. It will ALWAYS take you to and THROUGH the nearest major town. (It is often the Main Street.)

Will a STATE highway do the same? Not necessarily. Those, and County roads, will take you to smaller towns that lie outside the major cities.

So.... if faced with a split between two highways, or east and west indicators, you must ask yourself WHERE you are trying to GO?? And is it east or west of you? You should KNOW!

Odd number interstates, west to east, I-5 in California to I-95 on the east coast. Even number interstates, lowest number furthest South. I-10 UP to I-94.

U.S. Highways, even numbered, mirror the east west interstates but in REVERSE order (top to bottom.)

Odd numbered U.S. highways depend on the number of digits, and are a different animal. Save that for later.

There are exceptions and further rules for U.S. highways. (they are more confusing.) But, the point is.... know where you are going, look at it on a MAP (not a GPS unit!) then UNDERSTAND the highway system that will take you there. MANY GPS units will give U.S. highway designators INSTEAD of interstates, because they are running "together." :shock:

When you are lost in a state, and you ask for help on the CB, the driver who answers will assume that you know these basics! He will be of NO help, unless you DO!!!

Good LUCK, driver! But, STUDY!!! There is MORE to being a truck driver than Drop and Hook, and steering!

 

They hammered all this for me in trucking school. I take that as a sign I went to a good one? I learned a lot about map stuff in there, and it has served me very, very well over the years.